[WS:] But laissez faire is a conscious policy choice, one of many possible - not some pre-established systemic harmony that philosophers like to talk about. The fact that the USG chose this policy over others means nothing more that it simply responded to the alignment of political forces. Was it FDR who said you convinced me about your policy, now make me do it?
Or to paraphrase one Margaret Thatcher - there is no such thing as capitalism, only the money grubbers and their politicians.
Wojtek
^^^^^^^^ CB; Yes, but no need for the word "but" in your reply. What u say doesn't contradict what I said. It is a conscious policy choice _and structural or systemic feature of the American system for the Presidents , especially, since Reagan, to revert to the pre-FDR Presidential and Congressional policies of letting business control the economy. That's the main point here. The American voters' delusion that the government dominates "the economy" ignores that Business, not Government, makes depressions and recessions. The economy should not be a big factor in people's decisions on who to vote for. Paul Krugman could be President for Life, and we'd still have recessions and Wall Street crashes.