Lordy, let's hope not. Prof. Boudreaux:
The evidence suggests that F.D.R.'s interventions only deepened and
prolonged Americans' economic plight. In 1939 the unemployment rate
remained abysmal, at 17.2 percent – no surprise given the drying up of
investment during the 1930s. As Robert Higgs found, "In the period
1931-35, net investment totaled MINUS $18.3 billion. After reviving to
positive levels in 1936 and 1937, net investment again fell into the
negative range in 1938 (-$0.8 billion) before resuming its recovery.
For the eleven-year period from 1930 to 1940, net private investment
totaled MINUS $3.1 billion."
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