[yankeedame]

Scholarly studies of the history of these two administrations have in recent years come to see FDR's New Deal as Herbert Hoover's policies writ large and in bolder strokes.

What has always puzzled me by Hoover's actions was the fact that as a "civilian" he was a highly successful businessman/owner and one of the (if not the) wealthest mining enginers on earth. I can only assume that he was struck down with Potomic Fever.

[ClearCase_guy]

Hoover was in the business of solving problems. He was a mining engineer -- he solved problems constantly. After WWI our government sent him to Europe and asked him to help get food to hungry Europeans. It was a problem to solve, and he did a magnificent job. Largely because of his success in this task, he was elected President. Then our economy got hit hard and people were suffering ... I'm not surprised that he tried to solve that problem too. I just wish he hadn't.