The stupid voters who allowed themselves to be propagandized into thinking that it was capitalism, not Govt's interventions which really caused it, that was responsible for the Great Depression.
The "unholy" confluence of Marxism and Keynsianism that prevailed at the time when Americans, when told so, believed only Govt "experts" could undo the great wrongs of lazze faire capitalism and thereby they bought into the socialist creed of central planning ocurring in Europe at the time and the redistribution of incomes to do it with. Scientific advances had men ATT thinking they could plan people's lives better than the people could themselves.
And so in no uncertain terms, history proves their folly in the examples of the USSR, and all other places liberty, and ergo living standards, take the backseat to Govt's concentration of power.
To say otherwise is directly refuting Lord Acton.
High taxes, tarrifs, and overspending have throughout history been the preludes to war. Is it coincidence that the Fed'l Reserve and Income tax were started just in time to finance WWI? Few scholars disagree that without the oppressions dealt to Germany during & after the war that WWII and Hilter's rise would not have happened.
IMHO it is also without coincidence that two of three assasinated presidents were followed by relatives of the Roosevelt/Delano dynasty's family tree. 11 relatives of which were US presidents FDR claimed he succeeded. Grant, a third cousin his closet. FDR also had British Royalty among his decendants who he and Eleanor referred to as cousin - she being the niece of Teddy. Talk about inbreeding!
Ahhh, so the desires of the majority, voting in free and fair elections, becomes an expression of "statism?"
One need not dispute that voters did indeed ask for what we've got today -- but the roots of the problem are far more subtle than the "propagandists made 'em do it" argument you've advanced here.
Is it coincidence that the Fed'l Reserve and Income tax were started just in time to finance WWI?
Why, yes it is. It's utterly preposterous to blame WWI on the U.S. Federal Reserve System and/or the 16th Amendment.