Russell Williams
Well-Known Member
Dear Editors,
In the Monday, June 20 opinion page someone says that the Great Depression is greatly misunderstood and points out that many people believe that the New Deal and government spending brought us out of the Great Depression. This person pointed out that the economy grows by saving and not by spending. However, during the depression, large numbers of people were out of work and it is very difficult for people who have no income to save a set percentage of their income every week. In addition, at the start of the Great Depression, many banks became bankrupt and so many of those who had been very carefully saving their money no longer had access to it because their banks were bankrupt. Businesses grow by selling products. If everybody is trying to save money rather than spend money than people are not buying things from businesses and businesses with few or no customers have trouble growing.
The author of the letter to the editor points out that in 1935 the federal government renovated City Hall and then two years later tore down and rebuilt it. The author pointed out that you do not grow an economy by building things and then letting them be destroyed.
Actually, it is my understanding that the country was brought out of the depression by two huge government spending projects. One, with the exception of one representative, was unanimously passed by Congress in early December 1941 and the other was unanimously passed by Congress a couple of days later. Both of these programs, the declaration of war on Japan and the declaration of war on Germany, involved employing Americans to build huge numbers of tanks, airplanes, ships, bombs, and many other things and then sending these items to places where they could be destroyed. As these items were being destroyed more money was being spent replacing the tanks, airplanes, ships, bombs, and many other things that had been destroyed. For those able-bodied men who were not working in factories the government had another mandatory employment program which was called "the draft".
In summary although the author of the letter to the editor says that savings was the way to end the depression the letter does not describe how unemployed people can save enough money so that they will have money to not spend. The author of the letter also condemns the practice of the government building something and then letting it be destroyed and replaced but does not condemn the huge governmental public works and employment programs (involvement in World War II) run between December 1941 in September of 1945, during which time huge numbers of things were built and then sent to places where they would be destroyed.
Yours truly,
Russell Williams
In the Monday, June 20 opinion page someone says that the Great Depression is greatly misunderstood and points out that many people believe that the New Deal and government spending brought us out of the Great Depression. This person pointed out that the economy grows by saving and not by spending. However, during the depression, large numbers of people were out of work and it is very difficult for people who have no income to save a set percentage of their income every week. In addition, at the start of the Great Depression, many banks became bankrupt and so many of those who had been very carefully saving their money no longer had access to it because their banks were bankrupt. Businesses grow by selling products. If everybody is trying to save money rather than spend money than people are not buying things from businesses and businesses with few or no customers have trouble growing.
The author of the letter to the editor points out that in 1935 the federal government renovated City Hall and then two years later tore down and rebuilt it. The author pointed out that you do not grow an economy by building things and then letting them be destroyed.
Actually, it is my understanding that the country was brought out of the depression by two huge government spending projects. One, with the exception of one representative, was unanimously passed by Congress in early December 1941 and the other was unanimously passed by Congress a couple of days later. Both of these programs, the declaration of war on Japan and the declaration of war on Germany, involved employing Americans to build huge numbers of tanks, airplanes, ships, bombs, and many other things and then sending these items to places where they could be destroyed. As these items were being destroyed more money was being spent replacing the tanks, airplanes, ships, bombs, and many other things that had been destroyed. For those able-bodied men who were not working in factories the government had another mandatory employment program which was called "the draft".
In summary although the author of the letter to the editor says that savings was the way to end the depression the letter does not describe how unemployed people can save enough money so that they will have money to not spend. The author of the letter also condemns the practice of the government building something and then letting it be destroyed and replaced but does not condemn the huge governmental public works and employment programs (involvement in World War II) run between December 1941 in September of 1945, during which time huge numbers of things were built and then sent to places where they would be destroyed.
Yours truly,
Russell Williams
