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Lever asked in Politics & GovernmentPolitics · 1 decade ago

Is economic personal freedom what caused the Great Depression and our current recession?

What I mean is, in the Great Depression people were buying out goods with money they couldn't pay back and the stock market also had investors doing the same. In this recession, the action of people buying things they couldn't afford or that wasn't worth it became the problem.

My point is, if the bad decisions of individual people or corporations are causing these recessions, does that mean that this is a normal occurrence, especially when people are allowed to get themselves into debt and make unwise investment decisions?

12 Answers

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  • Max K
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    A free market will have periods of correction. Even the stock market does not continue to go up every day, sometimes it pulls back and depending on the situation it can pull back a lot. So does the economy. When things get out of whack such as real estate valuations, high gas prices, increased unemployment, unsecured debt levels, and too much government spending etc. the result is a recession. Usually the recession will self correct with time. The amount of time depends on in part what the government's interference is. If the government eases taxes and loosens its grip on those who provide jobs, the recovery will be quicker. But in our present situation, the Obama administration has failed to create a positive outlook for our future and the resulting fear among other things has stifled any potential growth and the threat of higher taxes has caused job creating businesses to run for the hills. So I don’t think personal freedom caused our problem. I think an out of control government did Democrats and Republicans.

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    I have been suffering from post partum depression for the past one year when I gave birth to a baby boy. I couldn't stop thinking about how my husband loves him more than me and how things might be better if he wasn't born at all. Thus, I stayed away from him because I knew that I might do something I will regret for the rest of my life.

    Almost instantly I went to a therapist and convince them that I need help. Among other things, I've tried herbal supplements and other book to treat depression but nothing works like the Depression Free Method. So now I'm proud to say I'm one of the happiest mother in the world. My husband loves us both very much and I thank the Lord for the blessing he gave us.

    Depression Free Method?

  • 1 decade ago

    So you think that the actions of everyday people caused the economic crisis we are in? My freedom to but a car or TV caused this mess?

    I tend to blame corporate greed, the greed of the top 2%, money borrowed to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the banks, the housing bubble (a bank thing so I an redundant), and the decline in unions.

  • WallyZ
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Where did you make up that term? What caused the Great Depression and the current recession is the lack of regulation plus the lack of any usury laws. With that, the public was at the mercy of the bank, etc. z

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  • 5 years ago

    a million. conflict - conflict spending with the aid of itself probable had a comfortable stimulative effect. it extremely is on the grounds this can be concept that an financial equipment does not spend adequate to realize comprehensive employment with the aid of itself. traditionally, wars have had a inspired effect on the financial equipment. 2. regulation of Mortgages - The cave in of the housing bubble is extremely including to the recession. the project right here is if the fed produces too plenty money and solves that issue, it runs the threat of increasing inflation and devaluing the greenback (which won't be able to be carried out using fact we would desire to sell our debt to the chinese language). 3. Oil expenses. To me, it rather is the real wrongdoer. shall we've extremely solved the housing bubble if we did no longer have the greater effective inflation and espresso output brought about with the aid of a sustained intense oil expenses. it rather is analogous to the double back to back recessions in 1980-80 one and George Bush Senior's recession. in actuality, i think of you could blame each recession on oil expenses using fact the 1960's. 4. loose printing of money - please forget approximately approximately this libertarian silliness. yet of their protection enable me say one element right here. you could shout 'too plenty money' till your blue in the face (and easily it rather is what libertarians have pronounced for hundreds of years), yet even a broken clock is right 2 situations an afternoon. And, certainly now, we've a real issue using fact if the fed holds the line against inflation it is going to exacerbate the housing disaster. Already the PPI inflation is a 6%, inspite of the actuality that the cpi continues to be low for the 2d.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Not hardly. It was the governments decision to give loans to people who couldn't afford them in the name of racism. They got defaulted on and the slide began.

  • 1 decade ago

    The government has caused more debt than anyone else. Thanks to government, every man- woman- and child- owes 40K and with the Federal Reserve buying most of the bonds, who do we owe the money to? Why do you think they are inflating the currency and making our dollars worth less and less and less every day?

    Are people to blame- YES YES YES but government is also to blame here too.

  • 1 decade ago

    Greed, con-men and gullible public are always responsible for the economy

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I think you need to read the FCIC. The only sector that could have caused the financial crisis is the financial sector. Wall Street. Not people buying things they couldn't afford.

  • 1 decade ago

    The current recession was caused by too much regulation, not too little, because government was forcing banks to give loans to people who couldn't pay it back. This led to the housing finance collapse.

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