"The forces of the market are just that: They are forces; they are like the wind and the tides; they are things that if you want to try to ignore them, you ignore them at your peril, and ... if you find a way of ordering your life that is compatible with these forces, indeed which harnesses these forces to the benefit of your society, that's the way to go." -- Arnold Harberger, University of Chicago Economist
The first 13 minutes of the video below provide an interesting evaluation of the government's actions during the depression of the 1930s, and of why it's relevant today. Manhattan Institute Video