According to PolitiFacts, the Cato Institute’s Jan. 28, 2009 ad, disagreed with the President’s claim that government spending was the way to boost the economy: "More government spending by Hoover and Roosevelt did not pull the United States economy out of the Great Depression…Lower tax rates and a reduction in the burden of government are the best ways of using fiscal policy to boost growth." What did yank us out of the Great Depression if not the New Deal? Some say it was World War II. The War boosted the US economy like nothing else. Virtually every man and women could find employment – soldier or factory worker. It was a time of unbridled government spending---auto plants transformed seemingly overnight from building cars to cranking out planes and tanks; farms producing everything it could for the troops. Virtually all production was geared for war: The ultimate role for government spending. I’d like to believe that, today, government spending for butter not bombs could once more jolt the economy back to life. This time, transform our petrol-powered society to one based on renewable energy sources; quality healthcare and advanced education for all; a “war” on global warming, etc. These massive changes require big government money and the leadership to educate then channel the public will… in the short term. However, in the long run, I agree that the best solution is less government and less taxes. Let the people keep the money they earn and spend in a truly free market. But, first, we must resuscitate that economy.