These statements are so inexcusably erroneous that they have no business appearing in print on any page of an economics text worthy of the name. As societies become more complex, the need for government power tends to increase. FEE's Leonard Read demolished this simplistic notion decades ago by pointing out that the impossible task of one person's planning the life of another is made even more hopelessly complex when a handful of people in government set out to plan the lives of millions. Despite fears by some Americans that governmental tampering with the free enterprise system would be harmful, most government policies have met with success. David E. O'Connor, with a straight face, asks us to believe this statement in his text, Economics-Free Enterprise in Action.
Studies show the more government spends and meddles, the worse the schools get.
At least seven or eight recessions, a Great Depression, and a currency worth a nickel of its value when the Federal Reserve System was established does not add up to success. On and on it goes, but you get the picture. During the Industrial Revolution, 'wages were so low that sometimes entire families had to work. If text authors could be sued for malpractice, Hodgetts and Smart would need skillful attorneys to handle this one. After 30 years of nonstop deficit spending, no intelligent adult has a legitimate excuse for thinking that red ink makes anything cheaper or more readily available.