Original sentence: A number of economists today have argued that FDR's policies prolonged the Depression.In 1935–1936, the Supreme Court, which was dominated by conservatives with a traditional view of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, the basis of much New Deal legislation, struck down eight of FDR's New Deal programs.They argue that the tariff barriers hindered free trade and thus made goods more expensive (while hardly any other nation encouraged free trade and deflation was the very problem); wage raises made it more expensive for employers to hire people, so more people were out of work (while starvation wages had led to falling purchasing power and unemployment); tax increases and constant rule changes greatly hindered businesses which in turn reduced jobs (while businesses actually welcomed FDR's coordination); subsidising farmers led to destruction of food while people were hungry, etc.This came to be known as his attempt to "pack" the Court and caused such controversy and popular backlash that the president had to withdraw his program shortly afterwards
Edited sentence: A number of ideologically biased economists today have tried to argue that FDR's policies actually prolonged the Depression.In 1935–1936, the Supreme Court, which was dominated by conservatives with a narrow view of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, the basis of much New Deal legislation, struck down eight of FDR's New Deal programs.Predictably, they argue that the tariff barriers hindered free trade and thus made goods more expensive (while hardly any other nation encouraged free trade and deflation was the very problem); wage raises made it more expensive for employers to hire people, so more people were out of work (while starvation wages had led to falling purchasing power and unemployment); tax increases and constant rule changes greatly hindered businesses which in turn reduced jobs (while businesses actually welcomed FDR's coordination); subsidising farmers led to destruction of food while people were hungry (while agricultural overproduction and ruinously low prices had been part of the problem), etc.Roosevelt's "Fireside Chat" of July 24, 1933 speaks against the validity of these arguments, as does empiric evidence.This came to be known as his attempt to "pack" the Court