I don't know why people say this. The reason China beat us out in manufacturing of many goods is BECAUSE of government interference. They have a much more top-down leadership style that allows these gains in efficiency. They've streamlined.
But even looking at the US' history this hasn't been the case. The only reason we got out of the Great Depression was because of the most radical government-backed economic policy ever: The New Deal. Even today HUGE sectors of our economy, like defense, are paid for on government money. Those are jobs, companies, entire industries.
There really, truly, isn't. Classical economists can't handle being wrong, but given an alternative reality did not happen, it was a success.
We can speculate and play armchair economist all day. But the hard reality is that the New Deal revitalized the economy and created countless jobs to pull the US out of the Depression. Maybe a "do nothing" approach would've worked too, eventually. When I unlock the secrets to interdimensional travel, I'll let you know.
Armchair economists set up an argumentative scenario where they cannot be wrong. You see, if they're wrong about a situation then secretly they're right, because if you did what they suggested instead it would've worked too (and better!). But if they happen to be right then of course they're right, and countering suggestions are obviously wrong and would've caught the economy on fire.
I don't know why people say this. The reason China beat us out in manufacturing of many goods is BECAUSE of government interference. They have a much more top-down leadership style that allows these gains in efficiency. They've streamlined.
But even looking at the US' history this hasn't been the case. The only reason we got out of the Great Depression was because of the most radical government-backed economic policy ever: The New Deal. Even today HUGE sectors of our economy, like defense, are paid for on government money. Those are jobs, companies, entire industries.