free market capitalism has not ended the middle class. sorry. entitlements, too expensive benefits like defined benefits pension plans, and dependance on government largess in return for votes has decimated the economy. you liberals are always focused on dividing the wealth, or redistributing the wealth, how about you get off your lazy ass and work to GROW the wealth. it doesnt have to be a race to the bottom.
if you believe that ANY government can allocate capital better than I can or the private sector can than you deserve your lot in life. I refuse to let your inherently small worldview drag me down. It is a wonderful world out there and NA has tremendous relative and absolute skills and knowledge to offer it.
There does not have to be a depression. But if we continue to focus on the govt as the be all, end all, then for sure we will have one as the government (US govt and traditional Europeans) have run our of policy bullets, monetary and fiscal. And their regulatory regime is killing domestic expansion. So i chose to work where my capital is wanted and rewarded. Im pretty sure that "producers" are doing the exact same thing.