VIDEO: Why FDR’s New Deal Just Made the Depression Even Worse

One of the most widely-held views about 20th Century America is that FDR’s policies brought the country out of the Depression. But according to my research, FDR’s industrial and labor policies actually prolonged the Depression for several years by subverting the normal process of competition, supply, and demand, and creating industrial and labor cartels that artificially raised wages and prices and substantially impeded job creation. In fact, the total number of hours worked relative to the working age population recovered only slightly as late as 1939. By the late 1930s, FDR realized that these policies were damaging the economy, and economic policies shifted significantly at this time, which made the economy more competitive and which began to reduce artificially high prices and wages. This policy shift resulted in higher rates of economic growth and job creation and set the stage for the World War II economic boom.

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‘I Sometimes Felt Like Shooting Myself.’ – Walt Disney When No One Would Book Steamboat Willie

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Click to submit book and excerpt suggestions for the new daily feature at PJ Lifestyle. Or leave your ideas in the comments below. Mondays currently explore the life, ideas, and art of Walt Disney.

7 Principles That Will Guarantee Constant Misery

You don’t just wake up miserable one day and stay that way. To the contrary, producing a nice, consistent level of misery takes a lot of work. Do you ever hear anyone say, “Wow, that guy does whatever it takes to be miserable!” Of course not. Everyone is too busy patting the happy people on the back. “Wow, I wish I could be as happy as she is!” “They’re just such a happy couple!” “Wow, what a happy child!” How about a little appreciation for all the work people put into being utterly miserable? After all, as you’re about to see, depression takes effort!

1) Don’t pursue your ideal self.

Abraham Maslow once said, “If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.” So, take his advice to heart. Make comfort your highest priority. Surf the web as much as possible at work and do the same things, day after day, year after year without making any effort to improve. Veg out in front of the TV every night and channel surf. Don’t read, don’t take classes, do the same old, same old. Get yourself into a nice deep rut and then, as an extra added bonus, blame your spouse or kids for “holding you back” and keeping you from achieving the dreams you haven’t made any effort to pursue for years. That’s just the sort of stagnant life that will help keep you down in the dumps.

Magnetic Brain Stimulation To Treat Depression?

via Transcranial magnetic brain stimulation treats depression without affecting sleep | KurzweilAI.

While powerful transcanial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the frontal lobe of the brain can alleviate symptoms of depression, those receiving the treatment did not report effects on sleep or arousal commonly seen with antidepressant medications, researchers have found.

“People’s sleep gets better as their depression improves, but the treatment doesn’t itself cause sedation or insomnia.” said Dr. Peter B. Rosenquist, Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University.

The finding resulted from a secondary analysis of a study of 301 patients at 23 sites comparing the anti-depressive effects of the Neuronetics Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy System to placebo treatment in patients resistant to antidepressant medications. These initial findings, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry in 2007, were the primary evidence in the FDA’s approval of TMS for depression.

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Related at PJ Media today:

Why Liberals Think What They Do

Suicide: Director Tony Scott Leaps off Vincent Thomas Bridge

Scott was the young brother of Ridley Scott; in addition to Top Gun, had directed Beverly Hills Cop II, Enemy of the State, and the remake of the Taking of Pelham 1,2,3, in addition to other projects in both film and TV. The Contra Costa Times has the early details of his apparent suicide:

British film director Tony Scott, known for such Hollywood blockbusters as “Top Gun,” “Days of Thunder,” “Beverly Hills Cop II” and “The Taking of Pelham 123,” jumped to his death Sunday from the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal Island, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s officials.

Scott, 68, climbed a fence on the south side of the bridge’s apex and leapt off “without hesitation” around 12:30 p.m., according to the Coroner’s Department and port police.

A suicide note was found inside Scott’s black Toyota Prius, which was parked on one of the eastbound lanes of the bridge, said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Jennifer Osburn.

More as it comes in.

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Cross-Posted from EdDriscoll.Com

Lindsay Lohan Poses With Gun, Imitating Suicide

via Lindsay Lohan Gun Pictures, Suicide Photos | Terry Richardson June 2012 | Gossip Cop.

Lindsay Lohan has posed once again for controversial photographer Terry Richardson at one of her favorite haunts, the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.

But this time around, some of the shots may have been too unsettling even for the boundary-pushing pair.

In several of the pictures, Lohan is depicted with a gun, including images meant to evoke suicide.

Reasons to Have Children!

I read with interest Kathy Shaidle’s post here at PJ Lifestyle called “I Kid You Not: Top Four  Reasons I Don’t Have Children.”

She mentions a couple of reasons such as bad personal experiences whereby you might end up ruining your kid’s life and bad genetics and other reasons such as your temperament and pop culture. Okay, the latter two, especially the former, I understand. You don’t have the temperament for children. Okay, fair enough, but as for ruining your kid’s life, why does it have to be that way? If you had a bad childhood, doesn’t it make sense to have children so that you can give them a better life than you had? As for genetics, don’t we all know people who don’t seem that great who have kids who are fine, or at least okay? Even people who are depressed don’t necessarily have kids who are depressed. And if they are? Get them treatment, just as you would for diabetes or other ailments. Apparently, comedian Sarah Silverman does not want kids because they might have mental illness which runs in her family. Human beings have problems – do you have to be perfect to be born? I hope not because we would all be goners.

Kids can be amazing. Those of us with offspring know that though raising kids can be the most frustrating of experiences, it can also be the most rewarding. Kids can show you a side of yourself that you never knew existed. How many times did you think some habit or trait in yourself was because of your childhood, only to find out that your child had the same trait or habit even though they were raised totally differently than you? How many times has your child said something and made you see the world a different way and made you re-examine yourself in a way that is fascinating or reflective?

Is a Family History of Mental Illness a Valid Reason to Avoid Parenthood?

via Sarah Silverman’s Quandary: Should Depressed People Avoid Having Children? | Healthland | TIME.com.

Comedian Sarah Silverman, who routinely courts controversy with her edgy humor, recently made an attention-getting statement of a more intimate nature: because of her personal and family history of depression, she declared that she would not have biological children, to avoid passing her mental problems to the next generation. “I don’t want kids,” she said on The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet. “I know that I have this depression and that it’s in my family. Every family has their stuff but, for me, I just don’t feel strong enough to see that in a child.”

Pundits across the Internet praised Silverman for her honesty and sense of responsibility, duly citing research that shows that depression is deeply heritable. People with a parent or sibling with major depression are two to three times more likely than average to develop it themselves.

But what the commenters didn’t mention is that the same genes that can cause depression may also encourage the sensitivity and sensibility that gives Silverman her creative talent. Indeed, some research suggests that the same exact genetics that might lead to depression can also lead to mental superhealth, depending on whether a person endured high stress in early childhood or had a calmer, more nurturing environment.

I wrote about this subject during the Republican primaries here.

Updated: And related today from Kathy Shaidle: I Kid You Not: The Top 4 Reasons I Don’t Have Children