The great boom in industry and wealth happened in large part because of govenment actions. Helping to build the railroad, protectionist tariffs, the civil war, etc, government can most certainly and has in the past and continues today to artificially dyinilate the economy. Its not a question of van the government help boost the economy, its a question about what means of doing so are justifiable. Diminishing freedom and theft are not good policies even of you put them towards good ends.