Bête Noire Born

152 years ago today, the Persona Non Grata of this weblog was born.

For his 61^st birthday, he gave to himself and his nation nationalization of U.S. railroads. On this day four score and eleven years ago today, the United States Railroad Administration came into effect.

Was this part of the concept of spreading freedom?

While this particular measure ended i 1920, we are in general stuck today with a legacy of managing society and the economy from above. Just look at the Federal Reserve and the common belief that the economy can be managed by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. We are in the age of pervasive government, and it was with the Great War we entered it. There is still a lot of mess left from the end of the Progressive Era.

Please feel free also to read here, here, and here.