[dotnetchris]

No. Government meddling in a free economy is doomed to failure.

The only protections a free economy needs with the government is protection from cartels/monopolies and from market manipulators. Also said manipulators are likely foreign nations or atleast entities. Like when the US Steel industry was destroyed for us rebuilding Japan with better steel mills than our own country's and not introducing tariffs to make Japanese steel higher cost than American.