I have turned the history page back to my SC farmer Grandaddy suffering in the Depression (as far as policos go today is "Great Recession"--none of them obviously runs a small business) as FDR came in. He ran on virtually the same promises as Obama, but had a greater willingness to push his agenda through.
Just like Obama, he got the position and then had to do something with it! The most plenteous small business in America at that point was the family farm. Grandaddy and his like had bales of cotton on the porch worth only $3 because of over-production.
FDR came up with the Soil Bank. Since no cotton was needed that year, they offered the farmer their "New Deal:" If you will not raise a crop, we will pay you right now the profit you should have made from it!
So---in April Grandaddy got the check. He rushed right downtown and paid every bill he owed and walked out with cash in his pocket (step 1 / first week). The businesses paid their suppliers and ordered more goods (step 2 / 2nd week). Those suppliers called back in their work force to meet their orders (step 3 up / third week).
By starting at the small business level the economy immediately took a first step toward recovery within a month!!!!!
Admittedly, WWII was the biggest economic booster. We started war production and sales to Britian and the Far East. Soon Pearl Harbor happened and millions had a military paycheck that didn't bounce.
The other thing FDR did was to implement reforms in banking and stocks. The FDIC insured accounts and the most crooked investor on Wall Street, Jack Kennedy, was named head of the SEC. When people protested, FDR simply said, "It takes a crook to know a crook---and Kennedy knows every trick in the book which needs regulating."
So what brought the crash 4 years ago = years of deregulation and forgetting all the SEC rules with derivatives (crooks had returned and were getting rich with their deals). Take a good look at the HBO movie running now entitled "Too Big To Fail."
What has brought us out =
NOTHING!!!!!! Frankly, I'm sick of excuses / bought politicians / undue funding of campaigns by corporations which are now "persons" according to the Supreme Court recent decision!!!!