We can turn that on its head right back at ya:

"The central idea of all statists is that the State knows enough about everything to be able to make smart, rational decisions about everything, including proactively dealing with problems, whatevet that means."

It's interesting to notice that, in the more extreme of the type of incident you mention, not one of the states (US, Soviet Union or Japan) was able to "proactively deal with problems." Heck, Japan and the USSR weren't able to deal with the problems, post facto!

Ah, the sweet crackling of a burning straw man...

Boy, do I feel old reading this, and recalling Turbo Pascal 3.0 way after I was a teenager...

Speaking as one who returned home a few years ago, I'd say you're exactly right. Most of my compatriots who stayed are now having to deal with huge mortgages on sinking home prices and an uncertain prospect in the job market.

Where do you get the idea that farmers in the third world are being put out of business by farming businesses in the U.S. and Europe? If anything, farmers in North America and Europe are being given vast lifelines (in the form of subsidies and trade barriers) to avoid competition from more efficient producers in the developing world.