Yes, OR instead of rich self-righteous sociopaths, you could let the government help out (gasp, grimace, faint, yes, I know right?) and then instead of "follies" you end up with great public works like our National Park system [1] or electricity for entire regions of the country [2] (regions that now hate the Federal govt more than anyone).

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps

[2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Valley_Authority