Gee, and I though "Liberals" didn't have a sense of humor

I've never posted a reader comment before but this one, in reaction to "Humorous" wing nut e-mail" from yesterday, must be read by a wider public.

stevej said...
You said American (sic) has enjoyed "the highest standard of living the world has ever known under 'liberal' presidents FDR, Harry Truman, JFK and Lyndon Johnson."

So what is it about the welfare state and the leftist tax-and-spend philosophy that has been such a boon to the economy? How about a little economics lesson for the unenlightened?

By the way, remember the abysmal years of Jimmy Carter, who was far more liberal than the aforementioned presidents? (Actually, you probably don't. Judging by your juvenile overuse of f-words here, you're probably pushing 17 or so. Am I right?)

hmmmm...now really, Mr.j. I did resort to the "F-word" twice, once in its past progressive tense form for the act of coitus and once in its simple past tense form to mean a state of extreme inebriation. I mean, fuck, if I'd used "fuck" more than that I think I'd fucking know it.

As for economics, and I admit I left out Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration which did nothing to fundamentally alter the New Deal programs of FDR, though Ike did halt Truman's "creeping socialism."

As the Cold War unfolded in the decade and a half after World War II, the United States experienced phenomenal economic growth. The war brought the return of prosperity, and in the postwar period the United States consolidated its position as the world's richest country. Gross national product, a measure of all goods and services produced in the United States, jumped from about $200 thousand-million in 1940 to $300 thousand-million in 1950 to more than $500 thousand-million in 1960. More and more Americans now considered themselves part of the middle class.
CountryStudies.us

and

During the 1980's employment grew rapidly in the United States, prompting many analysts to label the U.S. economy the great American job machine. But while aggregate employment increased rapidly during the 1980's, many did not benefit from the expansion. Among less educated prime-age males, unemployment rates rose and labor force participation rates declined sharply. Moreover, although job growth was high, many argued that the quality of American jobs as measured by wages, benefits, and job security deteriorated. The decline of jobs in the high-paying manufacturing sector and the growth of jobs in the low-paying services sector, the growth in part-time and temporary employment, and the general decline in real wages among less-educated, less-skilled workers have been presented as evidence of an erosion in job quality.
Susan N. Houseman

Mr. j lists his occupation as "liver salesman."