re: Sad state of affairs for leftists

It's certainly all just opinion. I will acknowledge that most people regard him in high light, but historians see the world through there own eyes and they are overwhelmingly liberal, as are most college professors. Additionally, they view it in hindsight, drawing comparisons to countries that didn't set up these kinds of systems. This creates a chicken and egg conundrum as most wealthy nations with the ability to do so have set these up, so saying "they must be good" ignores a lot.

As far as your statement about feedingt the proletariat, I find your points valid, and agree with your statements about government growth. This is the kind of stuff I like reading.

I also appreciate you taking the time to gather good source data. This has been a refreshing thread.