If Kim McGahey writes a column titled “Conservative Common Sense,” the least one could expect is for him to conduct research rather than pandering his made-up notions of reality.

My investigation confirms that from 1953 to 2020, 10 of 11 past recessions began in Republican administrations. Counting the 13 administrations including Truman’s, 70.5 million jobs were created during the 429 months of Democratic administrations, while 29.1 million jobs were created during 475 months of Republican administrations.

Yet, the aggregate share of middle-class income has shrunk during this period. In 1971, 24% of Americans were considered poor, 61% middle class and 14% upper class. By 2016, 29% of Americans were poor, 52% middle class and 19% upper class.

In 1967, 20.3% of Americans earned less than $25,000, as considered in 2017 inflated figures, 65.2% earned between $25,000 and $100,000, and 9.1% earned above $100,000. By 2017, slight progress had been made with 20.3% of Americans earning below $25,000, while those who earned between $25,000 and $100,000 had declined to 53.5%, and workers who made over $100,000 increased to 19%.

Would McGahey, who referenced the small government model of renowned economist Fredrich Hayek, be so enamored if he had read on to discover that Hayek had initially been sympathetic to socialist causes but was best known for his defense of classical liberalism?

In a Washington Post column titled “Hayek on Social Insurance,” Dylan Matthews wrote of Hayek’s support of a limited welfare state, including health care. Matthews quoted Hayek as saying, “There is no reason why, in a society which has reached the general level of wealth ours has, the first kind of security should not be guaranteed to all without endangering general freedom; that is: some minimum of food, shelter, and clothing, sufficient to preserve health.”