When liberals make reference to U.S. economic history, they typically: 1) downplay the role of entrepreneurs, 2) suggest that bold government action has driven growth, and 3) fail to mention the scandals and screw-ups caused by federal interventions.
President’s Obama’s inaugural address reflected some of those mistakes:
Together we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce….
No single person can … build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores…...
We'll get more for the fourth that's left than we got for the larger area.