Dependence Programs

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The Heritage Foundation has apparently coined a new term. “Dependence Programs.” Apparently it incorporates state higher education budgets, disaster relief, disease control, mortgage tax credits, social security, and unemployment.

It’s a simple sleight-of-hand. Choose a word that brings to mind cash assistance to the poor and food stamps. Now define that word to mean virtually all non-military spending. Suddenly you can make people think 1) that we spend a lot more on our poverty alleviation programs than we actually do, and 2) that they oppose all the “dependence programs” without knowing what they’re actually opposing.

(Source: foundry.org, via theheritagefoundation)