At last week’s Rose Cafe, I heard Professor Suzanne Mettler speak on the disconnect between American citizens and the government. Of particular note in her talk, I found, was that many citizens do not realize all of the ways which they benefit from government. For example, while most would acknowledge a direct payment as part of welfare or food stamps, far fewer understand programs like the tax credit that mortgage-payers receive to be benefits they receive from government. This has startling implications for how  individuals understand their own relation to government, and it’s proper role in their lives. For example, people of higher economic status, Professor Mettler finds, are more likely to use more hidden government benefits than overt ones, which means that they are less likely to notice how they benefit from government and therefore (all things being equal between them and someone who benefits the same amount from overt government programs) more likely to support a reduction in government benefits and scope.