Recently I had the opportunity to listen to Suzanne Mettler give a talk on government programs and on how people view the U.S. government. What I found most interesting about the talk was the fact that most people–regardless of income level–receive some sort of aid from the federal government. This is contrary to the common belief that only low income people receive government aid. What does vary based on income, however, is the type of aid–particularly whether that aid is visible or not. Most government programs that provide visible aid are primarily used by the poor, which makes it look like they are the only ones receiving aid. However government programs, such as tax deductions for people with mortgages, primarily aid higher-income people. As a result, everyone benefits from government programs, but people of higher income are less likely to realize it. This leaves me wondering if an increased awareness of how higher-income people benefit from government programs might help combat the sigma against “welfare” in this country.