thing is, I am not sure there is a lot of empirical evidence about dependency. not more than say how many of us may be dependent on mortgage interest deductions and dependent on retirement planning including social security.

Chikat beat me to the bootstrap example. Literally pulling yourself up by them is impossible, which was the irony of the phrase when people knew what they were. Nowadays it just seems to imply that you're in the lazy-no good-suspiciously dark-skinned 47% and with just a little effort you too could be a job creator.

I still think that the cognative dissonance described does not include every conservative. It is there and real but there are a variety types of conservatives, and (in addition to the well informed) there are some who are not stupid, not well informed for whom this will make a difference. So I think this will cost Mitt some votes on the right. Who ever thought I'd be the moderate voice among the Buffisitas on a political issue?

I hear the "half of people in America don't pay taxes" thing ALL the time from people. I respond with, "Which taxes? Income? Payroll? Sales? Property? State? Local?"

I still think some of this tax stuff (in the media not here) is a distraction because I would like to roll up our sleeves and have a discussion of regressive and progressive taxes. I think people who have more income should pay more in taxes.

But I believe in funding social services, fire, police, etc.

Socialist.

Speaking of cultivating dependencies, I have just discovered that there are Heath bars in the snack drawer today. This is very, very bad news for my teeth and waistline.

Shoot, even if you get a refund of all the federal income taxes you have paid, you have given the government the interest on that money over the year.

I'm an Obama supporter who pays taxes of all sorts. I haven't had to be on welfare or similar. But I did take a mortgage interest deduction for many years - isn't that essentially government assistance?

Speaking of cultivating dependencies, I have just discovered that there are Heath bars in the snack drawer today. This is very, very bad news for my teeth and waistline.

There's a snack drawer? Dang. The problem of working from home: no snack drawer. The bigger problem of working from home: whole house is a snack drawer. (of course, today I'm in LA, but whatever)

David Brooks makes some good points, but then makes sure to say that we should be cutting disability and unemployment benefits

I don't see where he says that. I see he says that those programs can

He refers to Romney's critical or necessary (read it this morning and disremember) entitlement reforms. And says that federal disability and UI in his view do encourage leechery.

But as you say, for a Brooks column, those are some minor quibbles compared to the usual.

But I did take a mortgage interest deduction for many years - isn't that essentially government assistance?

No need for the qualifier "essentially". It is straight up government assistance.

ETA: That I also take advantage of.