Average American Political Logic

Two recent posts by Krugman have left me a little more negative about the future of our country than I was before, although I guess I'm not too surprised. In this post, he cites a Pew Research Center poll showing that, while Americans strongly support spending cuts and are against raising taxes, they are opposed to every single individual domestic spending cut. In a later post, he cites a study showing that over 40% of recipients of medicare, social security, and unemployment benefits believe that they have not ever used a government social program. These beliefs seem to contradict lessons we all teach our elementary school children - basic arithmetic and the fact that nothing of value can be had without some kind of cost. I wonder when we start to forget these things...