Is "big government" code for "government programs that

[raccoon]

help nonwhites?" (Or at least that's how the speaker perceives it.)

I think it is. I've never asked anyone what "big government" meant to
them but I think for most people that's what it means.

[MichMary]

1. In my experience

it seems to mean government agencies that interfere in people's lives, like the IRS, or what they want to do with their property, like the EPA, or what they want to do with their businesses, like OSHA. (Please note that I am not saying that any of those agencies are bad or unnecessary; just that people I know have complained about those agencies.)

[duncang]

2. For me "big government" is from the idiots who

don't think about or remember some of the shit what used to go on.

I have seen through the years fewer people being killed or maimed on the job. Those big government rules are there for a reason. Also a lot of the companies were directly involved in getting new rules for osha. It has helped them in the long run. I know the company I worked for actually sent in stuff to osha. And it was mainly directed from our lawyers. If they can say they follow or have more stringent rules when a court case comes up they know it can help liability.

EPA the idea of returning to a 1800.s or early 1900's way of doing business dumping what ever they want with out responsibility gives me the chills.

[caraher]

3. It's anything about government the speaker doesn't like

This reminds me of "survey" mailings from one of my Republican elected officials. A regular question involved "big government" and of course it was worded such that you would presumably always be against it (e.g. "Would you rather keep your hard-earned paycheck or see it taxed to support big government?&quot I always responded as the most mindless "big government" supporter in history

[Vinca]

4. "Big government" applies if you're poor and hungry and need some help. Color doesn't matter.

It does not apply if you are a large, profitable corporation and get a subsidy. It also does not apply if you're a woman who finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy.

[TCJ70]

5. No. Not everything is about race. N/t

[11 Bravo]

6. Uteri, however, SHOULD be heavily regulated.

That is not to be considered a form of "big government".

[The Genealogist]

7. It is a boogie man used to make the government into an enemy.

Certainly there is a major racist component to the arguments, but it goes beyond this. It plays on conservative fears that someone, someplace, is deriving some kind of unearned benefit that you aren't. Your hard earned money is being thrown down the toilet by an entity that has no right to have that money, and you don't get anything.

[Docreed2003]

8. In many ways...yes it is

We had a repairman at our house this week working on our oven to replace the fan. I just happened to be home when he was coming and my wife was out running errands. As I had just left work, I was still in scrubs. He was a middle aged man and was curious what had brought us to the area. It's funny, I grew up on a tobacco farm maybe fifteen mins from my current house and because I left and have very little local accent, many people assume I must be from somewhere else. I explained to him that I went away to school, spent some time in the military, lived in New England for a few years, and recently returned to the area I grew up in to work at our community hospital. He then transitioned into "Well, as a doctor, what do you think about healthcare in America?" When I was relaying this story to my wife her response at this point was "Oh shit..". I explained to him how when I lived in RI, although I served an area that had a large working poor population, I never Or rarely had to worry about whether or not the patient could afford an operation because patients by and large had healthcare, not always the best, but they had something. Since moving to TN, a state that refused to accept federal funds through the ACA, in the last four months of working here I've had no less than ten patients who either have no insurance or such bad insurance their out of pocket costs would be so high they could not afford surgery. These are patients with serious conditions, three of which have a major cancer diagnosis and desperately need surgery. To even have surgery, a patient has to come up with 10-20% of the cost and make arrangements with the hospital to pay for the procedure. It's heartbreaking and frustrating to no end...so much so that my wife is looking into starting a charity for people in our area to help cover the costs of life saving surgery. I then explained to the gentleman that the ACA had the potential to do really great things for people, and in most ways it did, but that I personally felt it didn't go far enough to help people and did too much to fill coffers of the insurance companies. In this whole conversation I'm careful to parse my words because this is GOP country and I was trying to avoid a big confrontation. I finished by saying, "I think it boils down to whether or not access to healthcare should be a right in this country." At this point, I was already patting myself on the back because this guy, who was clearly a GOP voter was agreeing with me on damn near everything I said...until that point. When I said that, his face turned and he said, "This may sound bad, and I don't want to offend because I'm in your house but I don't see how healthcare should be a right. I work my ass off every day and have my insurance rates go up every year and why should I be asked to pay for some lazy person sitting on the couch getting food stamps to get healthcare because it's a right." At that moment, I knew no amount of reasonable discussion would change his mind. This man had bought into the false construct of the GOP completely. Government is bad and only wants to take from you to give to someone you view as unworthy. I just ended the conversation with "All I can say is we could do so much better, and no one should have to forgo a lifesaving surgery because they can't afford it."

[raccoon]

9. Great response. People like that are so infuriating. nt

[HughBeaumont]

10. Government programs that help the maligned and marginalized.

That's better.

[loyalsister]

11. That's definitely part of it

The FHA, GI Bill, Social Security, Unemployment benefits, and even welfare were actually pretty popular - before everyone was eligible. Thus the sterotype that people of color were the majority of recipients was born by the republicans who hated poor people and government spending, and has consistently been stoked by racial anxiety ever since.
True to LBJ's prediction, politicians have taken full advantage ever since.