I work a job where I end up taking to a lot of people. When politics come up I usually hear a lot about how workers aren't getting their fair share and are being screwed over by the government (a good start) but then veers off into "the government doesn't pay nurses enough because we're giving it away to other countries!!"
Why is this misguided talking point so common? How do you respond to it without being dismissive and calling them dumb and wrong?
ask them how much of the budget they think is going to foreign aid. They will inevitably say like something nuts like 30%. Tell them it's around 1%.