re-education camp

One of the regular correspondents at BNet informs us that long-time Republican strategist Frank Luntz has a plan to counter the #Occupy movements. He wants to replace the word "capitalism," which he feels has become negatively charged.

"I'm trying to get that word removed and we're replacing it with either 'economic freedom' or 'free market,' " Luntz said, listing it as the first of 11 talking points he'd like to hear Republicans using.

Another name for talking points might be "euphemisms." In fact, the term "talking points" itself is a kind of euphemism for "euphemisms."

Euphemisms are of two kinds; the most familiar are positive-sounding understatements. Our family members and friends no longer die, they "pass away," (or, if they're animals, get "put to sleep.") My favorite euphemism of this kind is "correctional facility."

The other kind, of course, is negative and overstated. This category of euphemism includes "death tax" and "death panels," the latter of which, in addition to being a euphemism, was a bald-faced and brazen lie.

As is "economic freedom," but at least it sounds pretty good. There's no "death" in it anyway, but I'm sure all our unemployed and underemployed workers and homeless people who have been foreclosed out of their houses could do with a little less "freedom" and a little more "shared sacrifice" in which they're not the only ones doing the "sharing."