This is his little joke, an attempt to define tax breaks for minimum-wage laborers as government giveaways, as opposed to legitimate tax deductions for business investments in meals at the Four Seasons.

When Congress decided to give away the spectrum to the broadcasters rather than sell it, there were some, most notably Senators John McCain and Bob Dole, who called it a terrible government giveaway.

Your suggestion that such support constitutes some sort of charitable government giveaway reveals a contemptible lack of appreciation for the work of America's fighting men and women.

But talking about putting cars in the hands of poor people, Mr. Hughes and others say, is political dynamite, inflaming critics on the right who consider it a government giveaway and those on the left who consider it environmental backsliding.

Australia is experiencing a baby boom, fueled by government giveaways.

And that is just the beginning of what is shaping up to be an unprecedented government giveaway.

Critics are questioning why Mr. Christie, who crusaded against government giveaways, would risk so much money to bail out out the troubled development.

The latest government giveaway to big business came Monday when the Federal Communications Commission eased a number of media ownership restrictions that had been designed to enhance competition, foster independence and provide the public with a wider variety of views and perspectives across the media landscape.

Some consumer advocates criticized the legislation as a government giveaway to big business.