I suspect that the term, There ain't no such thing as a free lunch, was popularized

[WCGreen]

by depression era "forgotten men", a nome de plume expression for an unemployed man that allowed, you guessed it, conservatives to ignore unemployed men as long as they kept to their camps...

Even though the expression was originated with saloon keepers promising a "free lunch", modern translation, * happy hour Hors d'oeuvre, for those who come in to drink, I am still going to say, with a lot of truth and a cocky self assurance, that the term was a complaint by those "forgotten men" who were forced to listen to sermons while eating at the local church run soup kitchen. I will even go so far, as my conservative opposites do all the time, to claim this term should be used to describe the underlying motive behind the rights move to privatize charitable deeds. Well, that would be true, but still say it with enough gusto to stamp out the politically incorrect crowd from making you sound like you are whining about something..

Oh boy did that feel good...

And in keeping with the rights wildly successful disinformation tactics, feel free to spread this in any way you care to but be sure to say you have it on a reliable source that this is the truth, so help you god...


* then as now, this free food is so full of salt that you just have to spend all the money in your pocket, or your credit limit, on drinks to quench a ravaging thirst. (Gee, it really easy to just say things without ever having to check up on the truth)

[Spinzonner]

1. One version

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/tanstaafl.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. LOL!

Perfect!

You are right on the money here...

K&R

:patriot:

[SergeyDovlatov]

3. wiki to the rescue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TANSTAAFL

TANSTAAFL is an acronym for the adage "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch," popularized by science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein in his 1966 novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, which discusses the problems caused by not considering the eventual outcome of an unbalanced economy. This phrase and book are popular with libertarians and economics textbooks. In order to avoid a double negative, the acronym "TINSTAAFL" is sometimes used instead, meaning "There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch".

In 1950, a New York Times columnist ascribed the phrase to economist (and Army General) Leonard P. Ayres of the Cleveland Trust Company. "It seems that shortly before the General's death ... a group of reporters approached the general with the request that perhaps he might give them one of several immutable economic truisms which he had gathered from his long years of economic study... 'It is an immutable economic fact,' said the general, 'that there is no such thing as a free lunch.'"<2>
"Oh, 'tanstaafl'. Means 'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.' And isn't," I added, pointing to a FREE LUNCH sign across room, "or these drinks would cost half as much. Was reminding her that anything free costs twice as much in the long run or turns out worthless."
Manuel in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966), chapter 11, p. 162, by Robert A. Heinlein<3>
"There's no such thing as a free lunch."
popularized by economist Milton Friedman<4>;

[WCGreen]

4. Thanks...

But I alrady went there and still, faced with the truth and like a good conservative, just made up my own stuff...

[LoZoccolo]

5. Law #40 of /The 48 Laws of Power/ is "Despise the free lunch".

What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price – there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.

(An excerpt from the book, which is one of my favorites despite being disturbing and amoral in parts.)