On Language: Spirit Airlines's "Government's Cut"

We have started looking for flights to Phoenix over the Christmas holiday, which has exposed me to the web site of Spirit Airlines.  Spirit offers the "fully unbundled" fare, which sounds pretty but actually means that almost everything you want to do on the flight--right down to asking for water--will come with an upcharge.

[News alert: Today Spirit is facing criticism for tying a recent promotion to the recent nude pictures scandal facing Jennifer Lawrence.]

Fully unbundled fares are one thing. The "government's cut" is another. This is how Spirit labels the portion of a fare that goes to governement taxes and fees. In the fares I saw the "cut" was always 25%. So if this was purely informational, Spirit could say "the tax rate on our flights is 25%, and this is included in your fare."

But of course, this is not only informational. A "cut" is supposed to anger us, at the confiscatory and grasping antics of mean ol' Uncle Sam. Consider this potential customer very much unpersuaded. I like safe roads and I value safe skies. Thank you kindly, Uncle Sam, for taking your cut.