A FRACTION

Ned has an additional phrase for his friends to look for when listening to politicians, or for that matter, media persons in general. One might hear another referring to "a fraction" in the following context: "Spending under Bush for -------- was only a fraction of that under Obama." Ned asks his friends to consider that the phrase "a fraction" here has absolutely no intellectual content, and is meaningless. Of course, the IMPLICATION is that "a fraction" here means a small amount, but Ned points out that a fraction could be 9/7, or 7/8, or 17/16. So the use of this phrase indicates either ignorance on the part of the user, or that the user is trying to manipulate his listeners. Look for it and be wary.