I think it might be a bit of Parkinson's law--you know, the guy who did the study that showed that most people only spend time on money within their own fiscal framework, and as the sums get larger they simply can't comprehend.
If you presented it to them in a different fashion, saying, “This is what you as a taxpayer are going to have to pay each year to cover the cost of this”, do you think that would have...?