That's a generous interpretation. I'm not entirely convinced the author knows that it doesn't work this way. Some people do have a very simplistic understanding

That's a generous interpretation. I'm not entirely convinced the author knows that it doesn't work this way. Some people do have a very simplistic understanding of money and value, and the quoted statement would "make sense" to them at face value. These are often the same people who say "free X" when X is funded by tax dollars.