It's almost easier to sit on the sidelines and just watch this... but I'll jump in!
I'll say one thing -- I'm impressed with a few folks who are the age of my son, and soon to be his classmate(s), are thinking cogently about, and making at least some rational arguments for, different aspects of the discussion. And, they mirror what many in our country think. Having said that, I think they miss points in some ways, and skip facts in others.
The NEA, for example, is a government program that is part of our
annual, programmic budget process. To throw money into the program (as is similarly being done with national parks, COBRA insurance, HeadStart, etc.) is a political act, not "stimulus." To suggest that Republican "negotiators" (of which there was precious little) "agreed" with things is not quite correct, either. That a republican legislator (of whom there were only three, all senators) would vote for the bill doesn't mean either they, or "Republicans" had a "say" in the outcome of the bill. The normal time for a bill like this to "gel" much less the promises by the Obama Administration in how they would govern that spoke to transparency or ability for the public to have time to see this process as it happened, simply did not occur in this instance. This is not an indictment on the Obama Administration (other than a lack of leadership) but on the Congressional leadership... which was one-sided, and
not "bipartisan."
As for future "war" with Russia or China or Iran or... whoever, the fact is that all past big wars began with some sort of proxy beforehand. A proxy for war with China is the testing "hack" of the DoD computer system. A proxy with respect to Eastern Europe is "turning off" the natural gas of former satellite states who deign to think they could be a part of NATO. And a proxy with Russia in Georgia or the 'Stans is reflected in the invasion and the closing of U.S. air bases.
So, all you 17-18-19 year old future/current cadets/mids keep on thinking. If you need to hone your arguments in this forum, that's a good thing, as long as we all listen and try to discuss with a view to persuade, rather than just attack others who disagree or belittle someone's stated opinion. You have some great resources here: Moms and Dads, fellow candidates and future classmates. Some come from the blue fringe (and dont' read into that choice of words) of the coasts of our country, others from the solid, value-laden "heartland." Some have several years of experience -- maybe even as much as since 8th grade (and I mean this with respect) -- others have driven/flown/operated the weapons systems you speak of, in or around the countries named in this thread, and most importantly, some in armed conflict. Their experience is real world, not a digital world. You'll find maybe the Israelis can go bomb a suspected nuke site, but we just don't send in a SEAL team to knock off a two-bit dictator in South America. Of course, then, do you really know how many countries we have resident Spec Ops teams actually in? (170+ I believe, and if not Venezuela they cross into it from Columbia).
I say this with respect for all of you. I read these threads more than I post. For those who are our future: You'll learn quickly why a punch thrown with little fore-thought into a tar-baby, as politically incorrect as the analogy has become, often becomes stuck, not because it was a bad punch, but because the object was
not quite what you thought it was! 
(Now, which ones of you are thinking about tar-babies and which ones about Iraq?)
So... when you say the F-22 should be cut because we don't "need" it for the present type of conflict... why be surprised when the counter argument is two-fold: first, look at what the so-called "stimulus" bill
is being spent on, which we also don't "need," and second, look at the jobs, secondary/tertiary economic benefits of those jobs, and all the spin-offs they contribute to the economy that will be lost if the F-22 is killed. Then, "rationalize" that construct with the fact that the knife wielded to the F-22 was a "jobs stimulus bill." Don't counter with the fact that the F-22 is "not needed." That's not the point; neither is the millions to buy habitat for a mouse going to do anything but put some money into the pocket of an existing realtor -- it won't create, much less "save" a realtor's job!
Hang in there, those of you who think this stimulus bill is all a
good thing.... keep trying to convince those of us who have been in this rodeo before. Hunh - ask those who remember the multiple "stimulus" bills of Japan in the 80's and how effective THAT was! But, if this thread all goes well, all of us will be educated a little more and feel even better about the Class of 2013, and those who are in the classes that will graduate before and after!
