R.Kyra:
I'm sorry, but when did the ultimate goal of being in the military become a treasure hunt? A person should join the military because they want to protect. No person should risk their life because of the chance of a prize. As for the government cutting the military spending, or not caring about their soldiers if they don't pay them (in your eyes), I do not agree. The government does care about its soldiers. Things are tough, and cuts must be made. The government has cut everywhere else, so it is natural that the military gets cut as well. Furthermore, as someone who said in her initial post that she has done no research into the topic, who are you to say that I should do more?

Meier Link:
As for your question on the priorities of the American household, I guess it depends on where one lives. Where I am from, money is scarce to come by, and we have some of the highest unemployment rates in the country, not just in the state of Ohio. So, we have to decide whether to feed our families, repair what's broken down because we can't afford to replace it, protect our home from burglars because some people have resorted to theft to make ends meet, or insuring our home because it is the only thing we can truly call our own. For my family (when everyone was actually here to be involved in our family matters), we paid our monthly bills and my parents made sure us kids had food to eat. Everything was protected. Now that we have to start from scratch again, our main goal is eat, pay basic bills, and repair what's broken. The extra protection is just that, extra. Alarm systems and insurance aren't high enough on the list to pay attention to, though they should be in this dark time.

As for your questions regarding the situation of the YF-22, I will not be commenting on it. This thread is about the policy that is being put in place now. Not about one made in 2009. Though this current policy cuts more spending, and therefore adding to the cuts made in 2009, it is not relevant in my opinion for this thread.

What I will say on that topic is that it is unfortunate that it happened, but it isn't something that people here where I live aren't used to. Several years ago, the biggest business in the area (the atomic plant) closed down. Thousands were laid off. People had to start over. It was difficult, and some didn't recover (though not for lack of trying). But most found new jobs with our jet engine facility near my house. With all these cutbacks made in the current administration, again, some of these great people were laid off. They have to start over again. What is so great is that despite having so many hardships they've had to face, they know that things will get better. Yes, small businesses have had to close down due to lack of sales and whatnot, but the human spirit is one that can't be broken so easily. If the effort is made, then good things do come from it. The same can be said about the government. They are trying to make a fresh start, and if the effort and determination are there, then it is bound to produce good results.