I had the Thunderbirds over my house a couple of weekends ago.

Bill Jones, you're either a twit or a troll. Either way, you're as annoying as a newly minted atheist.

Just why should the tax payer be robbed for this shit?

Because it's one of the few things that allow us to see exactly what our taxes paid for *and* get a huge dose of "wow factor" in return.

Or maybe you'd prefer that DoD invest in a tanking solar panel manufacturer, instead?

@Bill Jones:

Christmas? Bah Humbug. A poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every 25th of December.

Dave Roth

And we should have some fine weather for it this weekend. I don't always make it down there to watch the boats or listen to the music or drink the beer, but I always get outside with the kids for the Blue Angels.

My dad had a life-long love affair with helicopters and airplanes. Every summer he would take my sister and I to the local (Willow Grove PA) air show. It was always a blast, from the model plane dogfights, to the triplane and biplane stunts, and culminating with the Blue Angels. One of my favorite memories is of a hot summer afternoon, with my dad and sister at the airshow, on Sunday, July 20, 1969. It was the day before my 12th birthday. And sometime that afternoon, between the stunts and the Blue Angels, a hush fell over the crowd because coming across the PA system was a crackled but discernable announcement, "The Eagle has landed". Wow!
I sure do miss my dad.

To answer Bill Jones in two parts.
1. Our nation is defended by volunteers. I will assume your good faith that you agree with the essential need of a fully capable defense force (based on the well-known proposition that sometimes, though you may try to avoid it, sometimes with events beyond your control, war finds you). Those volunteers must be recruited. The Angels and Thunderbirds are an effective recruiting tool. We the People pay for this because we treasure our nation, our Rights and Liberties, and would see them defended.
2. Look over to the Sidelines article here. The Angels and Thunderbirds may be ceremonial knights in shining armor, but they are only a paint-job away from combat-ready. It may be that manned fighters have cost-ineffective utility against insurgents, but it is always a mistake to assume that the war that finds you will come in only one popular flavor of the day. It's better to be prepared for the full-spectrum of possible combat operations, and practice for quick adaptation to the enemy's tactics.

Knights in shining armor were no match for crossbow bolts. Our current crop of go-fasts are effective against many threats.

Actually the FA-18s the Blues fly are high-time airframes of an earlier model than that which is flown on active duty. In other words they are obsolescent, but they give the average viewer a great show.

I, for one, enjoy seeing what a few of my tax dollars are spent for. The close group formation flying is more than just a show, it is designed to fool enemy radar into underestimating the threat level (at least according to my father, who was a Naval aviator [Corsair]).

"Just why should the tax payer be robbed for this shit?"

Taxpayers voted for it, through their freely elected representatives. Taxpayers enjoy seeing it. "Robbery" has nothing to do with it, which you of course knew when you deliberately misstated the case, you dishonest tool.