Puzzlement is good. Puzzlement is on the path to understanding. Pull the thread and see where it goes! Your examples are great places to start. Is the military

Puzzlement is good. Puzzlement is on the path to understanding. Pull the thread and see where it goes! Your examples are great places to start. Is the military good for everyone? How have we been using it since WWII, and how has that worked out? Is spending on roads good for everyone? Is the Interstate Highway System’s effect on the American lifestyle and built environment, on average, a positive one? How is education funded? How is funding related to outcomes? Can you improve outcomes by spending more? How closely does the political process track popular will? What considerations determine whether something gets funded and how much? The world may be less puzzling (or at least, puzzling in different ways) when you become more familiar with the complexities and controversies in these questions.