“A government is a body of people usually notably ungoverned” - Sheppard Book

Ive been wanting to do a Political themed post for awhile. But Ive been delaying it forever because 1)People get needlessly angry when the talk of Politics ever comes up, 2) I'm still sick of hearing all the needless slander from the LAST election cycle, and 3) I'm been trying to iron out what I would like to see happen in the Government.
I guess the real point behind this post is to see if I can get my thoughts down so I can pound out reason number 3 a little. If you want to have a grown up discussion about this and you think you can add something, by all means, post something in the comment section. If not, Ill have no problem deleting your ass (I mean that in best way possible :)).
Health Care
Id like to see the Government get involved in this, but the current bill that's in place is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. Premiums and such are getting way to high. I think Part of the reason is because you have these people that always get sue happy around doctors. We need to fix that. Do I think the Government can Help? Absolutely. Lets try hammer it out please.
Immigration
A touchy subject where the term Racist gets thrown around a lot. Am I racist? No. But that doesn't mean that I think that the people living here illegally should get amnesty. Those people here illegally should try to rectify the problem through the proper channels. I think the government could make it easier to get worker permits if that's all they want to do. No problem with that.
Military
Im a big fan of the Military, so I don't want you all to take this the wrong way. I think that it could have a lot more accountability in the way it spends its money though. I don't think a little defunding would hurt it at all.
I would stop sending those that are enlisted for the National Guard to serve in wars over seas. Its the national guard for a reason. They need to be here. And I certainly wouldn't mind putting them on the Border.
Foreign Police
I would like to see more foreign help in Wars and problems overseas. That doesn't mean we need to be totally out of the picture. But I don't think America needs to be heading every operation and being world police men.
I think we should cut way back (and I mean wwaayyyy back) on foreign aide. How many trillions of dollars are we in debt?! And how many billions do we give in aide?! I wouldn't blank it all out entirely, but a large amount of it. Some countries certainly need the help. Countries like Iraq. If we blew up half a country, we can help rebuild it.
Size of Government
I so think think that it could shrink in size a lot. But on the other hand Local Government could grow a little bit. Instead of one big central Government, I think it could be more localized.
Taxes
Im not threatened by having to pay taxes. Its how things get done and payed for. But I think we could switch to a flat tax. No loop holes so you can pay less, no deductions, no return at the end of the year. Just set it at like 20% of what you make (By no means that percentage is backed by anything. Just throwing it out there to make a point).
Welfare
By no means is the Welfare police perfect. I don't think it helps anyone out. It seems like when people start getting it, people just stay there. There's no good draw for them to get out of the position. Its like "Hay! Free money!" Who would WANT to leave that? I think it should be remodeled after the LDS Welfare program. Welfare should be there for People to help themselves out of the position they're in.

I guess that's a start. If you want to ask question, Discuss why I'm wrong and why a certain thing wont work, and remember to talk nice.

"Either way it is a historical fact: Sharing the world has never been humanity's defining attribute." - Professor X

Ive seen X-Men: First Class twice now, and Ive found it rather enjoyable. I thought they did a great job with the movie, but there was a couple of things that just bugged me. Going to gripe about those just to get them out of the way.
Kevin Bacon as Nazi? Oh hell no! Once he got the German vibe out of his system, I thought he did a wonderful job. It was either the acting or the writting that bothered me. But it did. Actually that whole 'get Magneto to use his powers' scene bothered me. And the two kids that portrayed both Xavier and Magneto respectfully, I could've taken a wiffle bat to both of them and I would've felt like I was doing the movie a service. I also would like marvel to hire someone to help with the continuity in between the movies.
Now, on to the positive, It was really well written. The guy that played Magneto Did an excellent job and I thought he nailed the part. He was definitely did the bet acting wise. I also like how they portrayed Xavier. Instead of the the faultless leader being we usually get, he wasnt perfect in the movie. A skirt chaser with mental powers? I bet you all wouldn't loved that when you were young and single. Im also glad that they kept it in the same time period of the actual comic where. That was a nice touch. I dont think ut wouldve worked other wise.
Not a compliant per say, I didnt know a third of they mutants they used. There was some major time spent on wiki after the movie. This kind of brings up another thing. hat other mutants would I like to see in future installments? (and there will be. I went Last night and it was still sold out. And how long has it been out?)
For me I would like to see a young Havok/Cyclops family dynamic, and I think they could easily play off it with throwing Mr Sinister in to that mix as well. He has a unhealthy obsession with those boys. If not that itll be interesting to see more of the 'regular' Hellfire club members, and not ones that just stand around looking menacing. On the same thread of "Family", they could do Polaris and/or Legion if they want to bring any of Magnetos and Prof. X's kids into it. What mutants would you all like to see in the next movie?
And kind of Off topic, I would to see them try and tackle the Age of Apocalypse for the big screen (on the account its my favorite X-Men story arc), but Itll probably never happen.

"So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time given to you." - Gandalf

Yep. Today was the annual celebration of the day I came crying into the world. Birthdays haven't really meant much the last few years. Nothing really happens. No family gatherings, no cake, and the occasional card. I must be getting old. Especially when conversations like having kidney stones, health insurance, and earning potential keep on cropping up. Most of the types of conversations can be contributed to my homies of my local Beard Group.
What is a Beard Group you ask? Well its a group of guys that I hang out with. And, well, we all have beards. And its great. We glorify the beard. With random websites like The Beardly.com. Yeah, the Beard Group is that awesome and kind of a big deal. At least I think so.
The group has changed over the last year or so. In its earliest conception, it was Poker Night, and there was the occasional woman. And it has slowly evolved into playing all types of board games soaked in an atmosphere of testosterone.

"Winter is Coming" - Stark family saying

As many of my friends know (or they should if they pay any attention to me), Im really excited for the HBO series of A Game of Thrones, based on the fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin. Its one of the best Fantasy trilogies that Ive read in recent years. The world feels... old. And Martin does a great job in describing the world. And its so brutal! Main characters seem to die more often than not, and this seems to differ from a lot of authors Ive read. They seem to shy away from killing off the main stars of the book. I love it and I would recommend it to anyone. Go here for the Trailer for the HBO Series
Its kind of weird that Ive been posting Blogs for almost 2 years now. It hasn't seemed that long to me. Time is known to fly like that sometimes. Ill try to do a post something on the 2nd anniversary when it comes up. Cant really promise anything though.
I find it kind of odd and funny that when i don't post for a great period of time, people get after me to put something up. I find this really ironic when it comes from people that don't Blog for some reason. 'Cause they don't hold themselves to the same standard they hold me. It kind of makes me irritated and not want to put anything up when they bug me about it. I blog when I want to and when something comes to me, not when the masses demand it. Just saying. Sorry for the rant, but there it is.

"You see? You just can't trust anyone. The first girl I let into my life and she tries to eat me." - Columbus

I was just thinking of the film Zombieland today and how much I loved it.  Some of the funnier parts of the movie is when on of the main characters, Columbus, throws out one of his many rules for surviving the zombie apocalypse.  Below are the ones mentioned through the movie and promotional spots:
1. Cardio
2. Double tap
3. Beware of bathrooms
4. Wear seatbelts
6. Cast iron skillet
7. Travel light
8. Get a kickass partner
12. Bounty paper towels
15. Bowling Ball
17. (Don't) be a hero
18. Limber up
21. Avoid strip clubs
22. When in doubt, know your way out
29. The buddy system
31. Check the back seat
32. Enjoy the little things
33. Swiss army knife
48. Hygiene
Yeah, its a short post today. But what would be on your rules for surviving?

“The shortest and surest way to live with honor in the world is to be in reality what we appear to be.” - Socrates

About 6 years ago I started playing a card game called Legend of the 5 Rings, or L5R for short.  I really played it heavy for at least a year, maybe two, until the game store I frequently visited closed down.  There was another game store in town I supplanted myself to, but none of the players transferred over to the other game store.  The game came to a sudden halt for me.  After a few years, THAT game store closed down, and thankfully a month or two later a new one started up, but the old players still stayed away.
After a decade and a half of playing different card games and trying different things, L5R remains my favorite game out of all of them and it makes me sad that I don't have anyone in my area to play with.  To me, it felt like when I played against an opponent, we were actually telling a story.  And I loved the fact that in the big events, called Kotei's, who ever won the Tournament actually influenced the game (and the story of the game) in a new direction.
But granted, its probably a good thing.  Over the years, Ive learned at least one thing about Collectible Card Games.  They are a huge drain of resources.  Be it money, time, or others you might think of.  But they sure are fun.  So, I guess I could start up a L5R RPG, so I can get my fix of the world of Rokugan.  But then I would have to venture into the world of DMing.  And who wants to do that?

"Nya-ugh" - Arnold Schwarzenegger

I realize this is more than a month overdue, but this being my Blog, I will be lazy with it as I see fit. To follow up my last Post, I went as Steampunk for Halloween, and I looked a little something like what you see on the right.  I really liked the costume, and I found it surprising how often I had to explain what Steampunk was to people.  I guess everybody cant be nerds, which is a shame. 

Since All Hallows Eve, Ive been watching a lot of TV.  There has been a few things Ive really got into.  Ive discovered in the last month the Greatness that is The Big Bang Theory, cause I can relate to the very high nerd level, and the spectacle that is Glee, cause who doesn't wish their life was a Musical every once and awhile?  But the standout has to go to The Walking Dead an the AMC channel.  Believe me, just go watch it!  But on the low end, Ive had a large dose of Anime too.  I think I would like it a whole lot more if there want so much damn Posturing!  There's to much standing around talking about so and so's back story, and we he cares, and why his move is better than everyone else's, then the back story to his great move, then three episodes more of why hes face down in his own blood explaining why the other person decided to let him live.  Just get on with it already!