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Allow me to state right now that I am a HUGE opponent of what is commonly referred to as “ObamaCare.” But then again, I already have insurance. Many individuals out there who DON’T have insurance have something similar, and it’s called a “medical card.” That means that they can go to the ER (any ER) and get treatment. Guess who pays for it… go ahead, guess. I’ll wait………. Yes, I pay for it. As does anyone else who pays taxes. Meanwhile, if I needed to go to the emergency room, I’d pay for it, and, you know, there’s a chance that my premium will go up. So now I’m paying MORE to see a doctor AND I’m paying for little Miss-Too-Broke-for-Insurance (which I can say, as I know a particular leech just like this one).

So now everyone is being forced to buy health insurance, except for some higher-up individuals who were recently added to the exempt list. AAAAAH the government is taking over our lives (GM = Government Motors).

Which brings me to the actual reason I started this column today. Car insurance. It’s “illegal” to not have car insurance. But there’s no government initiative to overhaul auto insurance to guarantee everyone has it.

Story time:

When my now-wife was a teenager, she was struck by a drunk driver (drinking and driving is illegal, strike one). This driver did not have auto insurance (that’s “illegal,” strike two). Come to find out that a few weeks after he struck the woman who would become my wife, he hit someone else (again, he was drunk, and again, he still had no insurance – strikes three and four). Oh, from the wreck that occured with my wife, her back was all sorts of screwed up. The discs in her lower spine were putting pressure on her sciatic nerve, shooting pain down her legs and random intervals. She lived with the pain until after she met me, and I finally convinced her to see a doctor. Spinal surgery… for a 22-year old. It seems crazy. Thank you Mr. Uninsured Drunk Driver. (PS – In brief legal action, I believe Mr. Uninsured Drunk Driver had to pay something like $2500-3000. You don’t want to know what that surgery cost).

I’ve had auto insurance for as long as I’ve had a drivers’ license. I’ve had accidents, I’ve had a couple tickets. And I’ve paid the price when my premium has been raised.

But if it’s illegal for drivers to not have auto insurance, shouldn’t there be some sort of database that has all the registered drivers in the state and all those that have insurance? And if you don’t have insurance, you shouldn’t be allowed to drive a car. And if you drive without one of those, and get caught, how about we not slap them on the wrist?

I don’t have all the answers. I’m not sure I have ANY answers. Just a lot of questions.

And now I’m done. I am going home and cooking dinner.

Ya’ll come back now, ya hear?

I want to preface this blog by saying I am a proud American. I love this country and have a profound respect for all those who have fought for her. I treat the American flag with dignity. I love the USA.

One of the things I love about America is the First Amendment:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

It allows me, and numerous others like me, to air our grievances in a peaceable manner. If I lived in Derka-Derkastan, I would not be able to speak about my government or its policies.

I have been a, well, a sort of non-vocal opponent (depending on who you are, you may or may not agree with the “non-vocal” part of that) of this government’s recent “leadership.” Hopefully the mid-term elections bring the hope of change we were promised two years ago (you know what I’m talking about).

I am a tax paying American citizen and I vote – so I’m pretty sure that gives me the right to complain. I’ll try to keep my thoughts concise.

A little too revealing for this airline passenger.

1) The notion of the TSA’s new “full body scan, invasive pat-down, or NO FLIGHT FOR YOU” policy is damn disturbing. I have always enjoying flying, and never found the previous security measures to be a problem. I will gladly take off my shoes, my belt, empty my pockets, take off my watch, walk through your x-ray machine, fail because I forgot to take out my phone, take out my phone, walk back through the x-ray, get the thumbs up, put my shoes back on, my belt, re-fill my pockets, grab my carry-on, and be on my way. I’ve even been randomly selected to get the more secure wanding, and had no problem with that. However, I will not be subjugated to a full-body pornographic scan, showing my ample stomach and, well, ok, my fat ass. And I will not be a part of your regulated TSA inappropriate touching/groping. One victim of your shenanigans claims that you kneaded and twisted her breasts. Well, I have man boobs, and they are sensitive. So, until these practices are removed, I will be driving. Your loss.

2) California… wtf are you thinking? You’re actually going to award illegal immigrants in-state tuition for colleges? You have their information, their addresses, etc (remember, they have to apply for college, and submit this information on their applications). Send the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) their info and let’s get them all deported. Please. And while I’m at it, can we please please PLEASE secure our borders so we can do away with all illegals? If people want to come in to this country legally, pay taxes, and pay into the system instead of just taking from it, I’m all for it.

3) And that brings me to my next and probably last topic of the night: leeches. You know the ones I’m talking about. I’m talking about the ones that feed off of the system. You who reproduce like rabbits and collect thousands of dollars from the government. You who don’t work or can’t hold a job but continue to upgrade your home theater system, car stereos, etc. The state of Illinois loses who knows how much money each month to welfare fraud or unworthy jackasses thieving from the hard working taxpayers. I could site one specific example, but I won’t this time. I recently read a story of a Maine woman who forged documents to dupe the system into thinking she was pregnant and paying her for forty months… forty. This is beyond unacceptable. Stop the free handouts. I continue to say that I would vote for the candidate who states, “If I have to pass a drug test to hold a job, you have to pass one to get a handout.” Maybe I should run for office on that platform…

4) Ok, I lied… one more thing: Bring back corporal punishment, and make it public. If people start realizing that their crimes have legitimate punishments, crime would go down.

You’re welcome.

I think it’s important for you to understand me. I’m not a guy who often has a ton of time to sit down and pour out my thoughts in blog form. I’m just too busy for that (please disregard the fact that my last two blogs came one right after the other and I stayed up until 3am to do them… hehehe “do”).

True story – I started writing this blog more than two hours ago. Like I said, I’m busy.

Anyway, I think to be an effective blogger, I need to start blogging more often (duh). So if I throw out random nonsense, be nice and comment.

If there’s something in particular you want me to write about, just to give my thoughts or opinions on, I’d be more than happy to do so. Just leave your suggestion as a comment and I’ll get to it, in my own time and in my own way.

That’s all… for now.

I’m a firm believer in printing what you’re passionate about. It’s why I write about sports, pro wrestling (which, as we all know, is TECHNICALLY “sports entertainment”), good music, etc.

I’m also passionate about my home life, my friends, and, as weird as it is to state publicly, to a “lesser extent,” my faith. I’m one of those C, E, and SO Catholics (Christmas, Easter, and special occasions, like when my grandparents recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary, which I think is the Pacemaker Anniversary…). I have a great home life with a wonderful wife whom I adore. We have our differences, sure, but if I were stuck with one person for the rest of my life, I’d choose her again. I do very little around the house. I take out the trash, do some laundry, do the dishes on occasion, and when it’s the right season, I sort of insist on mowing the lawn. I also help take care of our “child,” a 45-pound hound named Lucky. But when you think about it, I really don’t do a lot, and I know I could certainly do more. Oh, and I do cook an occasional AWESOME meal.

Lucky - she's cute, in a destructive sort of way.

Then there is the issue of my friends. And here is why I’m writing tonight at near 1am instead of crawling into bed with my sleeping bride and the dog (who, despite our attempts, insists on sleeping in between the two of us). I was driving home from podcasting tonight (www.bigkev.fm) when I came to the realization that, at some of my friends’ most important times, I haven’t been there for them.

I am an individual who firmly believes that it is not just our actions that define us, but our non-actions as well.

Which brought me to the conclusion of “I can, at times, be a shitty friend.” When my best friend was stepping up to what was the biggest day of his life at that time, his wedding day, he asked me to be there. And I wanted to be there. This, after all, was the guy who stood by me at the altar when I said “I do.” This was the guy who fell asleep guilt-free the night of my bachelor party when I was up puking all night telling my soon-to-be wife that it was “all RJ’s fault” (a claim he’ll never live down). I told my friend that I couldn’t be there because I couldn’t get off work. Why couldn’t I get off work? I forgot to request the time off. That’s it. Joe, Danielle, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry. I failed as a friend, and I failed on an epic scale.

I’m not looking for any sympathy, my words here should not convey one to thoughts of the sort. I know that I have grown more in the last six months than I had the five years prior. And yet, sometimes, I catch myself wondering if I’ve grown into the kind of man I was raised to be.

As a writer, sometimes words flow freely, and sometimes they need a nudge. Sometimes we get the speeches of grandeur worked up in our minds, but they don’t always gravitate to the page, err, screen that way.

In high school, I often would lay in bed at night wondering what would be said of me if I didn’t wake up that next morning. I’m sure it’s something most teens do, or did. I often wonder about my legacy – how would I be remembered?

I know I don’t want to be the guy known as not being there for his friends. I want others to know they can count on me, as I can count on them. I’ve been fortunate in my life to have some amazing friends. I hope that – to those who call me “friend,” – I can be equally amazing.

The muse doesn’t always tell me how to end a written work – so I’ll keep it simple this time and say only this:

Thank you to the people who have entered my life and hung around, and also, thank you to those who, for whatever reason didn’t stick around, but made an impact nonetheless. And… thanks to those of you who put up with me and my shenanigans on a regular basis. I know it’s not an easy task and you don’t get paid nearly enough.

Speaking of not getting paid nearly enough… no, that’s a blog for another time.

If you’re wondering why I tagged “Superman” and “John Williams,” it’s because it’s playing on the iTunes right now. That is all.

If suddenly gifted with super strength or the ability to fly, research suggests that most people would skip the do-gooder’s route to become a wealthy or powerful “Super-Villain.”  Adam Galinsky, a social psychologist at Northwestern University, tells MotherNatureNetwork.com, ”The average person is corrupted by power, but a select few see power as responsibility.”  Galinsky adds that personal circumstances — like family and upbringing — also matter.  The expert cites an example from the origins of “Spider-Man” in which Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben tells him, ”With great power comes great responsibility.”  This advice guides Parker’s future acts of heroism.  Galinsky’s comments coincided with Comic-Con 2010 in New York.  The popular event that celebrates pop culture, comic books, and super hero lore launched last Friday, October 8th in Manhattan. 

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It is a well-known fact that I am a comic book nerd. And I’m all right with that. And the sooner I get my comics backed, bagged, and boxed, the happier my wife will be, too.

I know of all sorts of super powers, ranging from the traditional flight, x-ray vision (what teenage boy never wanted that ability), the ability to heal oneself at a super-human rate, and many more.

So my questions to you are:

What super abilities would you choose for yourself (for kicks, let’s say you can pick two)?

and

Would you use your powers for good, or evil?

Leave your responses as comments.