Politics

It was inevitable that I would post about politics. With the Republican National Convention going on right now, and the Democrat Convention still cooling off, it felt like a good time to write about the whole mess.

In general, both parties suck. No one candidate for public office is appealing and none currently in office deserves to be there. Especially on the federal level.

My belief is that those in office are either "Politicians" or "elected officials." The difference? Politicians only seek to prolong their time in office and only do whatever is necessary to win re-election. They are a sort of junkie. Try it once and feel real good, then do whatever it takes to keep that high. Elected officials are the extreme minority. They are the people that want to see government serve the people and will do whatever it takes to make sure that that responsibility is met. If they can do it in one term, great. If it takes more, they keep going. If it means making an unpopular decision that will end their career, but it was the right thing to do to benefit everyone, then they sacrifice their office.

Politicians, by their very nature, cannot bring themselves to make a wholly unpopular decision. They might upset a few on one side, but please others. So, they make a second decision to placate the upset few, but in turn upset others. It's like telling a lie and then telling other lies to keep the first lie from being discovered. It's just much more simple to tell the truth the first time. And, to tell an honest truth sometimes hurts. But, it's easier to keep track of. And, everyone will appreciate the honesty in the long run.

The main reason I bring up politics in this post is because I don't like politicians. I wish every level of government was easier for people to be involved in. The higher the position, the more money it takes and the more likely it is for that position to be filled with a politician. And, NOT an elected official. But, it's not just the federal level with the presidency. It's the state level. The town/village/city level. The county level. The school board level. If you don't have money, it's difficult to make an effort to run of any given office. But, if you have lots and lots of money, it's very, very easy.

Politicians, again by their very nature, have a vast interest in money. They have it. They want it. They want yours. They spend and waste it. They never put it to good use.

Elected officials do what is necessary to raise the money to run for office and they only spend what is necessary before, during and after their election. They are practical, pragmatic and, most important, responsible and responsive. An elected official (it would be redundant to say "a good elected official, by nature all elected officials are good) is interested in one thing: serving the public interest well.

I do not believe that any of the candidates for any of the federal offices are capable of being elected officials. They are politicians and will make decisions that benefit themselves by appeasing those that helped put them in office.

Specifically, Obama and McCain have their own special interest groups they are obligated to appease. Biden has a long list of them as well. Palin doesn't have a long list, but the "conservative base" she appeals to is bad enough.

But, religion is a whole different subject. And, religion AND politics will be covered after that. I'm sure.

Video Games: Casual v. Hardcore

I've been thinking about the difference between "casual gaming" and "hardcore gaming" for a while. The subject keeps coming up on various website, blogs and podcasts about video games. It is referenced in the mainstream news when stories about the success of the Nintendo Wii.

I have a Wii and love it by the way. Can't recommend it highly enough. But, that is why the subject of casual versus hardcore comes up.

Here's my definition:
Casual gaming: video games that can be enjoyed is short sessions of time. Any game that is measured by how many times it is played.
Hardcore gaming: video games that require long sessions of time. Any game that is measured in how many hours it takes to beat one time through.

By my definitions, Halo multi-player can be considered a casual game. But, Halo single-player is hardcore. This might not make sense, but a person can sit down and play through two or three matches on Halo and be done for the day. And, with a good save system, the single-player campaign can be played in short 10-15 minutes bursts of time. It doesn't require long, marathon sessions to play the game. But, most "hardcore" gamers do this anyway.

I believe that all "casual" gamers could be "hardcore." And, all "hardcore" games can play in a "casual" manner. It depends on the game itself. And, none of the consoles are exclusively "casual" or "hardcore."

Another Thought

What's that? I had another thought? Sort of. I started writing a post about two weeks ago. But, I stopped it and then deleted it. It was a matter of having some inspiration, but not enough. It may be called a dumping ground, but it's not a place for pure garbage. It's a site for writing ideas, thoughts, commentaries and some plain ol' BS.

Every book on writing I've read and every writer I've talked to emphasize that practice makes nearly perfect. The more one wants to write, the more one has to write. Only perfection happens because of divine intervention. Near perfection happens with perspiration. Nothing magically happens overnight.

But, my thoughts on different things need to have a venue. I don't care if anyone ever reads it. I just want to use the internet as a means to keep this all in one place. Organization helps.

The beginning of throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks

This is the first entry in my new blog. Precisely, my second blog. The first is about me writing a book, novel, story, whatever. I thought it would be fun to write and keep track of my progress.

Well, little or no progress has been made, so I decided that to reinvigorate my spirit, and bring my muse back to my side, I'd start this blog. The rule about the first one is that it covers my writing. The rule about this one is that it doesn't.

Anything is fair game here:

Politics? Yes, I can rant in a posting about the current state of our country.

Sports? Again, yes, I can post about cheering for the Cubs, White Sox and state my opinion on the game of golf.

Movies? Yes, I can admit I liked "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and that I liked "27 Dresses." Sometimes you just have to watch a romantic comedy with the love of your life. It's okay to admit that you enjoy chick flicks. Though, I'll probably never, ever watch "Sex and the City." Movie or TV show.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. If I feel like writing about it, then I'm going to dump it here. I will throw anything I can think of on this blog. Just for the fun of it? No, this is all about keeping my typing skills up. That, and good practice putting ideas down. (Pun intended. With me, they always are.)