No More Welfare Junkies

I saw this picture on facebook today.

I agree with what it says.

If you are on welfare, then you should be able to prove that you are living according to a set list of standards.

I have personally seen so many people that live successfully off the system. Need more money? Have another kid. Pretend to look for a job and just let the checks roll in.

Take the benefits and buy crap.

Take the money and buy smokes, booze, and drugs.

I serve in the military and I am required to meet stringent requirements just so that those who don’t want to work can get a free ride and live however they want. Now, I know that I do what I do voluntarily. But this irks me that my money is paying for things that it shouldn’t be buying.

Well, I thought “Why doesn’t someone do something about this”.  Everyone wants to talk on facebook about how it needs fixed but no one does anything about it. Well, I wondered how hard it would be to actually DO something.

So, I looked up the basics of submitting an idea to become law. I found the following article.

Building a Bill in Congress
As soon as you start working with the United States Congress, you begin hearing about this bill or that bill. It’s as if someone named Bill is everywhere in Washington. In the congressional context, a bill is simply a proposal, an idea, that’s written up in legislation and presented to the Congress.

Starting with an idea
It all starts with an idea, a simple concept. You take that idea to your representative or senator because you see a need, you have a cause, and you want it to become a law.

Remember that only members of Congress can propose resolutions that are considered by the entire body. Your task comes down to convincing a member to actually want to introduce your idea.

Anyone can write up, or draft a bill, but only a member of Congress can introduce it. However, the more work that you do for members, the easier it is for them to work on your behalf. When you have a bill that you want Congress to consider, writing it up in legal language and presenting it to your representative or senator as a draft is a good idea. Lobbyists routinely draft legislative proposals.

Figuring out how to write a bill is easy. Just look up an existing bill on the congressional Web site and follow that format to compose your proposal. Although your representative may make a few changes, he and the staff won’t have to do as much work creating the bill by themselves.

Looking at the types of legislation
Several kinds of bills can be introduced and each one has a special designation.

Bill
The bill is the most common form of legislation. It’s an idea, a proposal, and in the House it receives the designation H.R. for House of Representatives (not House Resolution as many people think). In the Senate it gets S. for Senate. A bill becomes law when it’s approved by both the House and Senate and reaches the president’s desk for signature. After it’s signed by the president, it’s no longer called a bill, but becomes an “Act.”

Resolution
A resolution is much the same as a bill, except that it’s usually concerned with the operation of the House or Senate. In other words, it’s about something that concerns only the institution and doesn’t need to be signed by the president. In the House, such a resolution is designated H. Res. and gets a number, and in the Senate, it becomes S. Res.

Joint resolution
A joint resolution is virtually identical to a bill. Contrary to what one would expect given the name, it can be proposed in either the House or the Senate and it goes through the same procedures as a bill and must be signed into law by the president.

One slight difference between a bill and a joint resolution is that a joint resolution frequently has a preamble, a paragraph explaining the justification for the bill with all the “Whereas” resolving clauses that are a feature of legislative language. Joint resolutions are also used to amend bills already under consideration. A joint resolution gets the designation H.J.Res. in the House and S.J.Res. in the Senate.

The only time a joint resolution differs in its procedure for consideration is when it’s an amendment to the Constitution. Then it has to be approved by two-thirds of both houses to pass, and it’s also sent to the states for ratification rather than being signed (or not) by the president.

So, all I have to do is write up what change I want to see. Submit it to a congressman, and ask that it be presented for legislation. Possibly get 10,000 signatures. And push it to people in the communities. It can’t be that difficult.

With the recent rise of the Tea Party and the strong pushes for general conservitism, people might actually get behind a few of these ideas.

The big one that I would want to push is Mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients. After that, maybe move on to the term limits for elected officials. George Washington, our greatest leader of all time, knew that leaching off of the system was a bad thing. He stressed against it. Be it welfare, career politicians, or any general sort of government sponsored tyrany.

Could I write a bill to weed out the druggies? Sure. Will I? Possibly. I’m actually looking in to it now.

The government is by the people and for the people. They aren’t our protectors or our parents.

Last I checked, each of us reading this are one of the people. There is no reason we can’t try and make positive change.

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Manipulating the masses at it’s finest

This blog post is nothing more than an attempt to see how I can use Google Trending to generate blog hits. If you’re reading it after typing in something in to google, then it worked.
If you’re reading it because you follow me, then you’re exempt.
But either way… You’re reading what I’m writing.

For your effort, I applaud you.

-Garen

Chill man…. Just chill!

Okay, today’s post is thus…

I am going to give you a link.

What link is that you say? Well, I’ll tell you in a moment.

Do you drink? Okay, grab something smooth.

Don’t drink? We can work with that too. Grab something to relax with. Hot Cocoa works well for this.

Got your drink?

Excellent.

Headphones, speakers, something that makes noise.

Turn that up about half way. You’re gonna wanna be able to hear it.

Alright, got a relaxing drink, speakers are turned up about half way?

Great!

CLICK THIS LINK! 

Now, while that loads, you are going to hit PLAY on the video below.

Alrighty.. there we go.

Kick your feet up. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes even.

Relax, take a sip of your drink, and chill.

Then next 6 minutes are for you.

..

..

You’re welcome!

-Garen

Valentines Day and Asphalt

Odd title for a post, don’t you think?

Well, since the 14th is valentines day, I believe that a V-Day post is in order. But the problem is that my valentine is currently 401 miles away from me. That’s a big of a haul. Attached to that is the fact that I can’t take any time off of work right now and it kinda puts me in to a bind.

So, here I am.

Sitting in Cheboygan Michigan.

My Valentine, my lovely beautiful and amazing wife, sitting in West Allis Wisconsin.

And 401 miles of asphalt between us.

The best I can do is call her, let her know I miss her. And do my best to make sure she knows I love her and I miss her.

So, since I don’t have a paper valentine right now… I’m hoping that I can make a small mental impact with something of the digital variety.

So, Andrea, I offer up the following because it makes me smile and think of you.

It’s true ya know…. All of them!

I remember watching BSG together and being SO pissed when Saul Tigh turned out to be a cylon. PISSED!

Yeah, no explaination required here.

I saw this online and I could help but chuckle at the humor.

Simple, pure, tetris, truth.

I love you Andrea. Don’t forget that.

30 Day Blog Challenge – Day 7

Movies movies movies.

I didn’t watch a lot of movies growing up . I was always too busy doing other things.

But as of late, I have discovered somer really good ones.

The transporter series? Awesome.

Mr. Roberts? Dr. Strangelove? Crazy good films that are humorous in such an innocent way. More or less.

Well, while I was thinking about this post, I had to narrow my selections down to three films.

Three movies that I enjoy for completely different reasons each. So, here they are. Garen’s top three favorite films. (Oh yeah, click the posters to see their page on IMDB).

#3 Operation Petticoat

This was the first of the movies I discovered from the 50s. WOW! Great acting, good storyline, plenty or re-playabilibty. This movie was jsut fun to watch. I really enjoyed it. Right down to the pink submarine.

 

#2 The Abyss.

Long before he ever made Avatar, James Cameron made the abyss. It was filmed in a flooded nuclear cooling tower over the course of 9 months. Not one person on the crew said they would ever consider returning for a second film. It was over budget, stupid difficult to film, and I consider it one of my favorite films of all time.

 

#1 Disney’s Robin Hood.

Oo-da-lolli! This is the gold standard by which I measure all other robin hood films on the planet.  I love the music, the color, the humor, the animation, and the voice actors. This movie is GREAT.

 

So, that’s it. Those are my three favorite films. Watch them. Their good. 🙂

 

-G

30 Day Blog Challenge – Day 6

Okay, day 6 states that I have to post a picture of somethign that makes me happy.

I looked at that challenge and said, “This is simple. BAM! A picture of Andrea”.

 

But I realized that this is what I ALWAYS do. No, not this time.

As much as I LOVE and adore my wife and children, this time this will be about something other than my family that makes me smile. Don’t get me wrong, my family makes me happier than most anything on this earth, but since we assume that this is a given, we’ll move on to the next best option.

 What you are seeing here is a rendered version of a scene from Descent. Now, it isn’t this game in particular that I want to write about. The shot is more of an analogy. Maybe a metaphor. Possibly some other word that says it means something other than it looks like. I forget, but that’s not important.

The thing I’m trying to represent here is video games in general. I play them. I enjoy them. Some of them make me smile. Some piss me off. Some make me think. Some I just like to look at. Others I am finally begining to play.

There is so much of my life that has been affected by video games.

I have a few that top my list of favorites and those I believe I will point out in the future.

…

Well, it’s TECHNICALLY the future now from when you read those last lines, so I guess I’ll tell you about them now.

GAREN’S TOP xx FAVORITE VIDEO GAMES

 

5. Super Mario Bros. series on NES

I spent way too many summers playing this bugger. Be it with or without cheats, I enjoyed it. I played with my brothers and sisters in nearly every house I lived in growing up. This is the epitome of nostalgia in my book. LOVE IT!

4. Metroid

Metroid is one of those games where I love the premise of the game. I love the physics. I love the controls. I love the exploration and the ability to wind up in some really strange places…. but…. I never beat the game. Hell, in all reality, this game scares the ever living daylights out of me. Dunno why. But it’s still one of my favs.

3. Tribes

“Trust me, I work at Gamestop”. Worst words ever to hear. Best game that could have ever been suggested by that guy. I still think he was a tool though.

2. Warcraft Series

From RTS, to point and click, to MMO… The warcraft and Starcraft universes  make me smile. I love the lore. the storylines. the graphics. the ideas behind the game. And hey, Jaina is kinda hot. LOL. Regardless, with the amount of time invested in this series, it’s up there in the top 5 for a reason.

1. Descent

I played descent for way too many years. I still pick it up from time to time even. The game makes me sick to play. It’s scary at times. And no one I know plays because they were never able to get ansy good at it. Let’s not forget though, I have the super power known as ADD, so a lot of things like this I wind up being really good at. Take battletech for example. I’m CRAZY GOOD at that game.

But that isn’t the point. The point is that I enjoy video games, and some board games. And it is those forms of entertainment that give me the opportunity to escape the real world for a little bit, enjoy some time either alone or with others, and let my imagination run wild.

So, what is it that makes me happy? (Other than my family which is my true #1)

Video games.

Sorry, it’s true

 

-G

30 Day Blog Challenge – Day 5

Hmm, today will be a song to match my mood.

Simple… “Jump Rope”, but Blue October.

Google it. It’s great.

30 Day Blog Challenge – Day 4

Day four is “Your Parents”.

So, without any fanfare, we will discuss my parents. Since I don’t find stats to be nearly as impressive, I’ll most likely tell a few stories.

 

 

 

 

My parents were married well before I came around. Which, in my mind, is exactly how it should be.

My father is an accountat by trade, at least, after 30 years of watching him I THINK that is what he does. I’m still fuzzy on this one belive it or not. He recently retired.

Mom was a housewife by trade. But the thing about her as a housewife is the fact that she was involved in crafts, small businesses, candies, festivals, auto repair, rubber stamp making, people management, all sorts of just randon things that she could market for nearly any purpose. She was a real jack of all trades. Best part of that though is she was REALLY GOOD at everything she did. Sadly, Mom passed away a two years ago.

I had never really bothered to ask much about when they were married. I think dad was a cop, and mom was a hitchhiker. I’m pretty sure there was a divorce in there somewhere, but I wasn’t around yet. There was a little time where dad wasn’t home. Other time where it seemed like he was ALWAYS home. Hindsight being what it is… I have no idea what the hell dad did for a living. That’s going to bug me. I’ll ask him when I get back in to port.

I have fond memories of going out and selling candy with my mother. We would work door to door on business streets hocking our wares. She’d feed us lunch on the cheap and put us right back to work. She taught me to deal with people. To handle money. She taught me how to sew, cook, clean, throw a party, move a house or a family across the country, how to play piano, how to win an argument, and how quiet dignity worked.

My father taught me how to turn a wrench. He taught me how to mow a lawn, sell the services of mowing that same lawn to my neighbors, and how to shutup once the deal was made. He taught me to drive a stick. He taught me how to bullshit with the best of them and how to get away with it. Of course, as they say, you can’t bullshit a bullshitter, so he’s mostly immune to my charms.

They both taught me how to do a long road trip. How to tear down from a party. How to kick people out of the house. They taught me a love for pepsi products and the joys of 7 layer dip.

Mom and dad taught me all sorts of cool stuff. I realized this after I was about 24 years old. Since that point, each time something in my life happens where I realize that they taught me the skill required to get through that tiral, I always call one of them and say thank you. They have saved my butt more than once and I figure that warrants a phone call.

Mom and Dad are pretty cool. I’ll give them that. I love them to death. I’ve looked past the flaws in my growing up, so it’s all pretty good in my eyes.

I know I can still call for help or advice as needed, but I try to avoid it as much as possible. They raised me well. I try and build off of that legacy. Honestly, it’s a tough couple of pairs of shoes to try and fill. Heaven knows I’m trying though.

 

30 Day Blog Challenge – Day 3

3 days in.

I’m already getting tired of this. LOL.

Okay, here we go… todays topic:

Your First Love

Hmm, this one is interesting. I know that there is a difference between love and infatuation.

Very few people will know what I’m about to talk about. You should feel lucky to hear the story.

I know that I dated a number of girls growing up. Some I dated. Some I just took on a date. Others that I was infatuated with and still others I simply lusted after. (Don’t worry, I’ll try to prevent you from being uncomfortable with this)

The first girl was Marybeth Kershaw. I liked her. She was the first real girl I spent any amount of time with. Mom and Dad didn’t want me dating her so I didn’t. BUT, that was a year long fight.

next…

I actually dated a girl named Elizabeth Harmon. She was sweet. A member of the church. She was even my first kiss. I told her I loved her, but looking back, I don’t quite think it really fell into the jurisdiction of actual love. I liked her a LOT. Don’t get me wrong, but was it love? I’m sad to say, no.

After Liz there were a few girls I was friends with. Some I spent some personal time with. Even a few I kissed. But then there was “her”.

Andrea Choate.

I actually made this girl my wife. I dated her for around two years. I spent great amounts of time with her. She made me smile. Made me happy. And while my parents wanted me to have nothing to do with her because she was considered a ‘floozy’, I fought them every single step of the way.

Eventually, my mother and I came to blows on this topic and she kicked me out of the house for it. We eventually made up, but the damage had still been done.

Back in August of 2002, Andrea and I set the date to be married for October 12th. We cranked out invitations and everything. The invitation thing is a whole blog post in and of itself. I don’t think I’ll be telling that one any time soon though.

Anywho, I prevented myself from telling Andrea tha tI loved her for nearly a year while dating. That was a trick in and of itself. I had been burned a few times with girls that I liked and I did NOT want to screw this one up. So, while sitting in the car on the beach in Tracyton Washington while eating a sack of Tacos, she let it slip that she loved me. Incidentally, it was in the same place doing the same thing that we agreed to get married.

I realized at that point that I felt the same way. I loved her too.

So, there you have it. I liked girls. I dated some. I was infatuated with a few. Hell, I even lusted after a couple. BUT… I can’t honestly say that I really loved a girl until I met my wife. I don’t think even she knws that part of the story. (Well, she does now as she reads this blog)

 

A first love? Yeah, I have one. I just happened to be lucky enough to marry her.

Maybe that sheds some light on why I fight so hard to keep her.

-G

 

p.s.

I love you Andrea Anderson. Don’t ever forget that.  ❤ +1

30 Day Blog Challenge – Day 1

Allrighty, The official day 1 of the 30 day blog challenge. Today goes like this:

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts.

So, with that in mind, here we go.

 

Introduce yourself:

Well, my name is Garen C. Anderson. I am 31 years old. I currently reside in Cheboygan Michigan. I am an active duty member of the US Coast Guard, the 5th armed service of the United States. I married my amazing wife Andrea Joleanne Anderson back in 2002. I have two awesome children, Hayden (8) and Lillie (4). Like my wife, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That’s right, a Mormon.

I enjoy video games, reading about history, watching most anything put out by national geographic, papercrafting, sewing, and a handful of other odd hobbies.

 

A Recent Picture of Yourself:

Hmm, a recent picture of myself. Lemme see what I got. I’ll be right back.

Okay, I’ll give you a BUNCH of them. Remember, you can click on them to see a bigger version.

Alrighty, here you go. This is MOST recent photo of me. Amazing detail, right? 

It shows the best of the best when it comes to my personality.

Let’s see if I have one with better detail of who I am.

 

Okay, this should be a bit better.No?

Hmm, let’s see if I have anything else.

 

Okay, we’re getting closer. You can at least see part of my face this time.

I’ll give it one more shot to see if I can find something decent.

Uhmmm… here we go.

yeah, this should work. I also happen to have a mustache in this picture.

I don’t like the mustache, but I point out whenever I have one in a photo.

 

Okay, lets move on to the rest of this post.

 

15 Interesting facts about me:

 

1:  Whenever I post a picture of myself on facebook, I always point out if I have a mustache or not. Dunno why I do it, but I do.

 

2: I have Attention Deficiet Disorder. It’s one of my many super powers. I don’t like calling it a disability because it actually helps me do all sorts of cool stuff that regular people can’t do.

 

3: If given the choice between a trip to the movies, and a stack of free tacos from Taco Bell, I would take the tacos. I make a lot of jokes about liking tacos, but the sad part is that I REALLY like tacos. I don’t know what it is about them. I have been known to drive two hours just to get a cheap sack of taco bell.

 

4: I replay every single one of my failures in my head on a near constant basis. From answering a question wrong in public, to making a poor choice that impacts my family, I replay them near constantly. I am very hard on myself, but no one ever sees it.

 

5: I will forgive anyone for near anything. Of everything that has happened in my life, there hasn’t been anything that I haven’t forgiven. Some really MAJOR stuff has been done to me, but I forgave it nearly moments after it was done.

 

6: I don’t have the ability to tell when people are actually being mean to me, or if they are trying to be funny. It’s just a skill I never picked up.

 

7: I have never touched an illegal drug. I couldn’t tell you what pot smells like or even looks like. Cocaine? I know it’s a powder. That’s about it. My system is clean of drugs like that.

 

8: I honestly believe that Pepsi is a superior product to Coke.

 

9: I do not like cell phones. I like having a PDA, a smart device, and access to data at ALL times… but the ability to make phone calls I can do without. I’d probably do better with a very small tablet pc.

 

10: I do not like the culture that Apple has created. The whole ‘think different’ thing pisses me off. And hipsters just drive me nuts. I’m not a biased person on a lot of things, but this one… I cannot stand. Screw apple, the Mac, iTunes, the iPhone, and the iPod. Guess I’m just stubborn about this one. Before you start asking me what I do about my massive music collection, try looking at Google Music. It’s AMAZING!

 

11: I believe that jewelry should be as essential to a girl as underwear. Sometimes more important. The little shiny baubles are nice to look at and show the girls personality as clearly as what she says.

I just bought this set for my wife. Rubies and White Saphires. See? Personality!

12: I like science fiction. From fantasy with orcs and elves, to futuristic with ships, lasers, and shields, to alternate future with power armor, and big explosions. I like the escapism of it all.

13: I have only beaten a few of the video games I have ever picked up. I think you can blame the ADD for this. The closest I ever came to beating a Zelda game was Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. I was on the last boss fight when I paused it and walked away to take a phone call. I never finished it.

14: Serving people in an honest capacity makes me happy. Cleaning, providing help, offering my assistance as needed. That kind of thing. I like to help people.

15: I have a VERY difficult time with stupid people. Ignorant I deal with because that can be cured. But Stupid? You can’t fix stupid.

And with that I have handed you the three required items. An introduction, a photo, and 15 facts. Enjoy