The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

As could probably be predicted, there were a number of political debates roaming about the Facebook newsfeed today, with regard to the Supreme Court's healthcare ruling. I got involved in one such feed, because the initial status ticked me off a bit. Alright, so the guy thought the individual mandate was wrong. That's fine. He has a right to his own opinion. However, he then went into the "real"/"unreal" American bit, saying only "real" Americans rejected the mandate. I didn't even go after him on the mandate. I asked him to define "real" and "unreal" Americans and if, since I support the healthcare law, I'm not a "real" American and should be forced to leave the country or something. I then asked who ultimately decided what a "real" and "unreal" American is and if there's a handout which deciphers the two. He said there was - The Constitution, Declaration of Independence, etc. and kept ...

I don't know how to describe it. There are some mornings when I awaken, with a big event looming, and I immediately know what's going to happen. It's a gut feeling of some kind. There were days when I had a big project or interview or college final and right when I awoke, I had a good feeling of how it was going to go. Even for things as unimportant (on a grand scale) as a sporting event which I've been looking forward to, I'll wake up that morning with either a good or bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and almost every time, that feeling foreshadows the actual results. I was nervous all week about the Supreme Court's healthcare ruling. I could hardly sleep this week. I was let go from my insurance plan 2-3 months ago, was rejected by another due to pre-existing conditions and was nibbling on my nails, while rocking in my chair (man, I sound old) wondering if I'd forever be rejected due to my health history. When I awoke this morning, even though I didn...

Make no mistake about it, I'm voting for Barack Obama in November. If Mitt Romney were the same guy he passed himself off as Governor of Massachusetts, I'd give him a fair listen and would consider voting for the guy. I would still likely vote for Obama, but this time around, I'm not even going to consider voting for Romney. He's now owned by the far-right. He's flip-flopped more times than Richard Pryor cursed. I just can't take him seriously, because I have no idea what to believe - which Mitt Romney is he? In light of the Supreme Court's healthcare ruling today, I heard many talking heads (a good chunk of them Republicans) say they'd recommend Romney go after Obamacare and say his first order of business is to repeal it (GOP would need 60 votes in the Senate, so that's not going to happen). I personally think it'd be pretty stupid for Romney to do this. While the economy has stabilized under President Obama, it has not improved dramatically,...

I can't say I was expecting that. Justice Kennedy was seen by most as the best possible swing vote. Based on commentary of his I read, however, I was none too confident that he'd vote alongside the liberal justices for a 5-4 vote in favor to uphold Obamacare and with it, the individual mandate. The vote wound up going 5-4 in favor of upholding the law, but it wasn't Kennedy who voted alongside the liberal justices; it was Chief Justice Roberts. I'll never know why he truly decided to vote the way he did, but all I want to say is thank you. I was dropped from my insurance plan three months ago and rejected by another due to pre-existing conditions. Due to the Affordable Care Act being upheld, I'll be guaranteed insurance in 2014. I hope I can managed to get it before then, of course, but it's nice to know at some point, it will be illegal to reject me due to my pre-existing conditions. Thanks again!

This letter-to-the-editor is in response to Tuesdays' letter, entitled, "Gay agenda pervades military, retailers" and some comments which followed. There was talk about religion, morality and how no study has shown any shred of evidence that homosexuality is at all genetic. Of course, that's not true - there are a growing number of scientists who believe that homosexuality is at least partially due to genetics, including geneticist Sven Bocklandt, who couldn't understand how anyone could believe that people actually choose to whom they're sexually attracted. He commented on how "virtually every animal species that has been studied - from sheep to fruit flies - has a small minority of individuals who demonstrate homosexual activity."  I have noticed, like with the comments I read on Tuesday, a decent majority of those whom don't believe homosexuality is in any way genetic are quite religious.  Now, I may not be a religious person, but do belie...

So, I read a Columbus-Dispatch letter-to-the-editor today which revolved around gay rights and how it sickened her it was becoming normal for people to accept homosexuality. There have been 36+ comments made in response to the article. A majority of posters disagreed with the author. There were a few, however, who brought religion into the discussion and made claims (with no sources to back them up) that homosexuality cannot be in any way genetic, that it's an abomination in the eyes of God and that the increase of gay rights was slowly destroying the moral compass of our society. After I provided links to studies which showed that there's an increasing belief by scientists that homosexuality is at least partially due to genetics, one individual in particular dismissed the studies, continuing to clamor that there's been no proof of the orientation being due to genetics. I just had to laugh. Now, I believe in freedom of religion. I'm not a religious person, but a per...

It kind of bothers me to constantly hear extremely religious-minded people condemn others based on their sexual orientation, deciding to have an abortion at some point in their lives, etc., yet they'll be finishing a pack of cigarettes at this time, on their 5th shot of tequila, getting ready to sleep with the 10th different guy/gal that month. Do as I say, not as I do, eh? It's alright to damage one's (and others') lungs, liver, spread sexually transmitted diseases through promiscuity, but if one engages in intercourse with a person of the same gender that they've been with for five years, then that's going too far! I'll never understand people like that. They worship a man who says to love all, yet while they make their own mistakes in life, they'll point to others' actions and deem them mistakes of truly great (eternal) significance. This is how they tend to come across to me - "Yes, I messed up, but I'm a believer in Christ. With your mi...

One has to love how many polls are coming out with regard to the 2012 Presidential Election. Within a 3-day span last week, we were showcased two polls which revealed just how pointless they are at this stage in the election season. Conservative-leaning Rasmussen released polls which showed Obama at -10 in approval rating (44% approve, 54% disapprove) and had him trailing Mitt Romney by 5 points. Just a couple days later, Bloomberg released a poll which showed Obama at +9 (53% approve, 44% disapprove) with Obama ahead of Romney by 13 points (53-40). So, what can we make of that? In my opinion, absolutely nothing. The two candidates haven't even debated yet. Let's calm down with laying claim that there is any significance in these polls until the two actually duke it out once or twice via debates. While the Republican Primary seemed never-ending on certain levels, we still have over 4 months to go until election day and what a fun 4 months that will be on cable "news"....

I held off for so long with regard to getting a smartphone. I just wasn't very interested. I'm at the computer all day. Why would I want a miniature computer with me for when I go out? I want to get as far away from that thing as possible. I had always used my cell phone for two reasons - 1) To make calls and 2) To receive calls. That was it. I really had no interest in anything else. Three months ago, I finally gave in to the crazy and got a smartphone. I still don't use it nearly as much or for as many reasons as most people I know do. I may Google something once in a while, play Words or Scramble With Friends and make/receive phone calls, but that's about it. Three months later, I have to say - I'm not all too impressed with this smartphone (smartphone, in general) and am not thinking it's the brightest crayon in the box. In just the past week, it's froze on me and I've had to remove the battery and put it back in place in order to restart and get i...

Well, it felt nice stepping on the scale this morning. I had weighted 186 not long after moving to Columbus from Omaha four years ago. I remember awaking one morning, hopping into the shower and when I got out and saw myself in the mirror, I was not pleased. On that very day, I decided to make some serious changes in my life. I lost 26 lbs. and was fairly happy being at 160 for my 10-year high school reunion just a year later. Just after I got back home, though, an illness struck me and I was sick for close to two years. Due to this, I couldn't do much of anything, let alone work out. Fortunately, I kept my eating/drinking habits in tact and only added about 5 lbs. to my weight in those two years to up myself to 165 (net -21). Once I began feeling better in late-December of 2010, a new energy struck me and I went on to lose another 24 lbs. - decreasing my weight to 141, a total loss of 45 lbs. Of course, not long after that, I had my gallbladder removed and it took a great deal mor...

Well, last night I chatted with someone online for a while. It was a lot of fun. This morning, I received an e-mail from her, which said that she had to focus on other things right now (we likely won't talk again, unfortunately), including getting back together with her ex, but, included this: " Anyway I just wanted to tell you that because you seem genuinely nice and really really worthwhile and I didn't want to leave you wondering what happened to me. Someday I really hope a worthwhile woman realized what a genuine guy you are." So, even though I'm disappointed we probably won't be talking again, that kind of made my day. It's one thing to be complimented on my appearance and quite another for someone to say that I'm "genuine" and "really really worthwhile". Thanks. That puts a big smile on my face going into the weekend.

No, I doubt anybody cares, but a guy can vent about his fantasy baseball team, right? Right. Also, I just find it kind of humorous. So, overall, my team is around .500 and I'm even shocked by that. I had the first pick in the draft and took Los Angeles Dodgers' outfielder Matt Kemp. Early in the season, it looked like a genius move, as the guy has hit .355 with 12 home runs and 28 RBIs...but in just 36 games. The Dodgers have played 64 to this date. The guy was an early MVP candidate, but after two stints on the disabled list with hamstring problems, he's been anything but dynamite for me in the long-term. Then there's do-everything guy Emilio Bonifacio of the Miami Marlins. Before he went to the DL, he led the league in stolen bases and his bat was finally coming around. He's been out for a while and isn't expected back until just after the all-star break. Atlanta Braves' catcher, Brian McCann was out for a week not long ago with the flu and is only final...

I just received my first book review on my recently published political satire, LOL at the GOP . The reviewer gave it 5 out of 5 stars and said the following: "This is a very funny book, if you’re a Democrat. The author uses a comical, intelligent, and often times, sarcastic way of looking at the strategies and antics of the GOP. I really did laugh out loud, which is much better than my usual rants and rages. You’ve got to laugh or you’ll cry and quite possibly go mad. And most importantly, you have got to vote in November. Please!" http://www.lulu.com/shop/craig-rozniecki/lol-at-the-gop/paperback/product-20176881.html

Well, I received my first book review on this poetry-compilation book I completed and published late last year, but have finally gotten around to marketing now. The reviewer gave it 5 out of 5 stars and said: "I enjoyed the poetic journey the writer has taken me on. From darkest days and hopeful optimism to the conclusion of hope realized. The visual images that the poem titled "Room Temperature" elicits, made me think of the song, "Horse With No Name" sung by the band America. In a similar manner, another poem – "Deafening Sigh-lence" reminded me a great deal of Simon & Garfunkel’s song, "The Sound of Silence". There are so many poems in this book that I related to, that I felt a connection to the author and felt that we were traveling on this journey together." http://www.lulu.com/shop/craig-rozniecki/penetrating-the-heart-of-life-ambiguous-in-thought-ambivalent-in-feeling/paperback/product-18677501.html

I find many women to be alluring, regardless of ethnicity, age or even physique. As the saying goes, beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and this is just from a surface standpoint. Beauty penetrates far deeper than the exterior of a human being. However, just from a physical standpoint, I've really come to learn that I am extremely attractive to Asian women. I don't know what it is exactly. I went on one date with a Cambodian woman a couple months ago. I'm not sure I've seen a more beautiful woman in person before. I started talking to a woman originally from Pakistan and another from Bangladesh - both extraordinarily beautiful. I'm a regular at Thai and especially Indian restaurants and typically find many physically appealing women there. Perhaps I was born to be Asian. Who knows? ::laughs::. I'm so pasty, however, it's obvious this did not happen. I'm thinking maybe I should join an Asian dating site. Whether or not I'm the most pasty male on the...

Sorry I haven't been writing as much this past week. Life has been pretty busy. Hopefully I'll have a lot of news to report before too long, as far as my books are concerned, especially the most recent ( LOL at the GOP ) and also news on the coming radio show of which I'll be a part. I've been designing merchandise, mailed a copy of my book to the host and he wants to interview me after he finishes reading the book. So, this is very random... I've been noticing a great deal more traffic on my blog over the past month or two, I'd say. I was surprised to see that most of the traffic has been coming from Russia. Just through this half a week, my blog has been viewed 90 times from that country, 37 from the U.S. and 7 from Brazil, which ranks them third. Over the past month, the countries are in the same order one through three, with Brazil viewing my blog 35 times, the U.S. 142 and Russia a walloping 696 times. The UK is a distant third for all-time views at 172. ...

I just read an article about how June has already been an awful month for the Democratic Party and well, it basically laid claim that Armageddon was soon around the corner for the Democrats. Why? Three things: 1) The May jobs' report, 2) The Wisconsin results and 3) May fundraising. Has it been a good start for the Democrats this month? No. But are people overreacting? Yes. The May jobs' report was a big disappointment, without question, but let's put things into perspective. If a similar jobs report had come out at the end of Bush's tenure or the start of Obama's (or even middle of it), it would have received glowing reviews. Due to it (and the previous month's report), it appears as if job growth has definitely slowed, however, it was still a net positive, which makes it, what, 12 straight months with such results? I'm too lazy to fact-check right at this moment, but I think I'm close to accurate with that number. Again, it was very disappointing, ho...

So, Scott Walker won the recall vote for Governor of Wisconsin two nights ago. Was this a surprising result? Judging by polls - no. Democrats are making it seem as if there was a voter-fraud conspiracy. Who really knows one way or another about that? Republicans are making it seem as if this is a foreshadowing of the November presidential election. That's an even further cry from the truth. Among people who voted on Tuesday in the state, Obama had a solid +11 advantage over Romney. How does that bode well for Romney in the state? Also, Democrats won back control of the state senate. Of course, those two bits of news aren't receiving the headlines. The headlines are all about Scott Walker being re-elected. That's understandable, I suppose, but the surrounding stories about his re-election are ridiculous. If among Tuesday's voters, Romney held a significant lead (or any lead) over President Obama, Republicans may be right in saying that the vote was foreshadowing November...

The date isn't set yet, but I spoke to a radio talk show host last night and he wants me on his program to talk about my new book -  LOL at the GOP. So yes, I'm both very excited and nervous about that. I've always been told I have a good voice for the radio, but can't say I've ever actually been on the air, so I'm thinking a drink may be in order prior to the show to calm my nerves some. I'll be sure to keep readers updated when I find out the latest!

Due to the Republican Primaries, the coming November elections and all the lovely commentary spewed by talking heads on the radio and cable "news," laughter at the expense of these individuals/issues/predicaments has been my sanity-medication (no comment, mother...). This then prompted me to start writing some political satire, as well as letters-to-the-editor. What resulted is this book. I collected such writings which I felt were superior in terms of both overall quality and humor than the others (except for one letter-to-the-editor I wrote, which is without an element of humor, but did result in me receiving a handwritten letter from Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown and I felt it would have been wrong to have excluded it). As far as pages go, it is my shortest (and cheapest) of my six books. With Mitt Romney just recently clinching the victory for the Republican nomination to the coming November election, I felt it was best to release this book as soon as possible. Due to the ...

As of 8:30 last night, a proof copy of my latest book - LOL at the GOP  - is on its way. I'm guessing I'll get it around Tuesday. Hopefully I will be satisfied and that it will be available as of midweek next week. I'll be sure to keep readers updated.