| There's a lot of irrational behavior these days. We | | | | noogied: Invite them to Alaska for a moose hunt, |
| see it on TV, read it in the paper, it comes across on | | | | and leave them stranded in Wasilla |
| our Facebook page, in e-mails, you name it. People | | | | Clearly these questions and answers are farcical and |
| are restless, and some of them are quite angry. | | | | fun. The trick when playing Czar for a Day is to |
| About what? Whatever issue they either hear about | | | | quickly and effectively head off any overly political or |
| on talk radio, friends and neighbors are discussing, or | | | | heated discussion of very real issues. This is |
| they don't understand. Recently, I saw a fellow | | | | supposed to be a fun way for couples to spend an |
| holding a picket sign that said 'Abolish The Federal | | | | evening. Appoint a behavior Czar first thing. Okay, |
| Government'. Another one said, simply, 'Angry Mob'. | | | | question three. |
| Well. | | | | Q: Why don't you make the Congress just do |
| Here's what should be done. Let's make a board | | | | something?a: They're always on 'junkets'. I don't |
| game out of this idea, a resource for people to vent. | | | | know what a junket looks like or where to buy oneb: |
| Call it Czar for a Day. We can invite other married | | | | They tell me the same thing. I'm going down there.c: |
| couples over, break out the beer and snacks, and let | | | | I'm afraid they'll hit me with a picket signd: They are |
| people bond over shared, completely useless, | | | | doing something: they're making it hard for me to be |
| hopefully totally outrageous responses. Here's the | | | | Czar, the stinkers |
| format: | | | | Next question, and bear in mind, we should feel free |
| Taking the dice, or spinning the wheel, identify a Czar | | | | to make them up as we go along. |
| for a Day to go first, then rotate the position after | | | | Q: How long till the recession ends?a: Till Oprah bails |
| each question. On each player's turn, pick a card that | | | | us outb: Till all the sick people leave for Afghanistanc: |
| represents a current issue, something that has people | | | | What recession?d: I'll get around to it. Right now I |
| chatting around the water cooler, yelling at the TV, | | | | need to Google 'junket' |
| or even carrying picket signs that say 'Angry Mob'. | | | | Once you've gone 'round the table three or four |
| For the first example, let's try health coverage. | | | | times, voted on all the responses, and created a |
| Q: What would you as Czar for a day do about | | | | database, look it over. Then draft a platform using |
| health coverage for all?a: Abolish Medicare, Medicaid, | | | | the most popular responses and post it as your |
| Food Stamps and Veterans Benefits and let the chips | | | | answer to current woes. Next time the TV turns to |
| fallb: Make the Pentagon use half its budget to insure | | | | that angry mob, you'll have ready answers to all the |
| all Americans, including rich peoplec: Send all the sick | | | | confusing, hyperbolic picketers. |
| people to Afghanistand: Make a national get well day, | | | | This is a completely made up game, but it could be |
| and that will take care of everything | | | | fun and engaging to have another couple, or three or |
| When our Czar for a day makes a selection, | | | | four over, and create your very own version of it. |
| everyone else votes on the idea. Keep track of each | | | | We do have a lot of tension and unrest in the |
| winning vote with the Czar's database, (included), and | | | | country just now, and the feeling is pervasive. |
| keep it close by. It will be used later on. Appoint a | | | | There's no need to allow it to come between |
| database Czar to look after this. Question two. | | | | spouses, though. There are ways to help each other |
| Q; How would you make Iran give up its nuclear | | | | get past the current tough times, and one of them is |
| ambitions?a: Ask them to make nice, and tell them to | | | | for couples to stick together. Maybe we need a |
| stopb: Say that if they don't stop we'll send them all | | | | couples Czar? |
| our sick peoplec: Give their leader a really hard | | | | |