Random Thoughts on a Saturday Afternoon

Back in the day when folks talked about "reform" it generally meant that something was going to get better for most folks e.g clean water, safe foods and medicine, equal protection under the law, etc.  These days "reform" pretty much means the opposite.  Generally when politicians talk about "reform" what they really mean is that someone is going to get screwed.  It is sometimes couched along the lines that someone is going to get screwed for the "common good."  Whatever that means.  For example "pension reform" means that folks who worked their entire careers in a particular industry, generally public employees, will get less than they were promised.  Usually the premise is that those championing the "reform" are doing it for the good of the system.  Never mind that those clamoring for "reform" don't much like public employees and pretty much believe that their jobs should be privatized.  Much the same regarding tax "reform" which generally means that those who benefit the most from our economic system will pay lower amounts in taxes and those who benefit the least will pay the most.  The theory being that rewarding folks who have benefitted the most from our economic system is for the common good because those folks will create jobs.  I believe George Bush called that "voodoo economics," and it has been generally discredited.  Nevertheless, there you are.  A cynical person might point out that the common good generally means that ones political opponents make the sacrifice and ones political allies get rewarded.

A great week of training capped by an unexpectedly good ride on Saturday morning.  Forecast all week was for a cold rain and high winds.  The high winds showed up but the rain held off until the afternoon.  Curiously the creator of the HTFU facebook page wasn't hard enough to show up for the ride.  Not casting any stones but just saying that if you advertise yourself as a hard man then you can't let the threat of a little rain stand in the way of your Saturday morning group ride.  Actually conditions were so good that rule #5 and #9 did not really apply.

Going to Chris and Jess's for Thanksgiving on Thursday.  Have not checked the weather for next week yet; however, hopeful I can get outside a couple of days.  Already tired of riding indoors.