I think I dig these low-mileage runs I've committed myself to. I went out for two miles again last night, and it was just perfect. Well, it was freaking hot, but it also was just intense enough to give me a good workout without leaving me with shin pain or exhaustion. It was quick; I do the two-mile loop in about 20 minutes, 30 with walking before and after, meaning I can fit it in before dinner and not feel like I've given up a huge chunk of my evening. Honestly, by the time I was ready to go to bed I had almost forgotten I ran last night - it's now a minor part of my evening instead of my main goal for the night. Plus, I feel good. Even though I've lost some strength and endurance since this spring, I'm still more fit than when I began running, and doing two miles is a pretty easy task for me. It's nice to be able to rock every run without feeling like I'm going to collapse.
This weekend, I plan on running the 3.5-mile lake loop tomorrow morning. I know this is more than I set out to do at the beginning of the week, but I like my lake loop and it's supposed to be cool, comfortable and beautiful tomorrow morning. If I have to walk part of it, it's fine. We're BBQing with friends tomorrow night if it doesn't storm, and my mom's in town on Sunday. It should be a nice, relaxing weekend with any luck.
Now ... for the soapbox. You're all warned. If you want to stop reading, it's fine. But I have to get this out.
With all of the bridge collapse coverage, I have been thinking a lot about how we operate in this country. I think I've mentioned before that I work in politics - I don't want to get into where I work or what party I work for becaue in the real world, that's how I'm defined, and I'd rather leave that to the imagination on this blog (though I'm sure you can guess my political convictions by what I write; it doesn't take a genius). I know a lot of people say they aren't interested in politics, government, etc., but I think this bridge collapse is just one of many recent events that requires all of us care.
It's being said that up to a quarter of this nation's bridges (that's thousands of bridges that all of us drive on every day) are structurally deficient. The problem is, bridges and other infrastructure aren't exciting topics. Repairing and rebuilding these structures requires a lot of money, but voting for a way to get this money (like raising taxes) is hard to defend.
Americans hear the word "tax" and run screaming. It's too easy to forget that it's these taxes that allow us to travel roads every day without worry of the pavement falling out from underneath us - something we can't really count on anymore, can we? As a result, politicians who vote for, say, a transportation tax increase risk a campaign hit piece like this: "Senator Johnson votes to raise your taxes - TWICE!" Voters like us see that piece, register the negative information, and Sen. Johnson suddently loses the election. Mind you, his votes could have been votes to fund vital bridge repair, but in this world of campaigns, the fine print isn't included.
I guess my point - my plea - here is: Pay Attention! I hope every American starts paying a little more attention to what their lawmakers are doing. I'm not blaming politicians for this bridge collapse. I'm blaming all of us. We have to remember that it's important to fund the things we use every day if we want to continue living in a safe and civilized nation, and we have to realize it costs money to do this. (I realize there is an argument here about where this tax money goes and whether it's being spent properly. I happen to think we are spending money on a particular spot on the globe right now that would be gladly welcomed in New Orleans, or our nation's schools, but that's another post on another blog.)
If you don't live in this city, maybe you're sick of this story being on the news 24/7, but I hope you all can say a little prayer for everyone affected. It's a sad situation - there are still people trapped in their cars in the river, something I just can't fathom having to deal with as a family member. Those are the ones who need our thoughts right now.
OK - sorry for the rant. And if you don't agree with all of this, that's fine. That's why it's called America, this place we live. I'll try to keep this blog free of political mumbo jumbo from now on.
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3 comments:
To answer you question about the concert I went to.. this is the second year they have done it. But, for some reason, I want to say that they do it in different locations throughout the year! I definitely recommend it!
I like a good rant, don't hold back! I heard a commentary on NPR this morning that echoed many of your same concerns and ideas. Much of this infrastructure is OLD, and why do we think in America that we don't have some deificient things that NEED repair? This is no longer much of a "new world."
Hey, it's your blog, your turn to rant, go for it, do what you want, if others don't want to read it, they don't have to. I'm with you on the care needing to be taken and the freak out about taxes...living in the area affected by that bridge and having a governor that says "no new taxes" over and over and over and seeing now what happened from that declaration, well...sometimes you need to consider what is right over what you want. If only it would be spent where it needs to be spent and not, as you said, in another area of the world...
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