Wheels, Gotta Love 'Em

I drove all the way to work yesterday, Thursday, since:
1) Broke Spoke on the recumbent's rear wheel
2) Wind forecast was awful - steady winds of 50 MPH with gusts to 70
It WAS a nasty windy cold day.  But had I a bike with functional spokes, I could have easily ridden, and probably enjoyed some tailwind on the way back to the car.  The wind, as usual, was not as bad as the weather-guessers prophesied. 
At any rate, I un-racked the bike and drove all the way to work.  During my noon walk I regretted going coatless and almost lost my hat several times.  BAH
After work last night, I worked in the frigid wind and looming darkness to get my wheel repaired.  I had an empty 26" wheel under the deck that seemed to be in fair condition when I spun it to see how bent it was.  This wheel was on the mountain bike I was riding when I got run down and almost crushed under a Ford Exploder about 3 or 4 years ago.  But all the spokes were intact and it didn't seem to exhibit a wobble when I spun it holding the axle at arm's length.  The cassette had only 6 gears compared to the 7 on the original wheel, but I can never get it into the last 2 lower gears anyway.  With the air compressor plugged in and sputtering away I blew off the old dust and grease and removed the broke-spoke wheel from the recumbent.
The existing tire and tube came out without too much trouble and installed neatly on the rescued junk-box wheel.  The frame on the recumbent was not designed FOR recumbent use so it is always tricky aligning the rear wheel and derailleur properly to avoid the front of the rear wheel brackets being so tight the wheel tire rubs against them.  Got it put back together, about half frozen from the wind, and got back in the house to put my fanny up to the wood stove and get thawed out.
For this morning's ride it was COLD.  April 15 and getting too cold again,  I layered up for the ride and didn't regret it a bit.
The "new" old rear wheel shifts OK but the tire is rubbing.  Gotta readjust it again... hopefully during the noon hour today when it's WARMER.
This afternoon, after work, is a local TEA PARTY gathering / protest at the corner of Wyoming and Menaul.
It's April 15 and a fitting time to show en masse that we, as a people, are willing to lose some part of our multiple government provided benefits in favor of reducing taxes, lowering the national debt, and hopefully saving our US of A from bankruptcy.
I am old enough to retire... I turn 64 this year and could go stand in line for a Vietnam Veteran's Diabetes Disabililty stipend of maybe $147 a month.  I've been eligible for it for years but have never dug through the mountain of paperwork the VA gave me.  Now research has proven there is NO link between serving in Vietnam, Agent Orange, and diabetes..... the incidence of diabetes is actually LESS among Vietnam vets than it is in the general populace.  Serving in Viet Nam may actually have somehow PREVENTED more ex-soldiers from contracting diabetes.  But that doesn't matter to the Government or the VA.... They are trying to INCREASE eligibility for this "benefit".  VA employees must realize they need more "recipients" standing in line for their checks to justify their jobs.
Thus far I still have a good paying job and am fit enough to work in any one of many jobs or self employment.  So my current inclination, IF I eventually DO retire, is to live solely off my IRA and only sign up for "Sociable Security" if I run out of money or sufficient strength to earn it.
I challenge you few readers to look closely at your tax return and pay stubs.  Add up:
-Tthe total of what you pay in income taxes PLUS
-add the total amount of Medicare and Social Security withheld from your checks PLUS
-Multiply your yearly take-home pay by whatever your local sales tax is (Here it's around 6 percent)
Do all this and you may find you are paying over half your income in taxes.  This doesn't even include property taxes and other levies.  You may think getting your disability, Social Security, SSID, food stamps, WIC food benefits, etc, etc, is wonderful, but they all come from the government taking money FROM you, and everyone else, and giving it back to you in various forms that seem attractive.  Government loves to claim YOUR benefits are coming from someone ELSE's pocket.... but it's a scam.  Kinda like buying your own stereo or Nintendo back from the thief at  a flea market and thinking you got a deal since it cost less than a new one.  BAH
-Hope to see your smiling face at the Tea Party rally tonight!