Here are the topics for this week: THE question; Pope Francis and President Xi in America; bike paths. I delayed this posting until after Francis' arrival in Washington.

"Why do you want to be president?" In a recent column, Kathleen Parker opines that this is the paramount question to asked of -- and answered by -- each presidential candidate. She began...Once upon a time in a twinkling city on a hill, little boys and girls were taught that anyone could    grow up to become president....The children all believed it and today many, many of them are trying to fulfill the promise. While it has been proved true that anyone really can become president, it has also been proved even more true that most shouldn’t. The column is well worth reading in its entirety.

Three days, two leaders.  On Tuesday, Pope Francis arrived in the US to accolades from many Americans. Indeed, the president greeted His Holiness on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews (Maryland). Most, but not all Americans, are thrilled. In a recent column, conservative columnist George Will wrote disapprovingly, highlighting  what he called Pope Francis' "fact-free flamboyance."  From that column:

Pope Francis embodies sanctity but comes trailing clouds of sanctimony. With a convert’s indiscriminate zeal, he embraces ideas impeccably fashionable, demonstrably false and deeply reactionary. They would devastate the poor on whose behalf he purports to speak — if his policy prescriptions were not as implausible as his social diagnoses are shrill....[Francis] stands against modernity, rationality, science and, ultimately, the spontaneous creativity of open societies in which people and their desires are not problems but precious resources. Americans cannot simultaneously honor him and celebrate their nation’s premises. 

     A "ticket to ride" for his speech to a joint session of Congress (Thursday, Sept 24th) is extremely hard to come by. Even past US representatives and senators are being shutout, unable to use their valued "lifetime floor" privileges. There will be one vacant seat, however, as one member of Congress has announced he will not be in the audience for Francis' historic speech because he objects to the Pope's stand on global warming and climate change.  Anyway, 434 + seems a good number and there will be a jumbo-tron outside the Capitol and, hopefully, simultaneous network/cable/C-Span coverage.
     China's paramount leader, Xi, will be hosted at the White House on Thursday (just as Francis addresses Congress). Like the Pope, China's president is also viewed by many with suspicion. While the Pope holds sway over 1 billion Catholics scatter around the globe, President Xi's dictatorial rule encompasses 1.4 billion Chinese scattered about in his huge, far-flung nation. Both men have their dissidents to deal with and so so each in his own way.
     Later, Obama, Francis, and Xi will address the UN General Assembly, providing even more material for the pundits to ponder.

CO's fall colors. Despite dire predictions to the contrary, this fall's golden aspen display is trending (as they say today), much to the delight of those flocking to the high country. "Golden Eyeful" was the front page headline of Monday's Denver Post. I particularly enjoy the areas where rivers of aspen gold suddenly spill out, streaming down the mountain side, completely surrounded by evergreens. In truth, though, I  have to admit that a part of me still misses the multi-colored autumnal displays of my birthplace in northwestern PA.

Bikes vs. autos. This past week CO governor, John Hickenlooper announced plans to spend over $100M of infrastructure funds to make our state an even more bicycle-friendly state. Letters to the editor clearly indicated that not everyone was overjoyed!

Thank you for reading. Enjoy this first week of fall.