Not-So-Honest Ratings

Well a lot of people will tell you ratings don't mean anything and it really does depend actually but if you win on time in speed chess that is still winning and one of the things of speed chess is the clock so if they win on time speed chess time i think that still shows some speed chess skill. As for correspondence  chess, yes but the higher the rating you play the less they seem to timeout. In my opinion of course. 

Ratings are cool! Of course, when I started playing, they didn't "mean squat". But, when I put in a lot of time and effort into this game, ratings became what they were intended to be: a show of progress in the given chess community I happened to be playing in. And now, ratings are this added psychological aspect to the game. Ratings affect the way I play, i.e, which openings I use, how daring I will play, how nervous I get, etc. And when I beat someone higher rated, I feel better than when I beat someone lower rated.

Can someone get inflated ratings, not showing their true strength? Yes. But, it will be exposed when that person plays someone whose rating is more 'genuine'.