Top 10 Reasons Why I Am Qualified to Be Vice-President of the United States

10. I am a natural born US citizen.

9. I am of legal voting age (and then some).

8. I have been an officer of numberous organizations and I was class president in the 6th grade (or was it the 5th?...Oh, God. Now they are going to run a check on me and find out that I am falsifying my record).

7. I know about economics: We are in deep do-do.

6. I know still more about economics: I balance my checkbook...to the penny.

5. I know about international relations: I have been to Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas, and Belize.

4. I know still more about international relations: I know people from Iceland, Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, Mexico, Belize, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Ecuador, Argentina, Venezuela, Haiti, Bahamas, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iraq, Japan...and probably more.

3. I have had a passport long enough to have to get it renewed twice.

2. I support our troops and want to keep as many of them alive as possible.

1. I know how to listen.

What me worry?

You betcha.

My most current worry is the upcoming election. I don't believe it will be fair. I don't believe that the truth will rise to the top. I may be a pessimist, but I have a bad feeling about all of this.

Now really...why in the world would John McCain choose Sarah Palin to be his VP? Seriously. What has she done to merit that position? So my question is who is really behind that decision?

Many of the people I know think he shot himself in the foot by choosing her. I would like to believe that, but I think there is more spin on it than that. What are they trying to pull? How can she serve the Republican political machine?

• She is about as conservative as you can get. She supported Pat Buchanan in his presidential bid.
• Arctic drilling anyone? She is all for it. She can claim to be a fisherman and a hunter, but she has not stood for the preservation of the environment as many outdoorsmen do.
• She has a 17 year old pregnant daughter. Sarah says she is "proud" of her "daughter's choice" to have the baby and marry the father. Hello! What choice does the daughter have? Sarah Palin is not in favor of abortion even in cases of incest or rape. What 17 year old girl would go against her vice-presidential candidate mother's wishes? The Republicans say they knew about this when they chose Palin. I am having a very difficult time believing that.
• Former beauty queen turned mayor, then governor. You go girl! More power to you. I am so glad you were able to rise to the top and break the glass ceiling. But you are not Every Woman. Just having the parts doesn't qualify you. You have to know something to get the job done.

I make no secret of my disappointment that Hillary Clinton didn't win the nomination. I have been a fan of hers for years. She knows what she is doing on the national and international levels. She is the best person for the job. No longer an option. Damn.

Since the women's movement began, I have said we will have a black man for president before we have a woman president. I am disappointed that Hillary won't be our first non-white-man-president. Given that she can't be, I sure hope Obama is.

Every year since the end of the influence of the Clinton policies, my business has declined. I can't afford four more years of that. We are spread thin in a war that we likely can't win and there is now talk of going into Iran. They are talking about building a fence around the country--won't that take away what makes America what it is? Our civil liberties are eroding daily. I feel so much safer knowing that we can't take full shampoo bottles on the plane. (Oh, and by the way, now that we can't carry our liquids on--let's charge for bags.)

I wish I had more faith that We The People would do the right thing.

One of the arguments I hear when I talk politics with people is "Politicians all lie." If that is true, then here is my question....

What are you going to base your decision on? I don't have to believe any of their lies, but I do need to look at their track records. What are they lying about? I would rather have someone lie to me about their sex life (because I don't give a rat's ass who screws whom...as long as it is not me) than about why we are going to war. I would rather believe in those who actually do something FOR the people rather than TO the people, regardless of their words.

I truly am worried about the state of the union and the state of the planet.

I am voting my values...and one of those values is not to impose my beliefs on others. Can they say the same?

That's what I am going to do. How about you?

Wanda