Its that time of Year again! or (Politics and Religion are dangerous subjects.)

Interesting! This year it was time to renew my driver's license. Fabulous to have the option of completing that task online. But, I was wondering if "checks" were in place to see if I were still alive and still really me. Also on the license were

"new, advanced, security features."

Ok!

I moved on to the government website to find out what "they" were doing now. It was ok by me, advancing security issues upon the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. At least this one is being acted upon. There was no information that the database from the State might be connected into a national database for uniformity, but I think it indicated this was probably so.

During last voting season, I noticed that foreigners had driver's licenses issued in the U.S. No problem there, but there was no way to identify that they were U.S. citizens qualified to vote. Of course, we had the option of sending them home to gather up a birth certificate. Some appeared to not have returned when citizenship ID was insisted upon.

I often wondered what would prevent a person from voting several times from State to State or a group of persons? Sure, there are laws to prevent that, IF one were ever caught up with and the question came up AFTER the election.

Also the new voting machines, without a paper trail, seem to provide no method of verifying accuracy should a recount be needed. It seems odd to me that after one we shall not name got elected, or rather managed to take the election, that THEN the U.S. government decided to change long standing voting methods.

Notwithstanding, I admit to being kicked out of a voting booth the first time I tried to vote in Florida because I was "taking too long." The poll worker informed me I had five minutes in which to vote. I'm telling ya there is a huge ballot in any place in Florida and it takes a while to vote responsibly, and not purely by name recognition. (Now I have learned to do my research on voting records, etc. etc. and mark my choices on a sample ballot so I can complete my duties at the poll within a five minute time frame.) This year I got around that by requesting an absentee ballot. I can sit in front of my computer looking up candidates records for three days and nights if I have to.

At first I like what Obama had to say, but then realized that what he is saying now, is far different in some areas than what he was saying in an earlier book that he has written. He has very little experience compared with others. Next, my "gut" - (don't they say "vote your conscience") tells me he might be a bit deficient on foreign diplomacy skills. "Gut" and from listening to speeches while he was in Africa. I do think we will have either a black or a woman for president next. Which is far overdue. However, I would prefer a person that had less reputed ties to the radicals who have threatened to "take America down." Even a tiny hint of such associations is enough to scare many of us away. But then some of our presidents have had mafia ties. However the mafia never took down the World Trade Center and thousands of our citizens in one fell swoop.

I've had my fill of persons who claim to be Christian to get the conservative vote. A rock in an egg carton does not turn the rock into an egg just because it is in the egg carton. I believe morality extends far beyond the abortion issue.

We never really get a person we think will be 100% fitted for such an awesome "job" and our checks and balances system is supposed to pick up that failing. However it has become corrupt--filled with good old boys fond of "pork" politics. Still, our country remains, if not somewhat tattered, one of the more "free" countries about the world.

Sure, I have my worries - lots of them. Tons of them. Mostly because we don't live in a vacuum. Because its such a delicate balance of trade, war, and peace, and diminishing planetary resources.

God help us all.