the questions I want asked

I am not much of a political blogger. I registered to vote when I was 18 because my grandmother said that if you didn't vote, you had no right to complain. The year was 1982. My parents were divorced and I lived at home with my mother who is a very conservative person. I also attended church every week and had attended an ultra-conservative Baptist school, although I graduated from public school because I changed in my senior year. With the popularity of Ronald Reagan, it is easy to guess that I registered as a Republican.

Dad is a "yellow dog" Democrat, which means he would vote for a yellow dog over a Republican any day. I never really got the chance to let his opinions influence me when I was young. We really never discussed politics at all until I was in my thirties, I would say.

I voted for Gore when he ran against Bush. I thought that anyone who made unflattering comments around a live mike, when he didn't know it was live, was too stupid to run a country. Remember that? In New Hampshire, I think. Anyway, I think he called a reported an asshole. My father had actually met Al Gore and assured me that he was a very intelligent man who knew government.

I couldn't vote for Kerry, mostly because I couldn't see his wife as first lady. I thought she was way too brash of a person. She seemed to always want to "tell it like it is". She made me nervous. Perhaps that wasn't fair, but it is the truth. I am sure if I thought more about it, I could make up a much better reason for not supporting Kerry, but it is what it is.

I like the idea of a smaller government and local control. However, it doesn't seem to be what the Republicans are about anymore. Spending is out of control. Anyway, this is what I want to know:

1. Have you ever ridden on public transportation. If so, what do you remember about it?

I recently had the occasion to ride the MTA bus #20 from downtown Baltimore to Catonsville, in Baltimore County. It was late at night, about 10 pm. I saw a woman with an infant in a carrier. The way she held her sleeping baby gave me the impression that she treasured that child. She also looked very tired. I wondered about what her life was like, as she got off the bus with her sleeping baby and all the gear a little one requires. I wonder how often she rides the bus with this little infant. She got off the bus in a very run down part of West Baltimore. I saw a woman who had a staff shirt on from the Baltimore Orioles. She probably worked at the concession. She looked exhausted and I figure she probably makes this trip after every home game. There were many more tired looking, hard working people on the bus, but these two stuck out in my mind.

2. Have you considered how someone is supposed to live on minimum wage? Have you sat down with a pencil and a piece of paper and figured out a budget for a family or even an individual earning minimum wage?

3. When was the last time you toured a public school in an urban environment? Would you feel like your country served you well if you had to attend a school like this every day? Take a look at the bathroom there, would you like to use it?

4. If you had to choose between prescription medication or food, which would you choose?

These are a few questions I would like to see answered.

What's are the chances that it will happen?

What questions would you like to be asked?