Americans are dissatisfied with the way their lives are going, so they are looking at Barack Obama to cure all their troubles.

First of all, Obama is neither your savior nor your best friend. He is a fraud. He, like Hillary Clinton before him, will say and do anything to win the election. His advisors tell him what to say and how to say it -- and if the public disagrees, he simply reverses his stance and justifies it with a new spin. It's all about telling the public what they want to hear. ...

To put it in perspective, would you take a stranger off the street, give him a loaded gun and ask him to patrol the streets and protect the community without any questions? Common sense tells you that if he isn't qualified to use a gun or deal with the community, then he could injure or kill someone.

Which leads me to Obama.

Why would you give Obama our nuclear arsenal and control of the military when he has no experience or qualifications for the job?

I understand that desperate people take desperate measures trying to survive the hardships of life. I am on a 100-percent permanent disability from a combination of job-related injuries in law enforcement and the Vietnam War, where I was wounded five times while serving in the Marines. To add insult to injury, I contracted a deadly cancer a few years ago and had the top of my thigh removed, making life even more difficult for me.

The fact that I have been around the proverbial block a few times should tell you that I have learned some truths in life. If you want change, start by changing yourself. Stop blaming the world, your lousy job, your parents or the way you look at outside forces. The responsibility for change lies in you, no one else. ...

Gregory J. Topliff, Warrenville, S.C.