Earlier this year, Yahoo News interviewed Republican candidate John McCain. They asked him a simple question: "What kind of computer do you use? Mac or PC? His answer? "Neither. I am an illiterate who has to rely on my wife."

Scary stuff if you ask me. In an era where terrorists have laptops in their caves and Bin Laden organizes his followers through the internet, the idea of a President who can't log on is terrifying. Not being plugged in is the equivalent of being Out Of It according to Anna Quindlen in her recent Newsweek column. And being OOT just isn't an option for any of us regardless of age.

The majority of Americans ARE online with many older Americans using e-mail for years. My mother is 87 years old and regularily surfs, answers e-mails, and maintains a webpage. She is not alone. Surveys of the older, well educated population finds that three out of four use the internet on a regular basis.

Now I know I am preaching to the choir. Folks who are reading WalletPop ARE plugged in but too often, politicians, business leaders, and the "old guard" are out of touch with what is really going on. A recent example of the OOI mentality is the Hummer. Weren't the leaders at GM reading about gas prices, the economy, and the squeeze on the middle class?

Stay tuned in with what is going on with RSS feeds, Google alerts and online subscriptions to your favorite news feeds. With practice you can filter the techno data into real information that can work for you. By the way, McCain now says he wants to learn "the Googling."

Barbara Bartlein is the People Pro. A relationship expert, she is the author of Why Did I Marry You Anyway? Overcoming the Myths That Hinder a Happy Marriage. For more relationship tips, please visit: Marriage Tips. Sign up for Barb's Free e-mail newsletter at The People Pro.