, Mother America of
1995, except that our President, my fellow Alaskan, has generously
decided that no one state can have both mother and father. Alaska is a
man's country. It should provide the man ..."

Wearily George Turner got up and turned off the colorvision. The
political pressures were increasing rapidly; that was obvious. What had
started as a national search for the most suitable future parents in
America would soon be a free-for-all. He would have to give the
committee his choice, and quickly! Back to his work he went; calculating
possibilities, eliminating entrants one by one. The National Genetics
Laboratory had been given the task of screening the finalists from each
state and Turner, much against his will, had been selected by the
Director to do the work.

"George," he'd said one fateful morning, "I have a job for you."

"What's that, sir?"

"You've seen the report of this new contest being run by Dee Lish Baby
Foods, haven't you?"

"Can't say I have, sir. I've been working on that new sex gene. Haven't
had time to read the papers."

"Oh? Well it all started on their colorvision program, the one where
they select the All American babies. You've seen it haven't you?"

* * * * *

Turner shook his head.

"Sputtering sputniks! I know you're all wrapped up in your work but it
doesn't have to be a shroud. You'd better get out into the world a
little." The Director laid a friendly arm on George's shoulder. "This
job will be just the thing."

"What job?"

"Why, the contest! Dee Lish separate the babies into three groups.
There's the natural All American baby selected from families in the
two-baby group; then there's a prize for best baby in the unlimited
family section. Naturally, since those parents are in the genetically
superior group, it wouldn't be fair to pit them against the two-baby
families. Then there's a class for babies of artificially impregnated
mothers, both married and single. It's a very popular program. The
prizes are wonderful and the winners in the limited family class are
allowed to have more children than their quota, all expenses paid of
course."

"I can see why it's popular all right," George said, "but where do I
come in?"

* * * * *

"Three months ago the Dee Lish scenario writers had a brainstorm. They
reasoned that if they began a new contest to pick the most suitable
mother in America and then had her im