How do you do a drop down menu -- what's the best way?

I used markers and the then call outs from the markers --hyperlinked them and pasted them on the background layer but I've had real trouble in that they will not come to the front and other things from other layers always

are in front of them.  I've messed with it for hours and have decided not to use Markers in that way.  Now

my question is how do I make a simple pull down on the background layer and have the pull down menu

go on top of the layers that may be displaying on the screen.  1) How do you make a drop down menu?

2) How does one keep it on top (with multiple layers --hiding all other layers (so I don't want to put the menu on its own layer lest it disappear when the other layers show).  Help!