Wrong project

To the editor:

Unless the Commission on Presidential Debates will allow third and fourth party candidates to participate in the 2004 presidential debates, it would be wiser for Lawrence residents to spend their $500K elsewhere (“Fitting Tribute,” LJW, Sept. 29) Despite all the bombast, in the corporate, oligarchic world of modern American politics, there is no qualitative difference between the two major parties or their presidential representatives.

Like a pair of cynical preppy debaters from some elite school, they merely memorize the soundbites on both sides of the issue, ready to change their stance at the earliest poll data. And behind all their earnest exhortations and sincere promises is the simple, corrupting desire to hold on to their wealth and power.

As a state founded on the bedrock of freedom and justice, I’m certain that the forefathers of Lawrence would prefer something more substantial for a half-million dollar investment like a park or a homeless shelter.

Ray Finch,

Lawrence