To the editor:

Fresh on the heels of the first presidential debate, I’m feeling very discouraged by politics in the United States. In the current presidential election, and in many lower level elections, liberals are being offered the promise of hope and change. However, when I listen to the rhetoric coming out of both sides of this campaign, I hear nothing but business as usual. What’s more, even if I were to grudgingly concede my vote to Obama, in Kansas it wouldn’t make any difference, as the Electoral College will ultimately disregard my voice and give the state to McCain.

Real change will only come when the structure of the political system is changed. A vote for either candidate is a vote for the status quo – one in which corporate interests are valued above those of ordinary people. Both Democrats and Republicans are too heavily invested in this system for us to expect either one to make real, significant changes.

There is an alternative. One that will both make our vote count and help to bring about real change. I want to urge liberals in Kansas to vote for the Green Party. All they need is 5 percent of the popular vote to achieve major party status. Neither Democrats nor Republicans want this, because it will upset the status quo; it gives the Green Party an honest chance and a voice in future elections. As a result, the system will be transformed and real Hope will finally be within reach.

Jeremy Trombley,
Lawrence