Letter of the day: Next time maybe a convention will do something significant

What can one say about today's presidential "nominating" conventions except that they're a waste of money, and an exercise in futility? The candidates had been selected through an unendurably long and costly televised campaign; and each in turn, selected his own vice-presidential candidate. What exactly do the delegates do, other than adopt a bunch of resolutions which shall soon be forgotten and then go out and get drunk? Delegates to either convention, in order to live up to their responsibilities, ought have discarded all posturing candidates in favor of someone more qualified, as did the Democrats in 1945 when they tossed out Vice President Henry Wallace in favor of Harry Truman. Furthermore, this year each major candidate concluded his acceptance speech with the phrase "God bless America!" Ho ho -- try commanding your wife or kids to do something in that manner and see what happens. What a far cry from Abraham Lincoln, who made no acceptance speech and often prayed that the Union was on God's side. TED TENDICK, Hayfield, Minn.