Dear editor,
I was born in 1930, so I lived through the World War II era. At the time, I never thought much about what had happened in Europe to cause that horrible disaster. I remember well the heartache neighbors and family suffered when they lost a loved one as we joined our allies to stop what was happening.
As I aged and studied history and visited Europe the causes behind the war became clearer. The economy in Germany was in a deep depression at the time and the population was so discouraged that they listened to Hitler and his propaganda. By blaming the Jews and building division and hate, he was able to divide the population. So he and his Nazism took over Germany. In turn, the Italians fell for Mussolini’s Facism. With the help of the Germans and Italians, Spain’s Franco came into power. Russia had turned to communism. So the dictatorships and communism had taken democracy away on the continent.
Over the years I have been so thankful that I was born in a democracy that had a constitution that was based on the rule of law. That elections gave the people a choice to choose those in power. That the people and those elected always accepted the outcome.
If you are eligible to vote be sure you do research on all national, state and local candidates. Also check the source of your information, such as who owns the news source and why they own it. Are the TV or radio stations that you listen to giving you the truth or a very slanted version of it and why. After researching, make a decision and vote your conscience. If you are doing a mail-in vote, be sure you get it in early. You may want to carry it directly to the courthouse.
In my lifetime I feel this is the most important election ever held. We need our elected officials to bring our country back together and preserve our democracy. Vote!
Retabess Ling,
Iola, Kan.
