History teaches a different lesson

To the editor: The headline “We need to heed history’s lessons” that accompanied Michael Kinser’s recent letter to the editor is spot on.

He is also correct that all societies eventually turn against democracy. He is even right in his history lesson that the 1930s socialist party in Germany (NAZIs) used Jews as a scapegoat to help in their takeover of the country.

His idea that we can substitute America for Germany and “stolen election” for Jews is a total crock. No one on the right is trying to overthrow our democracy. Joe Biden’s possibly illegitimate control of government is not in danger. But a much more realistic comparison to Germany would be to substitute the “Big Lie” that 74 million Donald Trump-supporting Republicans are racists and white supremacists. Democrats can’t win an election without selling this lie to the naïve.

All of which has nothing to do with democracies self-destructing. The Founders hated democracies because they knew that democracies always fail as soon as the majority discovers they can vote themselves the minority’s money and property. That is why we are a Constitutional Republic with built in protections for minority rights and specific limits on the powers granted to the federal government.

A great example of an administration doing this and endangering that Constitution would be Biden’s $5 trillion tax and spend plan. The bill has little in it that is consistent with the powers that great document has given to Congress. And if you like inflation now just wait until that pile of garbage passes.

Stephen Erwin

Portland