Letter: Democracy or autocracy?

In 1949 at President Harry Truman’s inaugural speech, he said:

“Communism is based on the belief that man is so weak and inadequate that he… requires the rule of a strong master,” while “Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity as well as the inalienable right to govern himself.” We do that by voting. Today I would substitute fascism for communism.

In this coming election we have a choice not of a person to govern us but of an ideology that our country was founded on democracy, which is a system of government of the people, by the people and for the people. We vote for a president of a republic, not an autocratic king, nor a fascist dictator.

I must believe in the intellectual capacity of my fellow citizens that they will make an informed, mindful, moral decision and vote not based on anger, selfishness, unhappiness or self-righteousness.

We have a marvelous country based on that all peoples are created equal and under the protections of the law. We are all neighbors and in it together. For the future of our republic, I beg you examine your conscious and don’t vote for a dictator.

Margaret Konieczny

Carson City