Motivations for autocratic power

Comparisons have been made between Donald Trump and the German dictator Adolph Hitler, notably their exploitation of the Big Lie technique. So Timothy W. Ryback’s new book is timely: “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power.”

Exact parallels are not possible; the circumstances were different and complicated. But there were similarities besides the yearning of both men for autocratic power.

For instance, like Trump, Hitler’s Nazi Party never won a general election popular vote. But in 1933 Germany’s multi-party parliament Hitler’s party with 37 percent was the largest. With the aid of other rightist parties, Hitler, after contentious back room negotiations, was reluctantly appointed chancellor by President von Hindenberg.

“It has been said,” Ryback writes, “that the Weimar Republic died twice. It was murdered, and it committed suicide.” Three months after Hitler was appointed chancellor the parliament passed an enabling law “that empowered Hitler and his cabinet to pass and enforce laws, essentially establishing the Hitler government as a legal dictatorship.”

For me, getting a taste of Hitler’s election speeches in this book, a difference rather than a similarity between Trump and Hitler stood out. Hitler, the former trench veteran corporal, had grievances about the total burden of guilt for the World War placed on Germany by the Versailles Treaty, and he seemed to have a manic love for Germans and Germany.

Donald Trump’s motivation for autocratic power has never been love of country, but love of self.

John N. Rippey, Bellefonte

Action needed on PA’s voter registration database

A reliable voter registration database is an essential ingredient of the election process. If the names of ineligible voters (non-citizens, underage, deceased or relocated) are entered and allowed to remain in the system, an ineligible voter can cast a vote, potentially influencing the outcome of our elections.

Regrettably, evidence suggests that Pennsylvania’s voter registration database, SURE, is far from reliable.

In December 2019, the Pennsylvania Auditor General reported significant system problems and recommended replacing SURE. However, despite promises made by the Secretary of State in 2020, there is still no replacement.

The Auditor General isn’t the only one complaining. The CDT ran a story in which election officials admitted to severe problems they had experienced with SURE.

Couple SURE’s problems with a pamphlet circulating through Mexico telling illegal immigrants, some of whom will make it to PA, to vote for Biden, Secretary of State Al Schmidt’s unwillingness to take proactive measures (reference Schmidt’s Senate Appropriations testimony) to stop illegal voter registration, and the Auditor General’s failure to conduct any follow-up audits, and the stage is set for an election calamity.

Ronald Reagan once said, “Trust but verify.” So, why should anyone trust election results when the validity of a critical component of the election process, the voter database, is in question? To rectify the problem, the Auditor General must take immediate action, auditing SURE and removing the names of ineligible voters before the 2024 election.

Additionally, the Auditor General and the Attorney General must actively seek and prosecute those who register illegally.

Terry L Kordes, Port Matilda