LETTER: "The Danger of Populism"

Dear Editor,

Populism is the current term being applied to political movements driven by demagogues appealing to poorly informed voters with promises of return to some previous fantasy state when things were better.

It is happening in our own election, and with the preoccupation of the news media with the election, we are seeing little or no coverage of the bad things that can result from populism. Populism put Erdogan in power in Turkey with the ultimate outcome that we are seeing a complete disintegration of democracy in a key American ally state. Populism resulted in Brexit, which promises devastating effects upon the UK. Populism elected Duterte in the Phillipines, who initiated an extrajudicial killing spree.

At the extreme, populism put Hitler in power. American voters need to think long and hard before they cast their ballot for another demagogue promising a return to “greatness.” The result could be something you never expected.

Dan Knapp

Editor's Note: The views expressed above are those of the author's.