Let’s make sure people don’t get misinformed about left vs. right wing governments, as was posted in the “Letters to the Editor” last week. Just because a governmental leader wears a uniform does not make him a “right winger.” Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Mussolini all wore military uniforms and they all clearly ran leftist governments. Remember, Hitler was legally elected by the people of Germany. Amongst those four “leaders,” it’s estimated that 60-150 million people were slaughtered (read “the Black Book of Communism”). Americans have a misconception that just because a leader in a military uniform runs the government (OK, Mao’s outfit was much more drab) that that government has to be “right wing.”The word Nazi actually translates from the German to “Nationalsozialistiche Deutsche Arbeiterpartie,” the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. A socialist government is set up to control the businesses that (try) to make an economy work; to control the raw materials; to control the pricing; to control who gets what, when and why, but still allow some type of “private ownership.” Of course, communist governments take it one step further (to the left) and make sure that no one has any control or ownership of any private property, including housing, health management, money and freedom of movement. It would behoove all Americans at this time, including Scarborough students, to understand the various natures of distinct government types, and what are the aims of a communist, a socialist or a capitalist government.”

Annemarie Silvius
Scarborough