Debate works: Rubber-stamping issues no good for anyone

The first sign that there is a need to worry is when everybody agrees.

It might seem counterproductive, but the truth is that it is when we disagree that new and better solutions are found.

So the bevy of vetoes we have seem in the last few days -- and the subsequent arguments over the next steps -- are healthy for North Carolina.

And it is a process that should be emulated not only in state offices all over Raleigh, but in local government as well.

Sometimes the best thing that can happen when there is an issue to be decided is for there to be a healthy discussion about it.

In the kind of government this country espouses, the hallmark is to have your say.

You can do that by writing a letter to your local newspaper, standing up in a meeting or by simply making a phone call to someone charged with representing you on everything from the school board to the water board.

And, ultimately, you can also have your say at the voting booth.

And you should do all of the above.

Wayne County residents effect change all the time. They might not even realize how much their local representatives want to hear what they think. And oftentimes, they even listen.

Some people have equated debate with stagnation -- and that is not the case if it is done right.

Those who use it for political purposes should be drummed out of office.

Having a say is healthy -- and necessary to keep a democracy exactly that.

Published in Editorials on June 4, 2015 11:07 AM