Let's explore ideas for ending North Carolina's budget crisis


On Nov. 2, the AC-T published a column in which I asked, "If the media modeled a different tone of political discourse, (1) would our understanding of the issues be greater? (2) Would we develop a greater appreciation for the complexity of the issues we face?"

In that same piece I gave examples of how television and newspapers focus on "heat instead of enlightenment," and I volunteered to write columns that would go into depth on important regional issues.

I explained that these columns would include moderate views and multiple perspectives.

In her 1998 book, "The Argument Culture,'' linguist Deborah Tannen makes a similar point about how the media turn up the heat at the expense of enlightenment.

She writes: "But when opposition becomes the overwhelming avenue of inquiry - a formula that requires another side to be found or a criticism to be voiced; when the lust for opposition privileges extreme views and obscures complexity; when our eagerness to find weaknesses blinds us to strengths; when the atmosphere of animosity precludes respect and poisons our relations with one another; then the argument culture is doing more damage than good." (p. 25)

Similarly, in a column published in the AC-T on Nov. 23, sociologist Peter Phillips suggests that citizens ought to "advocate for full and clear reporting on the policies and plans emerging from the public and private policy circles of the American corporate and governmental elites." (p. A7)

Because of this widespread reaction and interest, the AC-T editors have agreed to publish columns aimed at improving our understanding of, and appreciation for, the complexity of the issues we face.

With this purpose in mind, I have begun exploring the following questions for a column to appear in January:

1. Who has ideas about how to get North Carolina out of the current budget crisis?

2. What are their ideas?

3. What are the political and economic issues surrounding these different ideas?

I look forward to reporting what I find. For more information, readers are invited to explore Hurley's Web site: http://ceap.wcu.edu/churley