PAC could be first step in getting people to listen

We applaud any effort that gets people listening to each other.

In this case, that's a non-partisan political action committee being formed by a group of Carson City residents to bring civility back to politics.

The group is small now, but plans to endorse candidates in the upcoming elections. The best candidates, no matter if they're Republican or Democrat.

That shouldn't be such a novel concept, but today's increasingly partisan political climate has bred an atmosphere of close-minded mistrust. You're on one side or the other and there's no in-between. Many people think it a waste of time to try to listen to and understand what the other side is saying because they're just plain wrong.

That's a disservice to democracy, which relies on a a healthy public discourse to arrive at solutions to our problems.

In Nevada, you're supposed to be able to disagree with someone without disliking them. That's part of our political history.

More and more, however, people are taking their political cues from cable television rather than the coffee shop. Many are bringing them from other states, and the mistrust continues to grow.

But we believe that Nevada tradition of listening to other viewpoints is a better way to go. And we hope the new PAC is the first step in getting there.