Thorough debate needed in democracy

As a deeply concerned American, I enjoyed reading: "Editorial: The search for the center," Aug. 1. Democracy requires proper and thorough debate to inform Americans and allow them to decide the best ways to proceed toward the future.

In the case of current "dialogue," it is more of a unidirectional monologue where people shout at each other but no one listens. To top it off, we are censoring scientists from speaking out where they may offer unique insights/ideas for how to treat COVID or a novel way to produce a vaccine but are not able to because of political efforts to control the "debate."

The ever-increasing extremism exhibited on both the left and the right are akin to stretching a spring evermore which at some point will break it. For the sake of our beloved nation, this cannot be allowed to happen. We have to dampen the extremism by toning the down rhetoric, ending censorship and respecting differing points of view to be aired. In a democracy, you have the "right" to be "wrong."

Working together instead of against one another, we will find a solution to this crisis and can return to "normalcy" hopefully soon.

Michael Pravica

Des Plaines