Today, we present some thoughts for the Albert Lea City Council.

We quote Robert F. Kennedy in his 1966 day of affirmation speech to Cape Town University:

&8220;At the heart of that Western freedom and democracy is the belief that the individual man, the child of God, is the touchstone of value, and all society, all groups, and states, exist for that person’s benefit. Therefore the enlargement of liberty for individual human beings must be the supreme goal and the abiding practice of any Western society.&8221;

Kennedy goes on to say:

&8220;The first element of this individual liberty is the freedom of speech; the right to express and communicate ideas, to set oneself apart from the dumb beasts of field and forest; the right to recall governments to their duties and obligations; above all, the right to affirm one&8217;s membership and allegiance to the body politic &8212; to society &8212; to the men with whom we share our land, our heritage and our children&8217;s future.&8221;

&8220;Hand in hand with freedom of speech goes the power to be heard &8212; to share in the decisions of government which shape men&8217;s lives. Everything that makes man&8217;s lives worthwhile &8212; family, work, education, a place to rear one&8217;s children and a place to rest one&8217;s head &8212; all this depends on the decisions of government; all can be swept away by a government which does not heed the demands of its people, and I mean all of its people. Therefore, the essential humanity of man can be protected and preserved only where the government must answer &8212; not just to the wealthy; not just to those of a particular religion, not just to those of a particular race, but to all of the people.&8221;

Kennedy finishes up this speech by stating:

&8220;It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.&8221;

Now we all realize that 1966 and today are years apart, but do we really want to go backward in our thinking about how Albert Lea should be governed?

Mayor Randy Erdman says the city has been trying to raise the bar and establish a level of professionalism during the meetings. Raise the bar, but do not take the bar away.

You want dialogue, just not destructive dialogue.

If you take open public forum away from city meetings, you will have more public distrust in the way you govern, leading to less debate on issues that affect us all.