Public meetings in Nebraska, like most other states, are governed by a protocol known as Robert's Rules of Order. Under these rules, the chairperson of the meeting has the responsibility and authority to maintain civil discourse. Te County Commissioners have, in my opinion, overreached legislatively that which should be simple common sense.
I am of the opinion that this new rule was passed as a means to tone down the people's anger by creating a rule whose purpose was to chill the debate on issues that obviously strike a nerve with the electorate.
While I am not suggesting that there be chaos in the meeting room, the passage of such an innane rule can have no other purpose but to keep people silent.
Sometimes government wishes to neither see, nor hear the constituency. I think in this case, this ruling clearly violates the principle of a spirited debate with those whom have given their consent to be governed.
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