Our View: The national debate on health care is critically important. We need time to consider all the facts, and our congressmen need to carry our views to Washington, D.C.

We are in the dog days of summer, a time when human passions can be as elevated as the temperature. Just take a look at the town hall meetings taking place nationally on health care reform.

Angry outbursts have provided more heat than light at some of the gatherings. Perhaps that is to be expected in any discussion of a topic with life-or-death ramifications, but the unfortunate truth about anger is that it blurs reality and impairs judgment.

Health care reform is a serious matter. Vigorous public discourse is desirable; rough-hewn concepts are hammered true after immersion in the crucible of ideas. But there is a clarity required of the work. It is a task that needs clear-minded consideration. It is a time suited more to reason and civility than emotion and power.

It should be possible to express serious concerns about health care without shouting in the face of a congressman, displaying a Nazi swastika as a political tool, or disrupting any meetings in a badly needed national dialogue. We may need to disagree, but we also need to do it without being disagreeable. To do otherwise will be costly.

The people of Southern Illinois, for example, already are paying the price of unruly behavior elsewhere. U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, a Democrat from Belleville, has decided against hosting a public meeting on health care in his district.

Costello's spokesman, David Gillies, said raucous crowds at meetings elsewhere were a factor in the congressman's decision.

"We are not having any in-person town hall meetings, and the congressman thinks it is unfortunate that the disruptions are occurring and making such meetings impossible to hold," Gillies said in an e-mail to The Southern Illinoisan.

How unfortunate. Given the level of civility expected in Southern Illinois, it is likely a regional meeting on health care reform would be conducted in a cordial manner - without anyone pulling their punches on the points that need to be made. We've got a history of discussing thorny issues, even passionately, without headline-grabbing outbursts.

Regardless of anyone's position on health care reform, it is time to remember the responsibilities of good citizenship. We all have a role in democracy.

The Obama administration and our lawmakers need to hear what we've all got to say on health care reform, not just the emotional and incendiary words of those who seek to dominate the discussions. They need to clearly communicate all of the details of what is being considered under the banner of health care reform. They need to provide enough time to ensure the health care details are digested and fully understood. And they need to allow sufficient time for feedback, revisions and final review by the public.

Citizens, too, need to ensure their behavior doesn't obscure their message. It is simply too easy to ignore, reject or demonize arguments that are reckless, threatening or overwhelmingly angry. Anyone hoping to be heard � to be truly heard � will have greater success by factually, rationally and logically building a case.

We aren't engaged in a series of pep rallies leading up to a championship football game. This business of health care reform isn't about notching a win for our respective teams, though our political leaders may try to carry the fight in such a manner. We need to keep our eyes on the goal of providing the best possible health care for all Americans, keep our minds open to new ideas and listen carefully to the words of all participants in the national debate.

This not a task for the express line. We need to provide enough time. It is more important that we get it done right instead of just getting it done.

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