Published: October 27, 2009 11:39 pm      

Tune in

Audio streaming will help public keep an ear on state lawmakers

It may take some time to catch on, but the ability to listen in on what lawmakers are deciding on the floor and in committees will enable residents to keep closer tabs on how their elected officials really feel about the issues under discussion.

Beginning with the 2010 legislative session in January, audio streaming will be available real-time while delegates are on the floor in session or inside committee rooms taking up various bills.

It will take some discipline to tune in to the proceedings. We’re all so accustomed to visual media. However, being able to hear what’s being said will enable us to better understand what our state lawmakers are up to.

Floor proceedings are predicted to be less interesting, but if you have a passionate concern about an issue debated in a committee, listening to the audio stream will provide you with a wealth of information. Hearing the actual discussions and knowing who said what could have a big impact on whether or not you help to re-elect one or more of those officials.

Now, more than ever before, we all need to be well informed about the issues that directly affect our daily lives. Every tax payer should be concerned about sessions that delve into tax structures, proposed changes in health care, consideration of costs and ways of raising money for transportation, education and economic development.

Whether it’s a discussion about more funding for building psychiatric care facilities or finding ways to offset the economic downturns in industry, we need to know what’s being decided for us.

What better way to squelch false information than to hear it “straight from the horse’s mouth?”

Back in the day — before we could access hundreds of TV channels — people listened to the radio. They kept up with what was going on in their state capitals as well as what happened on Capitol Hill.

Come January, as many of us as possible need to take advantage of new technology, technology that now makes it possible for us to keep a “live” ear on the issues and the views of our elected officials.