Joe Johnson: Meaningful dialogue

Regarding the April 8 Point of View “Leaders must engage in civil dialogue”: Thanks to Leslie Winner and Charles Neely Jr. for demonstrating that leaders with differing ideologies and ideas can meet in a civilized manner and discuss the serious issues that face the residents of North Carolina.

For the past several decades, the North Carolina economy has transitioned from one based upon tobacco, textiles and furniture to one based upon engineering, energy, biotechnology and finance.

There is no reason that our politicians from both sides of the aisle, the think tanks and concerned residents from all walks of life can’t get together and create a meaningful dialogue to address the serious issues created by this transition.

They have identified the most important question: “How can we enable more North Carolinians to earn enough to support their families?” Until we get leadership on the national level that understands how to create well-paying jobs, that is going to be a difficult question to answer.

At the state level, a well-educated workforce, meaningful regulatory reform, a fair system of taxation and a way to encourage funding for small businesses will go a long way in creating meaningful jobs that will enable more North Carolinians to earn enough to support their families.

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 5:03 PM with the headline "Joe Johnson: Meaningful dialogue."