U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, recently held a town hall by telephone to address the concerns of his constituents.

While we understand some of the congressman’s constituents would prefer in-person town halls in the blief that such events are less filtered or orchestrated, we believe we should acknowledge that this telephone town hall is a step in the right direction and — more importantly — not allow skepticism about the medium of the town hall to detract from many of the issues Meuser addressed — some of the biggest issues of our day, and some issues Americans might believe to be smaller in stature.

We agree with the congressman that our federal government needs to identify wasteful spending and rein in the excessive spending that has led to a $34 trillion debt. We agree that authorities should pursue a concerted campaign to crack down on scams that prey on our elderly family and neighbors.

We further agree with Meuser about the importance of workforce development and about the integral, admirable role work plays in the fabric of society.

We appreciate his acknowledgement that, as messy as the legislative process may be and as frustrating as its inability to deliver everything one congressman may want also can be, that procedural compromise is a necessary component for delivering results to the American people.

“Delaying this vote in a symbolic protest only weakens our ability to act,” Meuser said, the Sun-Gazette reported in its weekend edition. “Every day we wait we put our economy, our national security and our momentum at risk.”

We also appreciate that some of his more skeptical constituents were willing to ask tough, even pointed questions and that the congressman was willing to entertain those questions.

These types of exchanges are a vital part of American governance.

We are thankful U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser took the time to answer voters’ questions, and we hope more lawmakers and public officials follow suit in addressing their constituents’ concerns.