Folks looking for signs that rational behavior and common sense might be slowly creeping back into the national political discussion must be at least a little encouraged these days.

Noted Republican leaders in Washington and beyond are raising long overdue questions about the wisdom of the absurd no-tax-increase pledge demanded of all conservatives by anti-government zealot Grover Norquist that has helped paralyze meaningful budget discussions for years in Congress.

A bipartisan group focusing on addressing the national debt is now holding events across the country and in North Carolina, where former Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt and former Republican Gov. Jim Holshouser are the headliners.

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