With the rumor mill descending on Tiger Woods’s personal life, President Obama announcing a massive troop increase in Afghanistan, and Senator Max Baucus, one of the architects of the Democrats’ health plan, admitting that he nominated his girlfriend to an important federal post, you’d think national news would be the most interesting thing in the papers these days.

But lest you forget about local news, the Dallas County Commissioners Court recently stepped up to the plate.

Last week, Commissioner John Wiley Price questioned the six-figure salary of an investigator hired by the county. When his colleagues tried to quiet him, Price let loose a profane explosion that would make even Dick Cheney blush. When County Judge Jim Foster tried to quiet him down with a call to order, Price responded, “Make me come to order! … Damn it, I’m asking a question. … Until I finish my [expletive] point, you ain’t got no questions.” Them be fightin’ words.

At another point last week, Foster and Price erupted and began shouting at each other, this time over an investigation into the possible corruption of two constables. You have to wonder how the commission is doing any work when its members are yelling and cursing all the time.

I’m glad our representatives are passionate about their work. But there’s a difference between a lively debate and a shouting match.

Perhaps because the issues are so important, we Americans turn differences of opinion into personal attacks. We’ve become so entrenched in our views that we consider an alternate viewpoint a moral failing. We’d just as soon call each other names than acknowledge the legitimacy of another’s views.

This behavior gets in the way of good government. Progress is almost always a product of compromise and pragmatism; rarely do insults produce results. No amount of yelling is going to get things done. Politicians could learn a thing or two about respect. Then maybe this country would be in better shape.

I don’t have much optimism for our leaders in Washington. Although Barack Obama campaigned on a platform of change, cooperation, and civility, his administration and its liberal allies have proven themselves to be just as caddy as the people they replaced. The Republican opposition is no better. I don’t know why national politicians can’t seem to be nice, but hoping they suddenly will looks increasingly like a lost cause.

I’d hoped that, on the local level, where the budgets aren’t so big and the media isn’t so frenzied, our elected leaders would behave a little better. I thought they might see how far cooperation can get them.

I should have known better.

Nathaniel French is a junior theater studies major, He can be reached for comment at [email protected].