I still believe public service in government is an honorable and important pursuit. But it has become increasingly difficult for me to maintain that belief when I watch what goes on in Washington, D.C.

I still value and admire the art of politics, but I’m profoundly fed up with the way they do it now in Washington.

I’m tired of the endless and mindless partisanship we currently suffer from in American politics, and I’m betting most of you are, too.

For some of us, it’s demoralizing. To most of us, it’s infuriating.

Our two major political parties, Republicans and Democrats, seem to care more about winning the next election than honestly and effectively addressing the serious issues and difficult problems facing our country.

Both parties cater to their bases on the far right and the far left, making it almost impossible for compromise. As a consequence, very little gets done and that’s damaging to our future.

History informs us political partisanship has existed in our country from the very beginning, even after George Washington warned against partisan spirit in his farewell address. As Jon Meacham writes in his splendid biography of Thomas Jefferson, “The Founders’ dream of a nation beyond partisanship was one that simply could not survive the very nature of a free politics in a culture of diverse interests.”

All of us would agree opposing views about policy and differing opinions about the role of government are to be expected and encouraged in a democracy like ours.

Freedom of thought and speech and the right to vote make the United States the greatest country on earth. Vigorous debate and some degree of political partisanship is healthy and essential for a strong democracy, but the extreme and unyielding partisanship we have now is weakening our democracy and it’s making our political system dysfunctional.

What we have today bears little resemblance to what our Founders intended.

Americans lack respect for and confidence in our present political system. Instead of an instrument for problem-solving, our political system has mostly become a weapon to be used in the relentless battle for political power between Republicans and Democrats.

Rather than attacking problems, they mostly just attack each other.

There was a time when many politicians from both parties thought for themselves instead of blindly following party leaders. There was a time when lots of politicians would at least make room for the possibility someone from the other party might have a good idea.

There was a time when common sense and objective analysis of facts and evidence meant something in Washington. There was a time when civility and honest debate was the standard instead of a rare occurrence.

There was a time when elected officials on both sides of the aisle looked for middle ground and for a way to move forward for the common good. There was a time when numerous politicians from both parties would, when all was said and done, do what was best for the country, regardless of partisan politics.

Sadly, those times seem to be gone for now, and that’s a bad deal for the country.

People throughout the country yearn for something far better from those we send to Washington to lead and govern us. We hired the politicians who represent us to confront controversial issues, not to avoid them by filibuster and perpetual delay.

We hired them to tell us the truth even when it hurts and to speak candidly about the sacrifices we all have to make and the responsibilities we all have as citizens of this country.

Whether one likes it or not, we are all in this thing together and we will rise or fall together.

To meet the future and get things done, we need politicians from both parties who are willing to risk their political career by reaching out to the other side to forge compromises and who have the courage to cast a vote they know will be unpopular with their party’s base and with the media and special interest groups connected to their party.

I don’t think that’s asking too much from those who have been given the privilege to serve in government.

When the subject is politics, we all get labeled now (conservative, liberal, moderate, libertarian and on and on). But politicians from both parties need to remember we are all Americans and that’s the label that counts the most.

The best political system ever created by mankind is broken. The time has come for the citizens and voters of this country to insist it be fixed.

WOODY BASSETT IS A LIFELONG FAYETTEVILLE RESIDENT AND A LOCAL ATTORNEY. HE PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS A FAYETTEVILLE ALDERMAN.