CHICAGO – It's back to school time, again. It's a shame we can'tsend Congress back to the classroom, too, to re-take civics class,American history and, generally speaking, how to get along withtheir classmates. Because the toxic cloud of discourse has grown sopoisonous it's actually infecting the economy and markets wellbeyond our borders.

The debt ceiling deal – if you can call it that since it does nextto nothing to address the long-term problem – is a real worldexample of too little, too late. While the deal buoyed the markets the next day, the international freefall that followed showed us all what business thinks of thepatchwork solution and the bitter battle our lawmakers fought toget there.

It's funny. It used to be that our elected officials – from thepresident all the way down to the smallest state rep – weresupposed to represent the best of us. Now, watching them posturefor elections instead of working for their constituents, it's clearthey're more like the worst of us.

But if there's anything this snarky homeroom of a Congress anddistracted substitute teacher of a president have managed toaccomplish this year, it's to stoke the flames of bipartisandiscontent (rage?) among the vast silent majority of Americans whodon't sit at one fringe or the other of American politics.

Most of us just want to be left alone to do our jobs, live ourlives and we strangely expect our elected officials to do the same.Instead, we get petulant teens posturing for cable news and thenext election. The greater good? Forget about it. That's become aspassé as the U.S. Postal Service.

And before you starting hammering away at your keyboard toattack this humble editor for his left and/or right-wing leanings,I want to be very clear how disgusted I am with everyone in DCright now.

Congress is a mess, driven by ideological extremes. Forgetcompromise and legislation. They're all about ultimatums and soundbites.

And you could blame the president, but that would require him toactually show some leadership or sense of responsibility. He talksnice, but disappears when things get tough. Don't just take my wordfor it. In the wake of the debt ceiling fiasco, Congressionalapproval ratings fell to 14 percent, while Obama bottomed out at 40percent, his lowest yet. And these numbers broke long before themarket tanked, our credit rating fell and the Communist Chinesebegan lecturing us about fiscal responsibility.

I can't remember being this embarrassed to be an American. Howmuch longer until our elected officials are shamed into doing theirjobs? And how much longer will it be until our credit score fallsfar enough that even the banks we bailed out a few years backwouldn't even float us a loan? Guess we still have those paydayloan joints.