Whatever happened to civil disagreements?

I know it seems like a long time ago. But I'm sure most of us can remember when a political argument didn't immediately devolve into shrill shrieking from either side. A time when the parties in parliament could actually work together to get something done, instead of personal attacks on each other and their party. I don't know maybe I'm being a little pollyanna-ish but I still hope that maybe one day that could happen again.

Larry Zolf, of the CBC, is the one of the latest to launch another attack. He goes on a rant about how PM Stephen Harper is a bigger neo-con that Bush, etcetera. This is not only limited to the left though. The right can be just as bad. Bound by Gravity has a great take on it.

One can only hope we don't descend to the level (if we haven't already) of many of the US media outlets. Be it the Wall Street Journal, Salon.com, the Weekly Standard or DailyKos.

I consider myself a centrist or a small c Conservative. But I have voted Liberal. A lot of the time, I don't totally agree with policies put forth by the government and can appreciate some aspects of the oppositions argument. But all too frequently the situation turns into a "my way or the highway" type argument. I don't know but I always thought that compromise plays a huge part in resolving disputes.