Government, according to a recent Gallup poll, is the nation's biggest problem.
And leaders of both major political parties recognize this.
During Tuesday's State of the Union message, Democratic President Barack Obama said, "The rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better." And, in a self-deprecating admission, he added: "There's no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide."
In the Republican response, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said: "We as Republicans need to ... recognize our contributions to the erosion of the public trust in America's leadership. We need to accept that we've played a role in how and why our government is broken. And then we need to fix it."
If everyone from polled Americans to the leaders we elect recognizes the problem, why does it persist? Can we, as Haley urges, fix it? And how do we do that?
Based on our observations of governments from municipal to federal, public rancor and anger at government seems to increase as government becomes larger, more bureaucratic and less approachable.
For example, Jefferson City Council members or Cole County commissioners may disagree on issues - and residents may disagree with local decisions - but disagreement rarely descends into personal animosity.
Perhaps because residents interact with their local officials at sporting events, grocery stores, etc., we share a recognition that everyone wants the best for the community, although we may have different ideas on how to achieve that.
As governing bodies expand to include a state or nation, however, the concept of what's best becomes more diverse. Shared goals splinter into factional concerns, and communication and influence with a larger bureaucracy becomes more difficult. As a consequence, resentments, frustration and anger grow.
This sentiment is summed up in the axiom: "Everyone hates Congress but loves their congressman."
The hatred, however, is tearing us apart.
Government is identified as the biggest problem among polled citizens, but we are the government.
A first step to "fix it" is to let go of resentments, frustration and anger. Government action is not a personal slight. We must recognize that as governments expand their constituencies to represent wider interests, no initiatives or decisions will satisfy everyone.
Consensus among the officials we elect signals agreement to try to improve overall conditions, not to worsen them.