The remains of the state might be divided, but the underlying nation is toast. The resulting human toll is, both comically and tragically, to be expected.

• Survey reveals about two in five Americans are stressed out by the political climate, and one in five say they’re even losing sleep.
• Nearly a third of those surveyed feel views expressed on cable news channels are driving them “crazy.”
• Study author believes problem is akin to a public health crisis in the country.

LINCOLN, Neb. — The past few years in American politics have been tumultuous, to say the least. Personal political beliefs aside, there is no denying that the U.S. has grown especially divided in the wake of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory. Between social media bots, partisan news coverage, and the president’s frequent Twitter posts, it has never been harder for the average American to avoid being bombarded with some type of political message on an almost hourly basis.

It isn’t a stretch to assume that at some point all of that polarization would have a negative effect on the collective well being of the nation, and a new study conducted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has effectively confirmed this assumption. According to researchers, the current U.S. political climate is literally making Americans physically sick, damaging friendships, and driving many people “crazy.”

A fifth and a third, etc., all over Tweets and cable news. Just wait until the M777s start singing…

A failed state trades things like civility and justice for insanity. I just read the verdict in an amazing state criminal case. The attendant sentencing blew my mind in its cruel depravity. I looked at the underlying statute and realized that even when an evil government nominally attempts to pacify a real problem, to craft measured or tempered solutions to appropriately deal with particular circumstances, that all it does is perpetuate the ruse. The utter BS from the media was designed (carefully) to distract the public’s attention. The plan worked perfectly. Those literally going crazy in the face of this horror may really display markers of normalcy. I’ll bet 2% of them – not 2.5 or 3% – wake up, shake it off, and move forward.

And, the rest? If they think it’s bad now, …