Consevatives vs Progress

Have you ever asked yourself why you love America so much? I Have.
Why do conservatives and progressives seem to be so polarized? What divides us to the point that we are so full of vitriol? Why can't we come together to decide what is best for all Americans as Americans?
Gays, abortion, immigration,religion, evolution, the response to 911, education,trade policy or any other social issue! These are things that divide us.
What I ask is this: What unites us? Love of country. Respect for your neighbor.
The biggest disagreement I see between us is how our government taxes the people and how our government uses those resources. One side sees investment. The other side sees expenditure.Is there waste in bureaucracy,yes. What should we do about it? Other than the social issues I've already cited,they really bring out the extremists on both sides, I believe that moderate people of both parties have honest,fundamental disagreement on taxation policy.
One example would be education funding. Obviously I'm a Democrat. I really believe that if we invest money for educating a child, that is money we won't have to spend prosecuting and imprisoning that same child later. In every state of the union the largest expenditure is on education. Teachers usually get 40% of that money with the rest going to administration and upkeep. Both parties are responsible for that imbalance. We spend so much time bickering about how to best invest our money that we wind up with a curriculum that is a mile wide but only an inch deep.