Blog #7: Gridlock

Congressional stalemates, or gridlocks, that describe legislative inaction occur for many reasons, especially over important issues. One reason for the occurrences of gridlocks is the division of government. The division of government allows for numerous checks and balances that a bill must go through before becoming a law. Even though having a strong system of checks and balances can make sure a bill is fool-proof before it becomes a law, having too many checks and balances can severely delay the passing of a bill, and it simultaneously allows for more areas where the bill can be defeated and die, which does not resolve the issue the bill is being passed for. For example, a bill can pass through both houses of Congress and still be defeated due to the President's veto power. Another reason for gridlocks is a bicameral legislature, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. A bill must be passed in both houses to remain eligible to be made into a law, which is a major reason why so many gridlocks occur. For example, a bill may pass in the House of Representatives due to having a majority of Democrats, but when the bill is sent to the Senate, it is defeated because the Republicans still hold a majority in the Senate due to having longer terms in the Senate (6 years) than in the House (2 years). Also, with filibusters in the Senate needing a 3/5 vote to bring about the filibuster's cloture, bills often die on the floor of the Senate. Also, the party system used today in politics is a primary reason for gridlocks occuring. The rivaling Democratic and Republican parties oppose each other on most major issues, which causes a still widening gap to form between the parties, which in turn makes compromise less likely. A gridlock causes a bill to be delayed in becoming a law, which makes the issue, which is most likely progressively worsening, that the bill is being passed for to remain unresolved. The delayed response to the issue may be too late to solve the issue by the time the bill is ultimately passed. Gridlock is somewhat an appropriate representation of the will of the people, for earmarks can be added on to the bill that wins the vote of individual Congressman because it "brings the pork back home" to the Congressman's constituency, which makes him more liked by the people he represents and which gives him more of a chance to be reelected. However, the true will of the people is probably to pass the bill that resolves the critical issue for the welfare of the nation as a whole. Congress can be effective, but it would be very difficult with the current setup of government and with party politics.