Government: Useless by Design
The more politicians bicker with each other the more that the average American begins to despise them. Lately we have had a President who would rather than leading as chief executive has spent his time as chief character assassin. Furthermore we have a Senate that thinks they do not have to pass anything coming out of the House of Representatives, and a House that thinks that the Senate should immediately jump at their every request. As obnoxious as these antics seem it is nothing new. Only when one party has a super majority is the bickering between the Senate and House absent. Only when the president and congress are made up of the same political party is a bill rushed through with few glitches. Thankfully these periods are few and far between.
The government was set up purposefully to be a bottleneck by our founders. They did not want one party to sweep into office and change everything about the country over night. Though frustrating the current system for the most part helps to stem the natural tendencies of men in power to try to seize more power. The bottleneck that checks and balances create allows for gradual change in the society, but only at the rate that the people desire.
Though the recent parliamentary tricks of the Democrat run Senate are underhanded and maniacal, but they represent a check for the Republican run House. For example: failing to vote on measures passed by the house, or most recently changing a bill, passing it, then leaving town in hopes that their absence would force the hand of the house in the desired direction.
The Republican House is equally guilty of their share of trickery. They have been attaching things that the Senate would not pass otherwise to important bills. Though this helps them get concessions at a time when they only have control of 1/6 of the government they should let measure stand of fall on their own merits.
As for President Obama, there has not been such a lack of leadership in many years. He has demonstrated a tendency to lambast Republicans in hopes of intimidating them into submission rather than working with them to get anything accomplished. He is just as guilty of throwing a wrench in the works as any part of the legislature Republican or Democrat. He is a stark contrast to Bush (Father and Son), Clinton, and Regan who seemed to at least show up for work and offer up solutions rather than poison rhetoric.
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