COLUMN: The government's Gridlock

From Amar Kosaraju's, "And Justice For All," Fall '97 From Amar Kosaraju's, "And Justice For All," Fall '97When I see politicians doing nothing, I smile. When I see Bill Clinton veto every bill Congress produces and I see the government stagnating, I can't help but sleep better at night. Most people are frustrated with our type of government. It is slow and cumbersome and as efficient as a broken down Pinto, and I love it. Throughout the world, countries are plagued with massive government corruption and economic instability that threatens the welfare of people. In Bosnia, civil war and religious conflict has taken countless lives and has devastated the economic and social fabric of the country. Less than a decade ago, this area was hosting the Olympics and now the children walk the streets starving and homeless. In the former Soviet Union, a plethora of newly formed countries have emerged with political unrest and economic instability. The people of communism stand in line for bread now, and they realize that the devastation of their country now mirrors the hardship in their lives. Our country has the same massive problems as the former Soviet Union and are our people are no better than the people of the world. We went through a civil war, a Great Depression and the Vietnam War dividing our country, and yet we did not fall into ruins like other countries. Our system of government is based on checks and balances between the branches of government, the political parties, and between the state and federal government. Each segment fights for its power and own authority resulting in Gridlock -- with nothing being accomplished. The reality is our government is actually perfect in design because it is slow, cumbersome, and inefficient it creates a gridlock of ideas, values, and issues that must be resolved for any substantial movement. Activists probably hate living in our country because chances are solutions to problems they fight for are unlikely to occur in their lifetimes. Change occurring in our country is not dictated by the politicians, but is a reflection of the majority will of the people. In the Reagan and Bush administrations, we had pro-life presidents for 12 years who were against abortion. And yet pro-choice was still the law of the land. The beauty of the Gridlock is in actuality the politicians do not have the power because in the end, the laws are a reflection of the will and power of the people. Because of Gridlock and the stability created, we can live in a country where we do not need to fear a David Duke or Louis Farrakhan. We can sleep at night with the confidence that we will wake up to a world very much the way we left it. Our Gridlock allows us the safety of knowing that not much will change -- the Phillies that stunk last year will stink much worse this year. And we can count on our tuition going up next year like every other year. It is true this Gridlock or the will of the majority has also caused the civil rights movement to be 100 years late and has delayed health care reform into the next century. But civil rights is now here to stay and the decisions made are gradual and absorbable. And they do not result in economic or political instability. We will still get sick of the Congress and President for never working together. It will upset us that the same problems exist with no solutions being developed in the near future. We will continue to be frustrated with the corruption and the dirty politics that occurs in our government and the in-fighting: Democrats hate Republicans, Republicans hate Democrats, etc. A lot of talk, but no solutions. Good, because that Gridlock means the system is working and in the end it is us, the people, who break the Gridlock.