In Praise of Gridlock

 By George Baumler

Many people and pundits are upset that the new congress is so evenly divided that nothing will be accomplished.  Well, the thinking folks are tickled pink.  A house divided may not stand, but perhaps it won’t be passing a bevy of new programs that will cost the citizens a pile of new taxes, either.  President-elect Bush has no overwhelming mandate to do anything, and congress is split nearly fifty-fifty.  Hopefully, the Democrats and Republicans will take this opportunity to successfully dismantle one another’s onerous programs.  Not accomplishing that, perhaps they will not embellish upon the insatiable programs they’ve already heaped upon us.

That is the hopeful outlook.  The realistic one is business as usual.  The trade in mass amounts of pork (taxpayers’ money) will continue unabated.  Those who look to Mr. Bush for meaningful tax relief are doomed to be disappointed, as those who would have looked to Gore for wealth redistribution also would have been had he won.  The Democrats and Republicans have really become the same party, varying only slightly on the degree of socialism they wish to inflict upon Americans at one time.  Please take notice that Bush has a prescription drug plan as did Gore; the difference between the two is only a few degrees.  They both have the paternalistic view of government as the savior of everyone. 

The reason for such acrimony between the twin parties is as hard to fathom as the hatred between religious sects, such as Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.  From an objective viewpoint, their worship services vary little from one another, yet the hatred is one of the most enduring.  Perhaps it is this lack of real differentiation that drives the parties’ loyalists to exaggerate the minute differences and make of them something more than actually exists.  Government intrusion into the field of healthcare and medicine will continue to grow regardless of which of the twins has the majority in congress or holds the White House.  The growth of government involvement will necessitate an increase of taxation or fees (“fee” is likely to be the term, as taxes, already high, are increasingly unpopular) placed upon the citizens to pay for programs.

The only hope of libertarians (people who value their freedom) is the much maligned gridlock in Washington.  The less accomplished by the government, the less effect they have on our lives.  If the spirit of bipartisanship prevails, it will mean no good for the Taxpayers.  Partisanship, though unfounded in actual ideological differences between the twin parties, is nonetheless a boon in disguise to the citizens.  Three cheers for gridlock!!!