Divided Government and Gridlock

     Divide government is when one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress. Gridlock happens because of a divided government. Gridlock is the inability to accomplish a goal. Gridlock can be both a good and a bad thing.
     A divided government can be good because it encourages more policing of those in power by the opposition,  limits spending, and the expansion of undesirable laws. It also forces the two parties to get along so that they can be able to work with one another. Its an example of checks and balances.
     A divided government can also be bad because sometimes the two parties will refuse to work with one another, which means that the government shuts down. It can make it so that a law can never be passed. If the president wants to create a law or bill that Congress does not then nothing gets accomplished. This has recently happened. Obama wanted to pass a health care bill, but the Republicans in Congress don't, so therefore it will never happen.
     I think that divided government and gridlock is a bad thing, but can sometimes be good. I feel that the government should always get along, but if there is gridlock then it can't. In some cases gridlock is needed, like if there's a law or bill that the president wants to make that the people don't want, then depending on who's in Congress, it could be made.
     This relates to class because divided government and gridlock were two of our vocabulary words and we took notes on it.
     Links

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divided_government
2. http://www.conservapedia.com/Divided_government

Divided Government


 Gridlock