G-R-I-D-L-O-C-K-S

It is said that the US congress is the only true government that can govern. Unlike the systems seen in Japan and the British House of Commons, the US congress doesn't merely represent, but has the power to govern according to the constitution. As it has this unique power, congress is slow to move (when compared to the parliamentary systems). Often times debates will end up in what is called a gridlock. The primary source of this stalemate is a filibuster. For example, a bill can pass through the house easily, but when faced in the senate a simple 41 person minority can block the bill from passing on to the president. Such delaying tactics include cloture votes and measures such as reading out the entire bill (a long time when most bills are over five hundred pages). While gridlocks may seem the result of arcane rules, the have a valuable place in that they prevent decisions being made on a whim. Gridlocks can make legislators take a closer look at provisions in the bill that may or may not be suitable.