Bureaucrats

The first time the word gridlock was used in regards to government was in the 1980's but it has described what has happened to government over the past 40 years. The inability of the legislative branches to agree and when they do they conflict with the executive branch which leaves the running of the government to the bureaucrats. The result is that the bureaucracy has become the forth branch of government and for many, it is the most powerful branch. While the congress passes laws it is up to the bureaucracy to implement the laws and this is where the real control lies. This is how whole industries can be effected by people who were not elected by anyone. The stories of loggers losing their jobs over the spotted owl and farmers going broke because of the snail darter are just a couple of examples of how these bureaucrats can effect the lives of ordinary people. The regulations surround nuclear power and the mining of minerals cause long delays in moving forward. This will come to the forefront as the need for metals like lithium and cobalt start to effect the production of electric cars.