Perhaps you, like many Americans, have noticed the profuse changes happening in our government since Donald Trump took office less than 10 days ago. Perhaps this has made you, like many Americans, question how much power the executive branch has over things like federal grants, trans rights, and immigration considering how slow and arduous government processes normally are. Here’s why it’s impossible to get anything done in the government, unless of course you want to do bad stuff, in which case the process is actually quite easy and fast.
America has a system of checks and balances
The main reason things take so long to get done in the US government is that we have a complex system of checks and balances that ensure no one branch has too much power. It takes time for legislation to pass all these checks, unless of course, you’re in the executive branch and you legit don’t give a fuck. Turns out checks and balances only work when everyone’s like, “Sure, let’s do a check! Let’s have some balance!” When you’re doing bad stuff, you don’t really want to stop. And hey, that’s allowed!
When trying to do good, you must listen to everyone’s opinion
This is a biggie. Oftentimes it’s impossible to get anything done in the government because you have to give ample time for those who oppose your view to speak their minds. This is not true, of course, if you’re doing blatantly evil shit like taking steps to ban gender-affirming care across the country, in which case you can go batshit from the get-go. When you’re doing bad stuff, just assume people will oppose you; the amazing news is that does not matter in the slightest. They’re just going to have to deal with it!
Good moves slow and bad moves fast
Turns out it’s extremely difficult and time-consuming to build welfare programs such as SNAP and free school lunches to support low-income Americans, but it takes mere seconds to give that shit the boot. Who could have guessed that it’s a lot easier to tear something down than it is to build something up? A professor probably has something to say about this, but it’s best to just ignore them anyway – they’re just trying to slow you down!
There you have it! If you’re disheartened by the swift and sweeping changes Republicans have made and are going to make over the next several years, vote for new Democratic representatives in the midterms! Then, the government can go back to the way it was: slow, clunky, and ineffective.