10-16-2015, 06:27 PM
The U.S. hasn't had a government shutdown for a few years nowt. Earmarking is certainly a huge thing down there, but I think calling it "ungovernable" is probably a stretch. I take your point, though. Neither system is perfect; I think the flaws in ours are overplayed a lot of times. Yes, your representative is by and large beholden to a party leader and will be forced to tow the party line. But he or she is still your local representative and has a lot of incentive to pick up the phone and try to help you with your issue when you call. In countries with opaque lists, that latter part is not the case.