[Evans, Marv]

I would like to add two things to those already mentioned: egos and empire building. Big egos and the game of one-upsmanship with the efforts to impose wills and philosophies have contributed mightily to the partisan atmosphere, waste, inefficiency, and gridlock in government. By empire building I'm referring to all the programs started that the bureaucratic infrastructures strived to increase in size, longevity, power, and funding. The welfare system and the VA are two examples of the many.