gridlock

Ever since I began reading Michael Heller's Gridlock Economy I'm been completely intrigued at how gridlock has become so ingrained in our society. Heller suggests that "quick isolation of gridlock can reduce the harm it imposes while giving legislators time to craft other solutions.(192)" I have a problem with this statement: How will legislators ( who create most of the legislative problems in IP due to their lack of knowledge on the issues) change or craft solutions so even if quick isolation can happen, will legislators be up to the challenge?
Also, in the realm of philanthropy I think that what the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the malaria vaccine is amazing yet I still cant understand how other foundations who emphasize fundraising for the development for a cure such as cancer do not do the same thing. The cure can't be created if the patents are blocked so why does more money not go towards paying for patents (which im not sure is the real answer in the first place-although I do realize it is not economically feasible for the companies to have people not pay for patents) so that they can make more leeway in the creation of a drug.