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Could you imagine this being done in Washington?
[Wisconsin] Gov. Jim Doyle used his veto pen Friday to carve up the Legislature’s budget-repair bill in a way that frustrated lawmakers but appeared to leave them unable to do anything about it.
Legislative leaders had pledged this week to try to override any vetoes that would allow Doyle to tap the state transportation fund. Yet on Friday, they did not appear to have the two-thirds majority required to do that, and it was not clear they would even hold a vote on the matter.
Doyle’s vetoes were the first since voters slightly limited his powers on April 1. Voters approved a constitutional change that ended the “Frankenstein veto” by saying that governors could not strike words from two or more sentences to make new sentences.
But the governor still may strike individual sentences or parts of sentences and erase individual digits and string numbers together in one sentence. On Friday, Doyle used the 2, 7 and 0 from a reference to the years 2007-’09 to order $270 million in spending cuts by July 1, 2009.
Those cuts were much deeper than the $69 million for which lawmakers called.
“We cannot address a $652 million gap with just $69 million in reductions,” Doyle said. “Through my vetoes, we will make meaningful cuts.”
What! A politician cutting spending instead of loading a bill with pork? Although I can’t believe this kind of veto system ever got into law.
When did our American system of government go crazy?
Wow, he’s adopted the 60 Minutes interview method!
Wow, he’s adopted the MikeN method. (insert right wing political group of your choice if MikeN seems to personal for you). If the truth is inconvenient, either ignore it, distort it, or lie about it.
And no, I have no idea if this guy is Rep or Dem or Other…but I must admit it feels really Rep…^_^. Sleazy no matter what side of the fence he calls home.
Got to give him points for creativity, if nothing else 😀
#4, Partisan clowns like you really should use “The Google” sometimes… or I guess that doesn’t matter since you needed to get your party bashing in regardless.
I am from Wi. and Doyle is a Dem.This type of veto was invented by our former Gov. Tommy Thompson a Rep.I personally like the cuts made by our Governor.He is cutting pork that our assembly thinks is necessary to get themselves reelected.If our President had this kind of power we could hold one man responsible for the fiscal mess we have in Washington.Don’t knock it if you haven’t seen it in action.
I’m glad the supreme court shot down line item vetoes.
#7, while I can appreciate the sentiment, I’m not sure I could support turning a governor (or the President for that matter) into what is essentially a super-legislator.
#8 I never understood why the Court shot this down. Precedent for this type of law exists. Congress can give up powers given in the Constitution after all.
I’m also from WI and, with a bad back, I don’t appreciate the increased use of potholes to improve the state highways and other roads.
#10, the process for presidential veto is clearly defined in the Constitution. I don’t understand how you could know how to read English and still determine that you could do something completely different than what is allowed for.
Once the US Senate took a bill passed by the House, stripped out everything except be it resolved, and then added in taxes. This was to get around the Constitution’s requirement that only the House can pass tax bills.
#12 “I don’t understand how you could know how to read English and still determine that you could do something completely different than what is allowed for.”
Oh, like the authority to issue currency? LOL
#13, the bill only has to originate in the House. Nothing says the Senate cannot append its own provisions after they receive it.
#15 – Correct.
Now, what about the unconstitutionality of Congress giving up its power to “coin” money? I’m sorry, my post was a set up to see who didn’t know & understand how congress had already given up its power. Sorry you got caught in the trap. I thought you were more knowledgeable than that.
#16, since coining money is not the topic being discussed, I’m not entirely sure I care.
I’m all for cutting the pork out of these bills. I agree with #12, and that punishing the drivers of Wisconsin with bad roads sucks, but this sends a clear message of cutting costs and the legislature needs to find way to finance the truly important aspects of government.
#17 – “I don’t understand how you could know how to read English and still determine that you could do something completely different than what is allowed for.”
It’s okay to be wrong. You should probably just stick to arguing about areas you know about. Just a suggestion.
#19, I’m still not quite sure where you think you are going with this. Are you attempting to suggest that the Congress could just decide to delegate its legislative power to the President? Are we going to have representatives negotiating treaties when the President is too busy as well?
And I still don’t see why you insist on making some comparison between something that is a fundamentally distinctive characteristic between two branches of government and some ancillary power to coin money. Do you think senators should go man the printing presses during their lunch breaks, since they were the ones granted the power to coin?
#20 Keeping digging the hole.
I wonder what the 10 commandments would look like after being line item veteod.
#13, MikeN, I just reread your comment. Heh, that is a horse of a different color from simply amending a bill that is already a revenue bill. Clearly, taking some random bill and having the Senate turn it into a revenue bill is blatantly contrary to the spirit of the Constitution, and I cannot imagine that such an extreme example would not be returned by the House.
#21, vague remarks seldom offer meaningful points.
It passed, and the courts refused to throw it out.
#22–I think George Carlin did a bit getting the 10 Commandments down to 3 I think.
Be Nice, Don’t take other people’s stuff, and I forget the third.
Pro’s and Con’s to 3 simple rules vs 10 more detailed rules? Also heard there are something like 250 other commandments, not just the 10 handed down by Moses from the Mountain.
Then there is the US Code with 134,583,278 commandments, and climbing.
#25, Even if this unknown bill did pass, it’s probably wise for the courts to not get involved, lest they find themselves being the new nanny for determining whether or not each provision of new revenue bills legitimately originated where they should. It’s best handled between the two houses, and obviously if it passed, the House must have concurred with the alterations.
#28–Sea Lawyer–you say “concurred with the alternations” /// or just didn’t have the votes to override the Frankenstein Vetoes.
Cracks me up. It would have never occurred to me adults could do this. Better left to the legislatures? Well, courts are there to enforce the law. Was the line item veto meant to given birth to Frankenstein? I doubt it. Here, the clear legislative intent is being violated by the executive branch. Thats just when the Courts can be used by any aggrieved party wishing to go that route?
I have the same concern now with “line item veto.” I assume a line or sentence taken out could totally change the clear intent too?
Vote all incumbents out of office.
#29, Bobbo, I don’t think we are referring to the same thing. I’m replying to MikeN’s example of the Senate taking an eraser to an entire bill sent from the House of Representatives and turning it into a tax bill. There is no veto to be overridden.
#30–Sea Lawyer==right you are. Keep your good stuff coming.