Line Item veto
When the House passed the Line Item Veto legislation, in a strong bipartisan vote of 294-134, it took great strides toward assuring the American people that the purpose of government is to serve the needs of all Americans. It also indicated its intention to seriously address the budgetary problems created by forty years of elitist pork barrel arrogance by the majority party in Congress. Congressional approval will also take away a sinister political weapon, designed to distort the images presented to the people. Without the Line Item Veto the President was forced to either accept or reject any legislative proposal as it was written. Congress learned the trick of tacking on extra money for special projects, ones that usually helped fellow Representatives or Senators get reelected. In more blatant times they have actually increased Congressional salaries. In the article one example is cited by Rep. Joe Kno
In the article the new Speaker of The House was quoted as saying "President after president has said it was something that would be good for America because it would allow the president to cut out some of the worst in spending. Solutions are simple, pass the Line Item Veto or allow the current system to assist in driving the country into bankruptcy. It is currently a system rife with corruption. The founding fathers would be repulsed that an issue like this would even be necessary. Representative Bill Baker of California was quoted as saying, "This week, we're going to give the president, whoever the president is, the tools to help balance the budget. All the values that make up the culture of America are at stake here and the camps of special interest on the subject break down to two: the American people and elected officials. On the other hand, a weak president could use the Line Item Veto to cut spending and gain favor with the voters. Without the Line Item Veto the President must either sign or veto the bill with the pork attached. Another point postulated by those concerned suggest the President could use this power to favor one politician over another by selective use in lining out budget busting features of a given piece of legislation. If the President vetoes it his opponents can accuse him of not wanting to help Americans in need. Grant have all called for the Line Item Veto. Obviously the first solution is the one preferred and, with the recent turnover in Congress, we are going in that direction. The public is seldom aware of this "extra" spending.
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