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While you guys are selling out on the seperation of powers, let me ask you a favor

Submitted by Prometheus 6 on March 6, 2006 - 10:22am.
on

Why don't you just give me your legislative powers? After all, you're not using them...

[LATER: Hi, Daou Report folks. I don't normally do this, but while Peter was good enough to direct you here I'd like you to read this one too.]

Bush to ask Congress for line-item veto power
Sun Mar 5, 2006 10:02 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush will soon make a formal request to Congress for a line-item veto -- authority that would give him power to cancel specific spending items in budget bills, an administration official said on Sunday.

Many presidents have sought such authority on the argument it would help cut down on wasteful spending in the budget. In a rare yielding of some of its powers of the purse strings, Congress passed legislation granting a line-item veto to President Bill Clinton.

The Supreme Court struck down the law in 1998, ruling by a vote of 6-3 that Congress did not have the authority under the Constitution to give the president that power.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he did not wish to be seen as pre-empting the president's announcement, said that Bush would transmit to Congress a proposal with language aimed at withstanding a Supreme Court challenge.

Bush plans to announce his intention to draw up a proposal on the line-item veto on Monday morning during a ceremony to swear in the new chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Edward Lazear, the official said.

Bush, who has never vetoed a spending bill, has been criticized by many conservatives for the surge in federal expenditures on his watch. Republicans worry the record deficits could hurt them in this year's midterm elections in which Democrats are seeking to regain control of one or both houses of Congress.

The Bush administration has forecast a fiscal 2007 budget deficit of $439 billion, an all-time high.

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The line-item veto could
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 6, 2006 - 11:42am.
The line-item veto could actually be a valuable tool to rein in out of control spending...IF we could trust the president who wields it to use it on the REAL pork in the budget and leave things that meet critical needs alone. Unfortunately, the priorities that George Bush has followed for the last five years can only lead me to believe that he would do just the opposite!
I would like to see a
Submitted by chatterbox (not verified) on March 6, 2006 - 2:47pm.
I would like to see a line-item veto bill with a sunset clause that required it be renewed every 10 years.  That would cross presidential election boundaries and would let us weigh its usefulness every decade.

The fact that a Republican congress granted this power to a Democratic president makes me believe they really thought it would be a good idea.  I can certainly see the benefit of having some way to eliminate pork.  Can you say $500,000,000 bridges to nowhere?

Yes, I have a great fear that it would be abused, which is why it should be limited in scope to only apply to budget bills.  And if it doesn't work out, hey, it won't last much longer than Bush's presidency and it would certainly cause a lot less harm.  In other words, it's potentially beneficial enough to be worth trying.
I would like to see a
Submitted by Prometheus 6 on March 6, 2006 - 4:17pm.
I would like to see a line-item veto bill with a sunset clause that required it be renewed every 10 years.

I have never seen a sunset provision of any significance that was allowed to expire.
In other words, it's potentially beneficial enough to be worth trying.
And all it will take to implement it is a consititutional amendment.
"In other words, it's
Submitted by chatterbox (not verified) on March 7, 2006 - 1:21pm.
"In other words, it's potentially beneficial enough to be worth trying."
And all it will take to implement it is a consititutional amendment.
If you really believe that, why even write this post?  Obviously there is no point to discussing pending legislation for a line-item veto if it can't happen.

Constitutionality often depends on very fine wording.  It's possible Bush's people really have figured out something that will squeek by the Supreme Court.  Especially this Supreme Court.
If you really believe that,
Submitted by Prometheus 6 on March 7, 2006 - 2:25pm.
If you really believe that, why even write this post?

Because unconstitutional things happen when people aren't paying attention.
The line item veto was
Submitted by Jim (not verified) on March 7, 2006 - 6:56pm.
The line item veto was passed by Congress before the election of Bill Clinton. It went into effect with the installation of a new president and Bill won the election. If Bob Dole had won then he would have had the line item veto.  Until it was overturned.

I would be very concerned with it being a political weapon with any president and am against the idea.
If we are to have another line item veto bill then I like the idea of it being for the next president. I do not trust George in any way.