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From: js2j@mhuxt.UUCP (sonntag)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Line Item Veto at Presidential Level
Message-ID: <1405@mhuxt.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Feb-86 10:27:03 EST
Article-I.D.: mhuxt.1405
Posted: Fri Feb 21 10:27:03 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Feb-86 09:09:38 EST
References: <155@jc3b21.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill
Lines: 39

> This morning I saw a Senator on CNN saying that
> if the President got his line item veto, it would
> upset the separation of powers and allow the
> President to say, "If you don't vote for this
> piece of legislation I'm pushing, I'll veto this
> program that is vital to your area from the
> budget." 

    If he vetos something that actually *is* vital from the budget, he will
lost popularity for doing it, and 2/3 of congress should be able to agree to
override him.  If 2/3 of congress can't agree that this item is a good thing,
then maybe it wasn't actually vital at all.

> [he said the president could be like a]   (sorry for the paraphrase, but I
					     deleted one line too many)
> dictator. I can certainly see this is possible,
> especially in this country, the way it is now.

     Dictators tend to be people who can force a country's government to do
things extremely unpopular with the vast majority of the population.  Exactly
how would a line-item veto enable the pres to do this?

> But, one has to ask how come there are over
> 35 governors out there who have line item veto
> and who, apparently, haven't tried to dictate
> in the manner mentioned earlier...
> 
> Line item veto power would, on the good side, allow
> the President to have greater control over the budget
> which has put us in DEEP debt over the years.

      Agreed.  One would hope that a line item veto would spell the end to 
tobacco and milk price supports, and many other 'pet' cash flows various
factions support.

> Emery Mandel
-- 
Jeff Sonntag
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