(Montana Gov.) Schweitzer says he's likely to veto 'a lot of bills' from Legislature

[Newsjock]

Source: Missoulian

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer is likely to veto "a lot of bills" the 2011 Legislature sends to his desk, he said Monday.

Last fall, Schweitzer unsuccessfully sued the 2009 Legislature over the constitutionality of an appropriations bill he neither signed nor vetoed. District Court Judge Kathy Seeley responded by ruling that a veto was a legitimate option - and the better option - for the governor in that case.

On Monday, the governor said he plans to take the judge's advice when this session's legislation comes his way.

"If they're blatantly unconstitutional, I really have no choice," said Schweitzer during a meeting with the Missoulian editorial board.

The governor is a Democrat; House Republicans have the two-thirds vote to override a veto, but Senate Republicans would fall short, if votes adhere to party lines.

Read more: http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_03b3189c-2dbc-11e0-a814-001cc4c03286.html

[Hardrada]

1. We're not that fortunate in Iowa. We have Terry Branstad back

pushing more BS than ever before. But we still have the state senate to hold the line. The reougs really all have the same marching orders everywhere, don't they? Kill public unions and eliminate corporate taxes and regulations.

[MyrnaLoy]

2. Many of these

far-right state politicians have, for years, wanted the federal government out of state government. All of those "states rights" screams come at a cost. If you tell the fed to step back then the fed tells you to pay for it. We WILL be seeing states wanting to declare some sort of bankruptcy because they can't afford what they demanded the fed leave alone.

In these instances the middle class and poor suffer, those are the people the state first cuts loose. Highways, roads, and schools for the higher income neighborhoods and nothing for the middle class and poor. I don't know how long we have with this system but I do know it may get ugly.

[Hardrada]

3. Welcome to DU! And yes these far right types are very short-sighted.

Or cynical.

[MyrnaLoy]

4. Thank you!

I got to question a repub state attorney once and that is the question I asked. "What will you do when you've taken back what you consider state's rights, how will you pay for it?" He walked off the stage. I think we are seeing his response now, states going bankrupt, cities unable to invest in their infrastructure, bridges and highways in need of repair,schools closing.

How long will the middle-class and poor let short-sighted politicians wheel and deal their life away? Is the upheaval in Egypt really something that can't happen here?

[quaker bill]

5. Florida promises to be an interesting example

Given a tea party governor and republican supermajorites in both houses of the leg. They are arguing a bit about how deep to cut, but it is pretty deep either way.

[MyrnaLoy]

6. Yes, the mantra

"less federal government" is about to cost Florida and it's citizens a great deal. I sometimes think the fed should step back and say, "OK, we'll give you control, now fund it." When people talk about state's rights they almost always think about slavery and the civil war. That costs, sometimes it costs a lot. Would the states fund the things the federal government funds now or would they just cut the programs? Would Arizona be able to pay for it's own border control? Would it's citizens allow the tax hikes it would take?

[rasputin1952]

7. Welcome to DU...

TX has the same predicament, and they backed down.

Once some thought went into the "no Fed handout"/"let's secede" idiocy, Texans realized that they would be cut adrift, w/o any Fed cash flowing in, to include military bases, government contracts w/private companies, no protection from immigration, no funding for SS/Medicare/Medicaid...and no oil left to sell.

The vast majority of people don't realize just how much the Federal Government actually spends in many areas...in fact, they subsidize just about everything. Grain, Oil, cattle, hogs, medical care, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, manufacturing and just about everything that is used from water to cleaner air.

Teabaggers are just now realizing ghat their "dream" is really a nightmare. Less government equates to higher prices and far less services. Someone finally told them that all of the money they put into SS and Medicare would dry up, (actually, considering what they get compared to what they put in, they get a damn good return on that "investment"), and they would actually receive nothing for the rest of their lives...Rand Paul's idea of "change"; it became an "oh shit" moment.

Personally, I abhor government fraud, waste and abuse...but we don't allow the government to seek out and get rid of such things, we just complain about them. I turned in a Dr in AZ for fraud, because every six months he billed a retired mail carrier for a chest x-ray, and EKG and blood work that was never done. The man died of lung cancer, which would have been detected earlier if the x-rays were actually taken. He was investigated, charged with fraud, the AZ Medical Board revoked his license and he was fined $350,000, as well as sentenced to 18 months in Federal prison. The system works when we take action.

[MyrnaLoy]

8. Thanks!

It's too bad republicans don't yell and scream to stop that fraud, the one reason they don't is probably the fact that the fraud pays them very well.