Line-Item Veto Gets Mixed Score

Colbert’s Wayne Lythgoe has mixed feelings about giving presidents the same line-item veto authority that most governors enjoy. Generally, though, he thinks it would be a good tool.

“Just the threat of having the veto may stop some congressmen from sneaking pork into totally unrelated appropriations bills,” Lythgoe said.

Currently, the only choices available to a president who spots wasteful or otherwise undesirable expenditures in an omnibus appropriations bill are to grimace and let them go through or veto the whole bill and risk chaos for other programs while Congress comes up with another plan.

Because that risk seldom is accepted, lawmakers can cut deals to support one another’s pet programs and thus load up appropriations measures.

“If used properly,” Lythgoe says, the line-item veto “could eliminate a considerable amount of pork.”

But if it’s not used properly?

“If a president uses it for partisanship purposes …,” he said, “that could foster more pork.”

Lythgoe says he likes the idea of ending the amendments, or riders, through which spending projects sometimes are added to appropriations bills.

“Most of the pork gets in by riders/amendments to appropriations bills late in the process and usually is not known by the majority of Congress when they vote for these bills,” he said.

“I am not aware of any problems with governors having line-item veto power. I am sure some may abuse the privilege, but I believe that the ‘other side of the aisle’ would yell to the high heavens, getting the attention of the people and the media, which should be enough to stop any hanky-panky with the line-item veto.”

Lythgoe says he has faith that most presidents would use the tool to do what they believe is right.

“We could always revoke it if it was abused,” he said.

Food for thought

In Spokane this week, James May, executive vice president of the National Association of Broadcasters, called a plan to require free air time for political candidates “political food stamps for politicians.”

The free-time requirement is part of a campaign finance reform proposal being sponsored by U.S. Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Russ Feingold, D-Wis.

Would such “food stamps” be nourishment or junk food for the American political process?

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