Edit: We need to stifle vexing vetoes
Gov. Butch Otter had his veto gun locked and loaded.
The post-blast carnage left more than a few reams of paper blown to smithereens.
Among the good legislation our governor banished to bill hell was a civil asset forfeiture measure that had received strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, as well as a powerful endorsement from the state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. How often do Idaho Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly agree on a bill targeting the constitutionality of certain activities and earn an ACLU hug along the way? So rarely, apparently, that Gov. Otter panicked and blew this one up.
While we think he made one of the worst decisions of his gubernatorial tenure, that’s not really the point of this editorial. The point is, what can Idahoans do to prevent a governor, any governor, from shooting down popular legislation — grocery tax repeal, anyone? — that receives staunch support from their citizen legislators?
Last Friday and Saturday in The Press, a proposal by Sen. Steve Vick was outlined. But another Steve — Press reporter and columnist Steve Cameron — might have come up with something even better. More here.
* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "Huckleberries Online." Read all stories from this blog