TresSugar

The Decider Says He Doesn't Have to Follow Certain Laws

LibertySugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:00:39 -0700

After signing two bills into law this week, President Bush said that he could bypass numerous parts of the laws. In a signing statement Bush said a military authorization act and a measure giving inspectors general greater independence from the White House unlawfully constrained the president's constitutional powers.

So which parts will Bush ignore?

A section forbidding money from being used "to exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq."
A section requiring negotiations for an agreement by which Iraq would share some of the costs of the American military operation.
Two sections strengthening legal protections against political interference with internal watchdog officials at executive agencies.

The past 42 presidents have issued 600 signing statements combined while Bush himself has put out 1,100. Legal scholars assert that Bush's disobedience contradicts the rule of law, and the separations of power between Congress and the president. Do you think the next president will follow Bush's signing statements, or go even further by following his example of issuing many more signing statements?

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Senate Adds Billions of Domestic Programs to War Bill

LibertySugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:00:10 -0700

Eying its last chance to pass a spending bill this term, the US Senate has loaded up the Iraq and Afghanistan war funding bill with projects related and unrelated to the wars. Senate Leader Harry Reid's strategy includes separating the two types of funding, while recognizing that it will be difficult to overcome President Bush's looming veto.

The tangent projects, added by Senators of both parties, include:

$50 billion expansion of veterans benefits under the GI Bill
$100 million for local law enforcement to fight drug trafficking along the Mexico border
$50 million to track down child predators
$400 million for rural schools
$1 billion for heating subsidies for the poor
$350 million to fight western wildfires

The Senate's bill comes out to about $10 billion more than the $183.8 billion requested by Bush. Last year, President Bush was too busy objecting to a withdrawal timetable to worry about add-ons. Now that a timetable is off the table, the President is less worried about his flexibility and more focused on satisfactory details.

Is this a good way to legislate? If this is Congress' last opportunity to address crucial funding needs, like veteran benefits, should the legislative body just let the opportunity to pass because the president doesn't agree?

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Rhode Island Governor Vetoes Same-Sex Funeral Rights

TresSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Rhode Island's state legislature thought it would be a good idea to give same-sex partners the right to plan each other's funerals when one partner passes away. It's a right married couples have, of course. But Gov. Don Carcieri said: not so fast! The socially conservative leader vetoed the bill because it's part of a "disturbing trend" threatening heterosexual marriage. I'm confused. How does a gay person planning a loved one's funeral have anything to do with someone else's marriage?

Those who support the veto point out that Rhode Island recognizes neither gay marriage nor civil unions. Still, many people are shocked that the governor would intervene to deny same-sex partners some comfort during a hard time. The state's attorney general has called the veto "cruel and heartless," and lawmakers in the Democratically-controlled legislature said they would work to override the veto. Hopefully they will succeed!

DC Spiritual Leaders Protest Torture Veto

CitizenSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:00:59 -0700

Members and supporters of the Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture dressed as detainees yesterday during a demonstration orchestrated to "demand Congressional action to stop torture" on Capitol Hill. President Bush's veto of HR 2082 over the weekend - a bill that would prohibit all US intelligence agencies, including the CIA, from subjecting detainees to waterboarding, stress positions, hypothermia, and other forms of torture - was at the center of their protest.
The protest calls attention to broader spiritual concerns that reach beyond the walls of the Pentagon. The faith-based group says that torture "violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions hold dear." In his veto of the "anti-torture" bill, President Bush was careful to point out that he wasn't vetoing in favor of a specific technique like waterboarding, but rather because of the need for secrecy surrounding our techniques. To see what he said, read more. Bush said,

Section 327 of the bill would harm our national security by requiring any element of the Intelligence Community to use only the interrogation methods authorized in the Army Field Manual on Interrogations . . . My disagreement over section 327 is not over any particular interrogation technique; for instance, it is not over waterboarding, which is not part of the current CIA program. Rather, my concern is the need to maintain a separate CIA program that will shield from disclosure to al Qaeda and other terrorists the interrogation techniques they may face upon capture.

The "spiritually-rooted" ceremony drew attention to the broader reaching faith-based concerns over tactics of war. Does President Bush have an obligation to publicly oppose methods like waterboarding? Do you agree with his reasoning behind the veto? Can a coalition of the faithful inspire different thinking about the way we think about war?

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Schwarzenegger Vetoes Climate Change Curriculum Bill

LibertySugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:03:50 -0700

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill last week that would have required all future science textbooks to discuss climate change as a distinct subject. High school science material already includes the sometimes-controversial topic in the weather unit.

Governor Schwarzenegger explained that he supports teaching climate change in schools, but does not think state lawmakers should dictate specific curriculum.

While the general scientific consensus regarding climate change gets a meaningful boost from official backing, I appreciate Schwarzenegger's skepticism of legislating educational material. And as Schwarzenegger pointed out, state agencies are currently developing a K-12 environmental curriculum.

California has taken some official steps in addressing climate change; for example, new cars will soon be required to display a global warming score. Do you think the possibility for climate change curriculum offers another responsible response to the crisis, or should education be free from all mandates, even if honorable?

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Très Bizarre: Arnold Schwarzenegger Creatively Drops F-Bomb

TresSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:30:00 -0700

Either the governor of California has the sense of humor of a high schooler, or the profanity gods have joined forces to help Arnold Schwarzenegger send a curt message to a political rival. In this letter meant for assemblyman Tom Ammiano, the Governator explained why he vetoed funding for San Francisco's waterfront. If you look closely, you notice that the first letter of each line spells out a phrase that effectively gets the overall message across.

Harvey Milk: OK For a Movie, but Not For the Classroom

TresSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:30:00 -0700

When California sixth-grader Natalie Jones put together a research project about Harvey Milk, it received a near perfect grade. But, when it came time to share the Powerpoint presentation, Natalie's principal said parents would have to sign a permission slip before her classmates could see it during a special lunchtime period.

The principal explained that since Harvey Milk was gay, parents might object to their children learning about his life. But, Harvey's sexual orientation had nothing to do with Natalie's decision to research him. She said she chose Harvey as her subject not because of his gay activism, but because he stood up for all minorities. And while the school cited sex education policies for its decision, the ACLU says officials misapplied those guidelines and violated Natalie's freedom of speech.

Discussing the openly gay politician in California public schools might soon become less unusual (but probably equally controversial). State lawmakers are considering a bill that would declare May 22 "Harvey Milk Day." May 22 wouldn't be a holiday, but it would be an occasion for teachers to talk about Milk's fight for equal rights. Conservative groups are already mobilizing to urge Gov. Schwarzenegger to veto the bill that they say would teach students about "homosexual experimentation."

Do you think Natalie should have been able to present her project? Should public schools go even further and encourage teachers to introduce students to Harvey's life story?

To see video of Natalie discussing the controversy, read more.

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Vermont Legislature Is the First to Legalize Gay Marriage!

CitizenSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:41:52 -0700

Not even the veto of Governor Jim Douglas could stop the Vermont legislature's true love for gay marriage. Today, the state house and senate overrode a veto by 100-49 and 23-5, to become the first state to legislatively approve same-sex marriage. In other words, Vermont is the first state where the elected legislature, and not the court, legalized gay marriage.

Last week, Iowa's supreme court approved gay marriage, ruling that the state's ban was unconstitutional. Vermont joins Iowa, Connecticut, and Massachusetts as the only states in the US where all citizens can marry the person of their choice.

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Parting Gift For George W. Bush: Children's Health Care

CitizenSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:01:49 -0800

With 289 votes and no looming veto, the brand new House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday to expand the successful State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP). During his presidency, Bush whipped out his veto twice to kill similar legislation. Bush argued that the bill would extend coverage to high income children and eventually increase taxes by more than Congress planned.

If passed into law, the bill will provide $32.3 billion over about four years (financed by an increased tax on tobacco) in order to cover four million uninsured American children. The Senate should soon pass its version, and President Obama will likely sign it into law.

Since Democrats could never muster enough votes to override Bush's veto, the expansion of children's health care is one of the first signs of change. Do you think it's for the better?

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Front Page: Number of New Unemployment Filings Takes a Dip

TresSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:02:57 -0700

The number of US workers filing new unemployment claims fell last week, offering a hint of recovery. The job market and income growth are still weak. - Reuters
During his press conference last night, President Obama said that he believes waterboarding is torture. He also said he's off to a good start, but it is just a start. - Washington Post
New allegations suggest baseball slugger Alex Rodriguez used steroids in high school. - Boston Globe
Officials for the Miss California pageant admit that they paid for Miss California's breast implants weeks before she competed in Miss USA. - MSNBC
New Hampshire's state senate passed a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage yesterday. The House is expected to pass it, but it's unclear if the governor will veto it. - New York Times
After last night's elimination, American Idol is down to its final four. - BuzzSugar

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