Just Ten Good Reasons To Impeach Mr. Veto
In fact, Perry Vetoed 49 bills passed in the 2007 legislative session, after the legislature went home, so he could not be overridden. Mr. Veto would probably argue that he restrained himself from the record he set in 2001, when he vetoed 82 bills, more than any governor in any single legislative session in Texas history since reconstruction. According to Paul Burka of the Texas Monthly, 17 of this year’s Perry vetoes were simply to get back at legislators who crossed him on his precious mega-special interest driven Trans-Texas Corridor and HPV vaccine mandate.
1. In 2003, Perry and Mike Krusee (R-Round Rock) snookered their legislative colleagues by pushing through legislation for the Trans-Texas Corridor and freeway-to-tollway conversions, that few understood. The Governor, Krusee, Texas Transportation Commissioner, Ric Williamson, and a few others continue to force what the public simply will not accept. And a revolving door in Austin goes round and round. Our favorite example is Dan Shelley, a high powered lobbyist for CINTRA (the Spanish toll road consortium), who wound up working in the Governor’s office writing transportation legislation.
2. Vetoing the first Corridor/Toll moratorium bill (HB 1892), then deforming the second moratorium bill (SB 792) taking from ordinary Texans a clear, unadulterated shot at a 30 month moratorium on the Governor’s universally hated plan to build the massive Trans-Texas Corridor and his freeway-to-tollway privatization boondoggles. (Don't worry, folks -- this fight is far from over, as Texans are gearing up to give the Governor the political hell-on-earth he so deserves to put a stop to this.)
3. Vetoing eminent domain reform designed to protect private property rights and to stop the taking of over 1 million acres of prime farm and ranchland -- for the Trans-Texas Corridor -- the largest land seizure in United States history.
4. Calling three special sessions on mid-census redistricting, disenfranchising not only Democratic voters, but the state’s growing numbers of independent voters whose voting power is diminished when “swing” districts are eliminated. The redistricting violated the Voting Rights Act, campaign finance laws and necessitated huge expenditures of taxpayer dollars in endless lawsuits and legal maneuvers. (In the end, what did we get -- the downfall of DeLay, the revolt against Speaker Craddick -- still underway, and the people’s movement for Perry’s impeachment! But scoundrels never learn.)
5. Perry’s small business franchise tax, which has increased taxes for many small businesses by a ten-fold average! (This is no joke, folks -- straight from the National Federation of Independent Businesses.)
6. Vetoing no less than 2 bills and one appropriations rider to help the beleaguered Community College System, including $150 million health insurance for the community college employees, while admonishing the colleges to “follow state law”. Why doesn’t the Governor do the same thing by curbing his veto fetish?
7. Unbelievably vetoing a bill banning diesel-fueled school buses idling to curb bus emissions exposing children to fine particles that can trigger asthma attacks. This bill had widespread support, no voiced opposition (including the Governor’s office) and was drawn upon an initiative by the President!
8. Selling out consumer protection for homeowners by stacking the Texas Residential Construction Commission with appointees from the construction industry. For example, Perry took $690,000 from homebuilder Bob Perry (Perry Homes -- no relation) and appointed Perry Homes attorney, John Krush to the Commission. Former Comptroller Carole Strayhorn thought it was such a joke that she called for the abolition of the commission and welcomed a legal challenge by the Attorney General.
9. Mandating Texas girls be vaccinated against the HPV virus, before entering the 6th grade (to which the legislature gave the full Nelson, pinning Perry to the mat, undoing this Merck Pharmaceuticals special interest driven deed!) It turned out that Perry had received campaign money from Merck, as did much of the legislature, and his former chief of staff, Mike Toomey, is a lobbyist for Merck.
10. A series of vetoes put the Perry poison pen to bipartisan criminal justice reform that would slow the pace of incarceration and provide for alternative funding mechanisms. Meanwhile prison guards remain some of the worst paid workers in the state and, as a result, the state prisons are dangerously under guarded. (In fact, we hear the Governor thinks prison guards should be paid minimum wage for the privilege of putting their lives on the line every day.)
(H/T Independent Texans)
