Flexing the Line-Item Veto Muscle

It is unfortunate that the Governor sided with bureaucrats and business as usual instead of the taxpayers and transparency this week when he used his line item veto authority on the budget this year. He struck cost saving measures that would have provided at least some transparency. While the Governor struck cost saving measures he did sign into law the largest budget in Iowa's history that leaves the taxpayer staring at a $900 million hole for next year, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Service Agency. This is reality and unfortunately the Governor and his Democratic allies at the Capitol this year stuck their collective heads in the sand like an ostrich hoping good times will come again. This is not a show of leadership skills but simply more political rhetoric and grandstanding from a group of politicians that have been warned for three years that their explosive spending was going to drive this state into the red yet they failed to listen.

There is a spending problem in this state and the Governor and his Democratic allies need a lesson in frugality as the taxpayer cannot afford more of the same old tired political games. Reform is needed and Republicans are ready and willing to lead that charge for the taxpayer to help protect their money from those that want to spend it on pork barrel projects and over $120 million in salary increases for state employees. Lets hope that someday common sense will win out.