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PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd is set for a stoush with the ACT Government over territory laws allowing same-sex civil union ceremonies. Mr Rudd has told caucus that although informal discussions had been held with ACT Government, no decision had been made yet about whether to veto the laws. But ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the Federal Government had already demanded the laws be reworked, and had indicated a willingness to intervene. Mr Stanhope met with federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland yesterday to discuss the new legislation. "They are prepared to intervene to overturn the recent amendments to the civil union...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2009 – American forces are waiting to see what effect the veto of Iraqi election legislation may have on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq said in Baghdad yesterday. “I think we’re set up and we’re flexible enough between now and the first of May,” Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said. “So … we won’t have to make any decisions until the late spring.” Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi’s veto of an election law recently passed by Iraq’s legislature that would allow the election to take place has thrown the...

WASHINGTON ---- It may be highly improbable mathematically, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Friday that the encoded profanity contained in one of his veto messages was "a wild coincidence." Speaking to reporters at the White House, the Republican governor said: "That was a total coincidence. It was one of those wild coincidences." The first letter in seven lines of the message, when read from top to bottom, combine to spell out "F• you."

Schwarzenegger drops F-bomb in veto message to lawmaker By DAVID K. LI Last Updated: 10:50 PM, October 28, 2009 Posted: 12:24 PM, October 28, 2009 Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped a subtle f-bomb on a bitter political rival in a possible payback for the lawmaker’s recent heckling the California governator. The Golden State’s leading man has Sacramento buzzing with his written explanation of vetoing a finance bill sponsored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco). Down the left-hand margin of Schwarzenegger’s open correspondence, the first words of successive lines were: "For," "unnecessary," "care," "kicks," "Yet," "overwhelmingly" and "unnecessary." The first letters, of course,...

There is absolutely no way I’ll be able to make this relevant to tech. But I’m posting it anyway. Our Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, vetoed a California legislative finance bill – AB 1176. The letter is terse and to the point. And the first letter of each line in paragraphs 2-3 are even terser and more to the point. Schwarzeneggers battles with the state legislature are epic. But this just goes way beyond epic. It’s something for the history books. (click the link to view the message...)

SACRAMENTO -- Did Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office use a coded veto message to send the f-bomb to Tom Ammiano, soon after the San Francisco assemblyman made news by telling the governor to "kiss my gay ass"? Schwarzenegger's people say no. But the X-rated evidence is hard to miss in a message that Schwarzenegger sent to explain why he was vetoing an Ammiano bill dealing with financing for the Port of San Francisco. A straight reading of the guv's letter laments "the fact that major issues are overlooked while many unnecessary bills come to me for consideration," and concludes, "I believe...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers failed to reach final agreement on ways to solve the state's water problems Sunday, but the governor nevertheless released scores of bills after concluding some progress had been made. Schwarzenegger's action reversed a threat last week in which he vowed to kill "a lot" of the 704 bills on his desk unless he and legislators reached an agreement. The governor said progress in closed-door talks was enough so that he is calling a special session on water, and discussions could continue. It was not announced when the session will start. "While we still have a...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened publicly Thursday what he has hinted privately for days: He will veto many of the 700-plus bills on his desk unless a water deal is struck this week. "I made it very clear to the legislators and to the leaders that if this does not get done, then I will veto a lot of their legislation, a lot of their bills, so that should inspire them to go and get the job done," he said. Schwarzenegger's threat came at the end of remarks to the Association of Community College Trustees' Leadership Congress in San Francisco. Hours...

In the latest round of Capitol brinksmanship, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill honoring Vietnam veterans and threatened to kill 72 other proposals on his desk because he said lawmakers have ignored his priority issues. The Senate withdrew all of its 43 bills from the Republican governor's desk for temporary safekeeping. But in an act of defiance, the Assembly left on his desk a bill that would designate March 30 as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day." "I dare the governor to veto this bill," said Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, D-Newark, before the close of Tuesday's session. Shortly afterward, Schwarzenegger...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has demanded that both houses withdraw 73 bills awaiting action on his desk as an apparent bargaining chip in the final days of the session. He has threatened to veto any bills that he must act on by the end of business Wednesday. Though an e-mail circulated to Senate chiefs of staff says the request is to provide the governor's office with more time to act on the bills, an e-mail sent to Assembly chiefs of staff and a statement by Schwarzenegger's communications director point to the host of large issues still looming over legislators' heads with...

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Gov. Jodi Rell said she will use her line-item veto power to comb through a budget approved by the General Assembly early Tuesday morning. The bill passed the Democrat-controlled House on a 103-45 vote at about midnight. All House Republicans voted in opposition of the bill, joined by nine Democrats. The Democrat-controlled Senate passed it 22-13 early after 2 a.m. Tuesday, with one Democrat voting with the opposing GOP. Rell said she will not sign the budget because she doesn't agree with it, but that she will not veto it. She said the budget would take effect...

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, filed suit Monday in San Francisco Superior Court to block nearly $500 million in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's July line-item budget vetoes. Steinberg asked the court to prevent Schwarzenegger and state Controller John Chiang from imposing cuts to programs ranging from Healthy Families to the Department of Parks and Recreation. Chiang, a Democrat, is named in the suit as a formality because he is responsible as controller for carrying out Schwarzenegger's vetoes. The Republican governor, in signing the vetoes, said he was forced to cut a wide range of programs because the Assembly sent...

UNSATISFIED WITH the amount of spending reductions agreed to by the Legislature, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used his line-item veto to cut another $489 billion out of the state budget. It may well be that even more drastic spending cuts need to be made, but the governor may have overstepped the law with his vetoes, not to mention the additional hardships that could be placed on needy Californians. The extra budget spending reductions he made at the end of July took nearly $80 million that pays for workers who help abused and neglected children and $50 million from Healthy Families, which...

Obama has said lots of things, but rarely has he said anything that would make the GOP happy. In a recent conference call with liberal bloggers, Obama took a question from a blogger in Maine who may or may not still be free to express his views, especially since his question has come to make Obama look a bit uninformed and got him to say he would not sign the current health care bill. Yes folks, the lost seconds of the following audio actually have Obama saying as much. Listen to him say he won't sign it if.... (Now that's...

The Democrat-controlled Congress is challenging President Obamas resolve to cut an Air Force fighter plane program - a move the White House calls the first major test of its efforts to curb runaway spending and slash unneeded projects. Mr. Obama and his spending-cut allies on Capitol Hill are going head-to-head with powerful Democratic committee chairmen and lawmakers from both parties with home-state interests in building the F-22 Raptor who are trying to add money for the fighter plane over the objections of the president and the Pentagon. "The Pentagon doesn't want this plane; the Pentagon doesn't think we need this...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives was poised to approve on Thursday a $550.4 billion defense authorization bill for fiscal 2010 that has drawn a veto threat from President Barack Obama because it contains money for fighter jets he does not want.

WASHINGTON — Preparing for a possible showdown with Congress, the White House has threatened to veto a $680 billion military spending bill if it contains money for jet fighters the Pentagon doesn't want. In a statement of administration policy, President Barack Obama's Office of Management and Budget said the $369 million a House committee added to the bill for 12 additional F-22 fighters runs counter to the "collective judgment" of the military's top leaders.

NRA is feeling betrayed. Another one of their endorsed politicians has broken his vows. (Guys, guys, guys...) Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen vetoed a bill that would allow concealed carry permit holders to retain their firearms in establishments that serve alcohol. “The notion that this bill would permit one to carry a concealed weapon into a crowded bar at midnight on a Saturday night defies common sense, and I cannot sign such a measure into law,” Gov. Bredesen said. This despite a weasel-worded campaign pledge to support "such a measure". Yes, I would support such legislation. (I would support any such...

Alaska legislators are discussing an attempt to override Gov. Sarah Palin's budget vetoes, which included a controversial rejection of $28.6 million in energy money. That's a difficult challenge requiring a 75 percent majority vote in both houses of the Legislature; such votes are rarely held. Palin maintained that accepting the federal energy stimulus money for Alaska would require pushing to adopt a statewide building code; legislative leaders said it did no such thing. In reality, many municipal governments already meet the building code requirements, and it's likely the state already fulfills or is on its way to fulfilling the requirements,...

TALLAHASSEE — As more people in Florida seek concealed weapons permits, Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson wants Gov. Charlie Crist to veto a $6-million raid on a fund that pays for the program. Bronson's request presents a timely opportunity for Crist to score political points with gun owners just as he's embarking on a race for the U.S. Senate. In a letter to Crist, Bronson cited "unprecedented growth" in applications for gun permits that has created a "tremendous backlog" of cases to be processed. All applicants are subject to criminal background checks. To balance the $66.5 billion state budget that takes...

examiner.com — Almost nobody expected Governor Tim Kaine's veto of HB 1851 to be sustained by the Virginia General Assembly after Kaine insulted military members with his dishonest veto message. But "the biggest surprise of the day" was the flip flop votes of 6 Virginia Senate Democrats . . .

When the Iowa Supreme Court kicked off last weekend by approving same-sex marriage, conservatives across the board were saddened. Needless to say, Vermont’s decision as the fourth state to join the team, so to speak, is nothing less than a slap in our faces. Tuesday morning the Legislature voted to override Republican Gov. Jim Douglas’ veto of a bill permitting homosexuals to marry. With an override vote of 23-5 in the Senate and 100-49 in the House, Vermont is the first state to legalize gay and lesbian marriage with a legislature’s vote. It’s time to wake, Conservatives. The madness doesn’t...

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont has become the fourth state to legalize gay marriage — and the first to do so with a legislature's vote.

Virginia Governor Kaine insults military with gun bill veto -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Last week National Democratic Party Chairman and part-time Virginia Governor Tim Kaine was labeled by the Washington Times as "out of touch" for vetoing almost every pro-gun bill this year for "mindless" reasons. . . . But Kaine's veto of one gun bill takes the cake by insulting American military personnel with a clearly erroneous veto message. . . . See more at http://www.examiner.com/x-2782-DC-Gu...t-veto-message

When Tim Kaine campaigned for Virginia governor in 2005, he ran an ad implying that former National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston was praising him. His campaign claimed that "Tim Kaine strongly supports the Second Amendment." Once he won office, Mr. Kaine vetoed one gun bill after another that would have helped Virginians protect themselves from criminals. Unfortunately, this past week, Mr. "strong Second Amendment supporter" Kaine vetoed all five pro-self-defense bills sent to his desk. His intransigence endangers public safety. Hopefully, the General Assembly's veto-override session, which starts today, can correct those mistakes. All five vetoed bills passed with...

When Tim Kaine campaigned for Virginia governor in 2005, he ran an ad implying that former National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston was praising him. His campaign claimed that "Tim Kaine strongly supports the Second Amendment." Once he won office, Mr. Kaine vetoed one gun bill after another that would have helped Virginians protect themselves from criminals. Unfortunately, this past week, Mr. "strong Second Amendment supporter" Kaine vetoed all five pro-self-defense bills sent to his desk. His intransigence endangers public safety. Hopefully, the General Assembly's veto-override session, which starts today, can correct those mistakes. All five vetoed bills passed with...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   Governor Vetoes Numerous Pro-Gun Bills in Virginia!   Saturday, March 28, 2009   Please Contact Your State Legislators! In his attempt to appease his liberal, anti-gun colleagues as the new Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Governor Tim Kaine (D) opposed retired law enforcement officers, members of the U.S. Armed Services (including the Virginia National Guard), and law-abiding Right-to-Carry permit holders by vetoing five pro-gun bills.  Senate Bill 1035, Senate Bill 877, Senate Bill 1528, House Bill 1851, and House Bill 2528 were passed with strong bi-partisan support with veto-proof majorities in both...

In his attempt to appease his liberal, anti-gun colleagues as the new Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Governor Tim Kaine (D) opposed retired law enforcement officers, members of the U.S. Armed Services (including the Virginia National Guard), and law-abiding Right-to-Carry permit holders by vetoing five pro-gun bills. Senate Bill 1035, Senate Bill 877, Senate Bill 1528, House Bill 1851, and House Bill 2528 were passed with strong bi-partisan support with veto-proof majorities in both the Senate and House. It is imperative that you contact your state legislators TODAY and respectfully request that they vote to override the Governor’s veto...

MONTPELIER, Vermont, March 25, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas said today that he would veto a bill the Senate passed Monday that would open the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, reports the Associated Press (AP).Douglas had indicated earlier that he thought the state's civil unions for same-sex couples were enough, and that he was against same-sex "marriage."  The Democratic-dominated Vermont Senate voted 26-4 Monday in favor of the bill, S. 115, which would redefine marriage as "the legally recognized union of two people."  The House is now considering similar legislation.The AP reports Douglas also...

President Obama expressed frustration with the $410 billion omnibus spending bill that he signed last Wednesday, and rightly so. Packed with pork projects inserted by congressional Republicans and Democrats who are better at speechifying about fiscal responsibility than practicing it, the measure passed through the Senate on a no-accountability voice vote. The real test of where senators stood came in a procedural vote on whether to shut down debate and call the question. Sixty-two senators -- 52 Democrats, two independents who caucus with the Democrats and eight Republicans -- voted yes. Thirty-five senators -- 32 Republicans and three Democrats --...

A bipartisan group is giving the line-item veto another go at it, albeit with some key tweaks, more than a decade after the Supreme Court struck down the procedure as unconstitutional. Sens. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Wednesday will announce the introduction of a Line-Item Veto Act, which would enable the president to strike individual items like earmarks from a spending bill before signing it. The White House has signaled that it is open to the idea. Asked about being given that authority, spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters last week: "Well, I...

State lawmakers cut Florida's budget by more than $2.5 billion during their recently-completed special session, but Gov. Charlie Crist has vetoed almost a quarter of the spending reductions. About $90 million that would have been cut from the budget is being spared. Items that Crist vetoed, meaning they will stay in the budget, include: $29 million for teachers, autism education and Florida School for the Deaf and Blind $23 million for food stamps, disability agencies, mental health and substance abuse treatment $16 million to keep 118 probation officers working, as well as substance abuse and guardian ad litem programs The...

Does Congress have the right to determine whether or not it will obey a clause of the Constitution or veto that clause if it disagrees with the clause? The founders of ArticleV.org say it does now.Background on Walker v Members of Congress The [federal] district court [in Seattle], in Walker v United States and again in Walker v. Members of Congress extended what is known as the Coleman doctrine, based on the lawsuit, Coleman v Miller, 307 U.S. 433 (1939) to include not only the amendatory process previously controlled by Congress as stipulated by Article V, but the convention method...

Today President Bush vetoed the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill that would have led to financial misappropriations and would have altered the original objective for the program. Instead of covering low-income children, the new bill would have included middle-income adults as well as illegal aliens. According to Senator McConnell (R-KY), the bill introduced by the Democrats will only lead to an expansion of SCHIP beyond its original intentions and lead to government run healthcare for everyone. McConnell stated that, "if Democrats want to expand government run health care, they should do it in the light of day." The...

The ink had barely dried on Gov. Janet Napolitano’s signature to veto a bill that would have lifted a key restriction on carrying a concealed weapon when lawmakers, undeterred, sent another piece of gun legislation to her desk. The second bill, which would have reduced the penalty for gun misconduct, suffered the same fate. The successive vetoes, which occurred last year, illustrate what has come to define the relationship between Napolitano and the Legislature during her tenure in Arizona. Napolitano generally does not comment publicly on pending legislation, giving lawmakers little or no indication whether a signature or a veto...

Isn't it time for conservatives and supporters of free enterprise, individual liberty, and capitalism in the Congress and elsewhere to do the political equivalent of sitting down in the snow? When told by the new administration, the majority party in Congress, and the mainstream media to walk straight, isn't it time to zig and zag?

Savor the occasional cause for optimism that top leaders can value teamwork over turf in the contentious area of transportation financing. Take the years of squabbling over how Texas can scrape up billions of dollars to catch up with road-building needs. Suddenly, there's positive movement, first from Gov. Rick Perry last week. He told this newspaper's transportation writer, Michael Lindenberger, that he would not use his veto to obstruct a move by lawmakers to index the lagging motor-fuels tax to inflation. "If it is the will of the people, and of the Legislature, I suspect I would go along with...

More than 400 university professors and academic staff have sent a letter of protest to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, objecting to his veto last month of $5.4 million for a University of California labor research program and asking that the money be restored. At a time when unemployment in California is reaching a level not seen in decades, the letter said, the governor's action appears to be politically motivated and an excuse to ax a program his fellow Republicans have sought to kill. Its critics have said it is too close to unions. "It violates the basic principle of the freedom...

Sacramento, Oct 4, 2008 / 04:23 pm (CNA).- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last Tuesday vetoed a bill that would have instated a statewide “Harvey Milk Day” in honor of the homosexual rights hero and encouraged public schools to observe the day by conducting “exercises remembering and recognizing” his life. The vetoed bill AB 2567 was proposed by Assemblyman Mark Leno, a San Francisco Democrat. It would have set May 22, Milk’s birthday, as “a day of special significance” and required the governor to proclaim Harvey Milk Day on May 22 every year, the California Catholic Daily reports.“This bill would put...

After a tumultuous year, lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger finally get a break from one another – and, boy, do they need it. Democrats grew angry this week after Schwarzenegger finished vetoing 35 percent of the bills on his desk, a modern record. They're particularly incensed that the Republican governor issued a standard message for 136 of his 415 vetoes in which he blamed the state's 85-day budget delay. Schwarzenegger's unusual veto approach capped a divisive two months in which he turned combative with lawmakers as budget talks broke down. The governor drew their ire in late July after signing...

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a proposed Harvey Milk Day. The measure would have set aside the birthday of the slain gay activist/politician in his memory and encourage public schools to commemorate and educate about the history of California's first openly gay politician. Schwarzenegger's veto came on the last day possible to kill the legislation introduced by openly gay Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and passed by lawmakers. In his veto message issued Tuesday, the governor explained his reasons for vetoing the measure. “I respect the author's intent to designate May 22nd as 'Harvey Milk Day' and a day...

For the second time in three years, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have established a government-run universal health care system. Senate Bill 840 by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, would have set up a single-payer system in which the state would assume the role that private insurance companies now play. In his veto message, the governor said he could not support "a bill that places an annual shortfall of over $40 billion to our state's economy."

New fallout from the state's historic budget standoff came Friday in the form of gubernatorial vetoes, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger blocked 18 bills and blamed his actions on the 85-day budget delay. The Republican governor signed a uniform veto message for 18 of the 27 bills he vetoed Friday that suggested he did not have enough time to review low-priority bills. Among the vetoed proposals were requirements that pet stores use humane methods in euthanizing rodents and restrictions on uses of human remains in exhibitions. "The historic delay in passing the 2008-2009 State Budget has forced me to prioritize the...

"Arnold has lost his mind." That's what one long-time GOP budget aide in California told me in response to news that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto the state budget. Everyone is confused by this latest action, because just a few weeks ago the governor was running around the state insisting on a tax increase to balance the budget. Now that conservative Republicans have won a major victory in forcing the majority Democrats to pass a no-tax-increase version, Arnold seethes that he wants a budget that puts "our fiscal house in order, and I promise the people of California that I...

Arnold Schwarzenegger has talked a good game about ending "crazy deficit spending" for five years, but he's been curiously unwilling to confront the Legislature over the state's hopelessly tangled budget. Belatedly, however, Schwarzenegger may be discovering his inner action movie hero, declaring "enough is enough," vowing to veto the ill-conceived budget that lawmakers approved early Tuesday morning, demanding big changes, and even threatening to reject "hundreds of bills" unrelated to the budget if the Legislature overrides his veto. It sets up a historic confrontation between the governor and legislators of both parties who have, it would appear, set aside their...

Just listened to a news conference held by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He says he's tired of the legislature treating taxpayers "like an ATM machine" and will therefore veto the budget just sent to him. He said that the budget pushes the problem into next year and that, if enacted, next year would require huge cuts in the school budget or huge tax increases. Schwarzenegger said that he expects the legislature to override his veto. If it does, he said, he will veto all the hundreds of other bills the legislature has sent him or will send him. After a...

Sacramento, Calif. (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will not sign the compromise budget proposal California lawmakers are considering unless they make more changes. His letter to the four legislative leaders says he wants more money put in a rainy day fund and tighter controls on when that money could be spent.

Excerpt - UNITED NATIONS (AFP)--The U.N. General Assembly on Monday agreed to begin negotiations on expanding the membership of the powerful Security Council no later than next Feb. 28. After hours-long bargaining, the assembly adopted by consensus a resolution on Security Council enlargement on the last day of its 62nd session. ~ snip ~ It said the aim was to "garner the widest possible political acceptance by member states." ~ snip ~ During the transitional period, a number of configurations including a repartitioning of seats on a regional basis and the most delicate, the veto- wielding power of the five...

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) – Not every Republican House member is ready to join House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R.-Mo.) in advising President Bush to veto any bill that extends the federal moratorium on new off-shore oil drilling leases past Sept. 30, when the current moratorium expires under law. Blunt told CNSNews.com last week that he would advise President Bush to veto any bill that extended the oil drilling moratorium and to have the Interior Department begin making preparations now so it would be able to issue leases in October when the moratorium will no longer exist. When asked about a...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday he will refuse to sign any bills that reach his desk until the Legislature sends him a budget agreement. "At this point, nothing in this building is more important than a responsible budget to fix our broken budget system," he said at a hastily called afternoon press conference. "So until the Legislature passes a budget that I can sign, I will not sign any bills that reach my desk." Schwarzenegger acknowledged that his decision "means some good bills will fail." But he said with a cash crisis looming, the late budget takes on even greater...