The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

Opinion

Discussion

May 6, 2007

Henry should stop vetoes, get involved in legislation

Gov. Brad Henry has been particularly wieldy with his veto pen this session.

First, he vetoed a budget that a bi-partisan Legislature came up with. His main beef was some of his favorite projects weren’t included in the budget, and he wasn’t included in the process. Legislative leaders had left open the door for those projects to be funded, but said they didn’t hold the same priority as the ones they came up with.

Then, the governor vetoed sweeping tort reform legislation that would have put Oklahoma on the map as one of the best states to practice medicine and do business.

Now, it appears he may veto an immigration reform bill that is very popular with public at large.

This from a governor who at the beginning of the session said he thought a real sense of bi-partisan progress would occur, particularly with the structure of the half-and-half Senate.

We’re not really sure what the governor is trying to prove by his vetoes of the first two bills. Other than a few projects, the budget the Legislature turned over to him mirrored almost exactly what he had come up with. And, with tort reform, the bill presented to him had 18 of 27 reforms the governor himself came up with.

The conventional thinking is he will be overridden if he vetoes the immigration bill.

The governor doesn’t really seem to be engaged with this legislative session for some reason. Perhaps that’s the reason for the vetoes — to show the Legislature he does have power.

However, the public at large doesn’t really “get” all the political practicalities that go on day to day at the Capitol. They just want to see meaningful bills and budgets passed.

For a session that started out so promising, it appears to us Gov. Henry is in danger of being perceived as an obstacle in getting the state’s business done. If the session ends without a budget deal, he’s the one who will have to take the heat for it.

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