Why does the President have the power to veto?

Question

Maybe I'm not seeing this in the wrong light, but it seems a bit unfair.

***Maybe I'm seeing this in the wrong light

Answer 1

Well, it's not entirely unfair. After all, if Congress wants to, they can override. They need a super-majority to do so.

If you really want to know, you could study up. While the Constitution was being written, the authors publicly debated why they were doing what they did. That is, they debated in writing, in the press.

You could read some of their arguments.

I bet if you typed "Constitution of the United States of America" into your favorite search engine, you hit sites that not only had it online for your reading pleasure, but would have the back-up material about WHY it says what it does.

The idea is that no one branch of government should be supreme.

If our current system worked (I know, haHA), Congress would be overriding Bush's vetos and he would NOT have been having everything his own way.

Well, if the system had worked he wouldn't have been in office at all, but that's another story.

Answer 2

The President and the state Governors have the veto power for exactly the political situation that exists today. The majority in the Senate, and it is not a large majority, nor one that represents a large majority of the American voters, is trying to force new decisions and legislation that the President believes are not in the best interests of the Americann people. He is therefore using his veto power to ensure that a really significant majority of American legislators and the American people really agree with the proposed changes. They can do that by overriding his veto.

The Presidents and Governors didn't come up with the veto power by their own proclamation. It was given to them out of necessity by the American people, for their own protection.

President Bush has used the veto with far greater restraint than President Clinton

Answer 3

Article One Section 7 of the Constitution. And, if the Congress passes the vetoed bill once again, the objections of the President notwithstanding, the bill becomes law. But, two-third of each house of the Congress has to re-enact the bill to over-ride that veto.

Answer 4

It's checks and balances. It was created to prevent any one governmental branch from gaining too much power. However, since we have a conservative Republican Judicial and Executive branch, the opposite has occurred. Anything that Congress proposes must go to the President, and since he has the power to veto, he decides what can and cannot happen.

Answer 5

Recently Bush vetoed a children's health insurance law that was voted in by Congress.
Watch the news for the next couple of weeks and you will see the Congress vote whether to override that veto.
Let's see who gets their way; Bush or Congress.

Answer 6

You probably are seeing it in the wrong light.

Today, the legislatures could establish a law that says that the president cannot mobilize troops without its approval first. Suppose while the senate is out on vacation, North Korea nukes us, and we can't respond for a month after they've sent troops into our country and started randomly killing citizens. The idea is, 51% of people can still be wrong.

Answer 7

The checks and balances built into our government. The President can also ask for a law but its up to congress to pass it. That way no one entity has more power than the other.

Answer 8

Balance of powers. However, THIS president ignores the 'other powers' with signing memos 'interpreting' the law, etc and direct agreements with other heads of state bypassing Congress (SPP) etc.

I'm for Balance of Powers, because today's good guy body or executive could be tomorrow's villain. I'm not for expanding the powers of one branch over the other by fast track trade authority, executive agreements or line item vetoes, however.

Answer 9

It's called checks and balances and it keeps a congress from becoming too powerful. Congress can do the same to the president.

Answer 10

Its part of the ever shrinking checks and balances system. Each branch has the power to overturn an action by another branch, thus insuring democracy.