Giving Wisconsin’s Governor the ‘Vanna White’ Veto Is a Mistake
The state Supreme Court just gave the chief executive power to extend appropriations for 400 years.
You’ve been warned.
Photographer: Christopher Willard/ABC via Getty Images
If you get a bill from the IRS that says you underpaid last year’s taxes by $5,000, you can’t cross out the last zero and remit only $500. If the lease for your cubby of an apartment in TriBeCa says “$8,000 per month through 2025, to increase to $8,500 in 2026 and $9,000 in 2027,” you can’t slice words and digits until the line reads “$8,000 per month through 2227.” And if your car warranty runs for “50,000 miles or 36 months, whichever comes first,” you can’t rewrite the term to read “50,000 months.”
But if you’re the governor of Wisconsin, you can use those tricks and more to rewrite appropriations bills, creating new laws as you like, all in the guise of casting a veto. That’s the implication of last week’s decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, upholding what has been labeled the “Frankenstein” or “Vanna White” veto.