Posted on: Tuesday, February 17, 2004

EDITORIAL
Legislative Democrats need ideas, not ploys

It's only been four decades or so, but the Hawai'i Legislature has finally awakened to the fact that our governor is extremely powerful.

In fact, some studies suggest that the centralization of powers in Hawai'i's governor is so extensive that he or she ends up being the most powerful chief state executive in the nation.

And it's certainly no coincidence that the Democrats who control the Legislature have decided to balance out those powers now that Hawai'i has a Republican governor after years of Democratic rule.

Republicans in the Legislature are understandably outraged by the effort. They tag it as nothing more than a naked power grab by Democrats accustomed to having their way.

That's somewhat unfair. Legislators, Democrats included, have complained in the past about the sweeping authority of the governor, even when he was of the same political party. And there may be room for some additional power-sharing, simply as a matter of political balance.

But the sweep of ideas up for consideration this year is amazing and goes far beyond what makes good sense. The Democrats are likely to lose their chance of making any adjustments if they appear to be greedy on so many fronts.

As detailed by Associated Press reporter Bruce Dunford, lawmakers are going after traditional gubernatorial powers on a variety of fronts. Some of the worst ideas appear to be dead already, although in the Legislature, nothing is ever finished until the final day.

One such poor idea would have repealed the right of a governor or mayor to veto rules and regulations developed by departments or state agencies. This is a direct assault on executive authority.

Another poor idea would have set up a "back door" system for appointments, other than the current system of the executive nominating and the Senate confirming or rejecting. That's a time-honored system best left alone.

Yet a third unacceptable proposal would forbid the governor to line-item veto any school-related appropriation. Yes, the public wants the public schools funded fully and completely, but the executive cannot be forced to come up with a financial plan when its hands are tied in some areas.

At the end of the day, the Democrats should stop worrying about reining in the governor or giving themselves more power. The real way to prevail in the Legislature is through strength of ideas.

And there's no need to change the system for that.