Word out of Atlanta that State House members voted to override a dozen vetoes in about two hours Monday, the first day of the 2008 General Assembly, and then that the Senate sent the overrides into committee for study does not bode well for Georgians who had hoped the current session would be productive.
The vetoes were issued by Gov. Sonny Perdue near the end of last yearís session. The vetoed bills ranged from tax breaks for some lawmakers pet projects to a requirement that state agencies provide fiscal reports to lawmakers.
The overrides in such order show that disputes between the governorís office and lawmakers last year have not been solved. They are especially troubling since the majority of both houses of the legislature and the governorís office are held by Republicans and that differences could be developing between the Senate and House.
The bills vetoed were probably inconsequential, as Perdue says. But the recurrance of rancor that defined last yearís session would not be.
There are important issues that need to decided.
Top among the issues is how the state is going to address an ongoing and deepening water crisis.
The state officials need to put their personal differences aside and put the publicís business first.