I was frankly surprised when Gov. Brewer vetoed the bill that would have given a governor’s commendation to students with 200 hours of community service. She did the right thing but messed up the explanation.

This was just the kind of political bling politicians crave. No downside, just take credit for signing the popular bill. Stage photo-ops with clean looking teens. Give short speech about how teens deserve more credit, the future is in good hands, etc.

Why would anybody turn down an opportunity like this? Well, a couple of reasons.

One is that many of today’s youth are being raised with constant commendation which they learn to crave. Maybe they’re better off just taking satisfaction from volunteering for its own sake or because they believe in the cause. Demanding validation from government is a little shaky.

The other thing is this is just the kind of minutia that legislative critics rant about. David Schapira, the bill’s sponsor, is a leader of the faction that loves to complain about the legislature’s lack of priority, wasting all their time on trivia while the big picture is ignored. I guess it’s different when it’s your trivia.

The governor denied any partisanship (gasp!) in her decision, claiming the separation of powers doctrine forced her hand. But that’s lame.

Her “don’t tell me what to do” attitude exposes her confusion about her own role. It is precisely the legislature’s duty to make the laws and the governor’s duty to carry them out. Check it out. It’s in all the introductory texts on government.