That's nothing. I don't know whether this link will function, but if not, image search for "Thompson's pen is a sword Green Bay Press Gazette". The article was far more infamous for the early edition of the paper that went out missing a space in the headline, but it describes the way that Gov. Tommy Thompson used to tear through budget bills with the line-item veto. He'd make hundreds and hundreds of changes, sometimes crafting entirely new law.
A broken system, indeed.