This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Contrary to popular belief, Utah does not have conservative congressional representatives, and the recent vote on the 2,000-plus-page, $1.6 trillion omnibus spending bill proves it. Sen. Orrin Hatch and Reps. Chris Stewart, Jason Chaffetz, Mia Love and Rob Bishop all voted for the bill (only Mike Lee voted against it).
It is a spending bill that tramples conservative principles. It adds to the massive deficit. It fully funds Obamacare. It fully funds Planned Parenthood. It fully funds sanctuary cities. It funds nearly 300,000 visas for Muslim migration. It provides for every dime of Obama's climate agenda. It fully funds Obama's unconstitutional, illegal immigration agenda. It increases unskilled foreign workers who compete directly with American workers, and it provides goodies and tax breaks for insiders and crony capitalists.
It provides for almost every item Obama and the Democrats wanted. Voters handed the Congress to Republicans to fight against the Obama agenda, not uphold it and fund it. But that is exactly what they have done. And that is exactly what Hatch, Stewart, Chaffetz, Bishop and Love have done. They have sided with Obama, Reid and Pelosi.
Utah Democrats essentially have had their agenda supported and implemented by the majority of the Utah Republican representatives. Wake up, conservative Utahns.
Gary Russon
Salt Lake City