This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Does Utah really need another six years from a senator who takes his marching orders from the Koch brothers? Does Utah need a senator who puts party and partisanship ahead of country? Utah doesn't need another six years of Orrin Hatch as one of its senators. Sen. Hatch's current term is a great example of why he should not be re-elected. Hatch's efforts in concert with his party in denying a vote to Judge Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination was nothing short of denying the will of the people. President Barack Obama was elected for a four-year term and was expected to serve all of it, which he did. That included nominating Supreme Court judges.
Hatch's rabid support of Donald Trump who was and is the least qualified person to hold the presidency is an example of party before country. Hatch may hate Hillary Clinton, but the country would be running a whole lot smoother than it is now. What America and Utah need right now is a U.S. senator to stand up to Trump instead of being a Sen. Rubber Stamp to everything that Trump wants to enact.
In the next two years of Hatch's term, Utahns need to watch as he supports efforts to make health care less affordable and available for Americans, allow oil and gas industries to drill on protected lands, allow Wall Street to run amok circa 2007-08 and let the environment go to hell, all in the name of the Republican Party, while betraying America and Utah. Whoever runs against Hatch gets my vote. Enough is enough.
Ryan Hinkins
Salt Lake City