This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The recent comments of Sen. Orrin Hatch in "Obama and Hatch spar over taxes in dueling weekly addresses" (Tribune, Dec. 2) show how out of touch from reality the Republican Party is. After the GOP's decisive loss in the election it continues to cling to its failed policies.
The deficit was created primarily by the Bush tax cuts for the rich and the unpaid wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The responsible thing to do now is to modestly raise taxes on the wealthiest citizens.
This is exactly what President Obama campaigned on — and it is exactly what he is standing firm on. The only "bait-and-switch" that is going on (to use Hatch's words) is from the GOP.
Paying for Bush's wars should not come from cuts to Medicare or Medicaid or depriving our school children of a decent public education. Voters rejected this Republican scam last month.
Tad Calcara
Salt Lake City