This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Over the years, I have been an outspoken critic of Sen. Orrin Hatch for taking Democrats to task whenever they resort to the same tactics that he and his Republican colleagues routinely use. However, when I read that Hatch was the only member of Utah's congressional delegation to vote against going over the "fiscal cliff," I had a brief glimmer of hope that maybe the senator was setting politics aside.
Unfortunately, Hatch proved me wrong in his op-ed, "Spending cuts needed" (Tribune, Jan. 5), wherein he accused President Barack Obama of wanting to "keep spending on the nation's credit card with no limit."
Hatch conveniently failed to mention that it was his own party under President George W. Bush that turned a record surplus into a record deficit by starting two wars fought entirely on credit while drastically reducing government revenue through tax cuts for the rich, with Hatch's support every step of the way.
Maybe I'm being unrealistic, but I still hope for the day when Utah elects a senator with the integrity to actually practice what he or she preaches.
Blair Bateman
Provo