Hatch's ego trips | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Re "Spending cuts needed," by Orrin Hatch (Tribune, Jan. 5):

Sen. Hatch speaks with forked tongue. He announces he will not vote to increase the debt limit and postures as a great defender of balanced budgets, thinking we will forget six years of Republican out-of-control spending.

In 2001, when President George W. Bush and Hatch took over Washington, the national deficit was $5.5 trillion and the Treasury showed budget surpluses. Eight years later, they left a deficit of $11.4 trillion. I guess deficits only matter when Democrats occupy the White House.

Hatch's crowd started two wars and, as they had already cut taxes, they borrowed money to finance them. Republicans passed the $400 billion prescription drug act for seniors and provided no way to pay for it. They even prevented Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices.

Hatch's recent diatribe blaming President Barack Obama for every problem the country has is silly, even by Hatch's standards. He conveniently forgets to mention the huge problems left to Obama by Republicans. Spare us these self-serving, self-promoting ego trips

Ron Swenson

St. George