Liberal think tank gives 4 Utahns F's

WASHINGTON — Utah's congressional delegation is doing little to protect the interests of America's middle class, according to an annual report card by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, a "progressive" think tank inspired by the 1960s civil rights movement.

Based on their 2004 voting records on 14 bills, Reps. Rob Bishop and Chris Cannon , both Utah Republicans, did not vote correctly on any of the bills, the institute said, and both were given an F grade.

Sens. Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch, also Republicans, received failing grades, with Hatch voting for the middle class 14 percent of the time and Bennett 17 percent.

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, did slightly better, voting in favor of the middle class 43 percent of the time, but still scored a D grade.

"This is just one of a thousand different score cards, and I am generally dismissive of score cards," Matheson said. "I do not keep score, and I am happy to talk about any individual vote I take. But score cards that take a handful of votes really distort what the voting records really are."

The institute noted that Matheson improved over 2003 when he voted in favor of middle-class legislation 33 percent of the time.

Bennett shares Matheson's perspective. "Senator Bennett doesn't cast his votes in the hopes he'll get a high score from one group or a lower score from another. He votes his conscience and in the best interest of his constituents," said spokeswoman Mary Jane Collipriest.

"We're honored," said Bishop's spokesman Scott Parker. "Anything higher than a zero (from a liberal organization) would have been a disappointment."

As a whole, the Utah congressional delegation's average voting record on middle-class issues was 15 percent.

"The middle class is in danger of being completely overwhelmed by higher prices and stagnant wages, making it even harder for working Americans to climb their way up the economic ladder," said Andrew Young, chairman of the institute. "Yet, the middle class was a casualty of unusually polarized ideological battles in 2004, where party-line votes were the norm and bipartisan cooperation was rare."

The score card, "Middle Class 2004: How Congress Voted," is calculated by giving equal weight to 14 votes on legislation affecting the middle class, based on annual incomes between approximately 200 percent of the federal poverty level and the nation's top 5 percent wage earners, roughly $25,000-$100,000.