Comments about ‘Who to elect?’

It still dumbfounds me that anyone thinks that Freddie and Fannie "caused" the economic meltdow..or even the housing meltdown. How did a government guarantee cause mortgage companies to securitize packages of mortgages, sell and trade them until the transactions became so complicated that it took PHD mathamaticians from Russia to untangle them, and then buy insurance against their default because they knew they would default.

Freddie and Fannie had a role to play in the whole mess but it certainly isn't a casual role. Even though they encouraged subprime mortages..without the ability and willingness to hide the risks that the mortgage companies and wall street porvided nothing would have happened.

Lastly those on the right who are constantly throwing Freddie and Fannie under the bus because they are the government (sort of), are the same people who scream about the future of their children and grand children. Well good luck to your grand kids in trying to buy a home without the availability of 30 year mortgages..and where do they come from..yup Freddie and Fannnie. Few if any sane mortgage companys will give a 30year mortgage without a guarantee.

When Orrin Hatch took office in 1977, federal debt was 34.8% of GDP. It is now over 100% of GDP.

Someone hasn't been doing his job.

Hatch's balanced budget amendment is a gimmick. Its only purpose is to create the appearance that he is doing something. It is impossible to balance a budget without cutting back on specific programs that are over budget. Hatch has proven his unwillingness to do this. It is time for him to go.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that Frank Gardiner is a Republican.

And as such, is guilty of voting for Orrin Hatch each and everytime over those last 36 years.

Let me clue you into the facts -
I've been trying to do exactly what you now want for the last 36 years.

You made the mess,
He's YOUR problem.

BTW - try to do us a favor, and pick a moderate.
Another extremeist to go with Mike Lee will doom Utah for another 36 years.

T. Party you do know Senator Hatch has to deal with 435 other people to even get the legislation that he wnats through correct? Not only that but he also has to deal with regulators, lawyers and lobbyists. The game is far more complex than just one man.

TParty is making up stuff again, but back to the letter. I wonder who is benefiting from all these deficits? Wars in the Middle East benefitted oil companies and military complex. Tax cuts for the wealthy. Medicare part D, passed by a Republican Congress with the "mandate" that there would be no negotiation for drug discounts. Of course the remaining third of the deficit is from the recession of 08. For the author, Social Security contributes nothing to the deficit. The majority of the debt of this nation is owed to it's citizens. Everyone talks about fiscal responsibility but no one will take appropriate steps to get us to grow the economy. It certainly isn't cutting taxes and social security. Let's start by selling off Orrin Hatch's office.

I don't like Hatch and I don't like the only GOP opponent of Hatch that is being presented (Lilljenquist). Who else do you have Republicans?

Please vote.

So when Sen Hatch survives the convention and primary and is the Republican candidate how much do you want to bet that Frank Gardiner votes for Orrin Hatch and Jason Chaffetz, two incumbents?

If the people that write these letters were serious then Utah would have a Democratic Senator and at least 2 Democratic members of the House to start the next Congress...somehow I don't see that happening.

"Throw the bums out!"...except for our own bums

We have elections for Senator to select the person that best represents the interests of the State of Utah. Every six years we get to evaluate the Senator that we've elected to see if he still is the best person to represent the State of Utah.

Those who try to slur and slam us for voting for the least objectionable candidate are telling us only that they voted for the more objectionable candidate - and then they criticize us! What hypocrisy! Either they voted for Hatch or they voted for the more objectionable candidate - or they did not vote. How can anyone who voted for a more objectionable candidate EVER criticize those who voted for the BETTER CANDIDATE ON THE BALLOT?

In a few days, we will have the Republican caucus where we will be able to vote for delegates who will vote for OUR PREFERRED candidate. This year, Senator Hatch will not be elected in the Republican nominating convention. He, just like Senator Bennett, has shown that he is NOT the best person to represent the State of Utah.

Ask yourself, has Sen. Orrin Hatch fixed in the past 36 years any of these National problem's?.

Did he get rid of the Ethanol 15 and the 54 ethanol manufacturers, lower the $7 a gal gas prices, create jobs, force the news media to talk about the real issues out there, get rid of the ReaganBushClintonBush-villes with deregulated for kickbacks for the Koch Brothers and Grover Norquist, in their "Field Of Dreams," (of corn and sugar cane), with more corruption, and "crony capitalism." STOP K Street and Wall Street Corporate sneakiness, outright-scams and con-games. Stop offshore tax safe havens in secret bank accounts they invested in up-market homes and hotels. Put back what Rep. Michael Oxley removed involving money laundering. More loopholes that allow qualifying Institutions to still serve as conduits for Tax Evasion. Have a congressional hearing on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae that caused the mortgage meltdown and toss the crooks in prison. Get the GOP to endorse a border security first policy and deport the illegals. This is what their GOP Congress does not want to see happening today, why not?. "Throw the bums out!"

That refuse to work for us.

Hatch isn't the only problematic politician. Both parties have sold out the middle-class. Over the lsst three decades they have gutted American manufacturing and sent the jobs overseas, primarily to China. The politicians tell us "free trade" is great. I don't agree. Having lost millions of middle-class jobs, we've gone from being a creditor nation to being a debtor nation. Only by rebuilding our manufacturing base will we recover as a superpower. If Hatch is interested in doing this, I'll vote for him. Otherwise, I'm looking elsewhere.

@Mike Richards | 9:52 a.m. Feb. 22, 2012
South Jordan, Utah

Mike,
Just like your posting about "Defending the Constitution" yet caving in and letting the UHP search you and your car away.
This is just more of the same old, same old.
Hot air.

You've admited voting for Hatch each and every time for last 36 years.
Making you part of the problem [and not the solution]
You really need to take responsiblity and be held accoutable for your votes.

I won't be at all shocked to learn you've once again "caved" to your priciples and do it yet again next election once Hatch wins the GOP nomination.

BTW - I'm saving such a HUGE slice of Humble Pie, and Crow for you this November.

Replace Hatch with Pete Ashdown.

To "ugottabkidn" the people who benefitted are just like the group of people that has benefitted from the GM bailout, Chrysler bailout, preventing the Keystone pipleline, "green" energy product loans, and the many other government handouts. T-Party is correct about the national debt.

The question is what are we going to do about it?

As government gets more power, they become more corrupt, so are you going to vote for a canidate that will make government bigger or will cut the power of government and cut the corrpution?

I think Hatch has been in office long enough, but we would do worse to elect another tea party Senator like we did two years ago. Having two of them would be a disaster for Utah and the country.

"political power should not be in the hands of those enamoured of it." Brilliant quote. Senator Hatch's argument, as to why we should send him back to D.C., is that he'll have MORE power this time. Whether this is true or not, the argument of having MORE power in the hopes of using it for "good" change... doesn't float with me. A man who's spent half a lifetime in the most powerful Government on earth, making tens of millions of dollars- needs to step down and think about his life. Send Hatch home

Ron paul meets what this letter describes quite nicely. He will not be running for congress again so you know he is not like Orrin Hatch who is a flip flopper who can't make up his mind.

@ugottabkidn "TParty is making up stuff again...."

Please specify. I'm willing to be corrected, if you have different figures. Just don't be one of those people who confuses deficit with debt.

@Arm of Orion "T. Party you do know Senator Hatch has to deal with 435 other people..."

We sent him there to lead. He should have done so.

Term limits. Stagnant water becomes impure over time.
Reduce the amount of perks including the separate health care, the obscene retirement benefits, etc.
Eliminate the PAC's.
Hold a national primary election day (only only) after a reasonable number of debates (maybe each national network could host one), a shorter period of campaigning.
Limit on the amount of money that can be spent on a nominating campaign and an election campaign so that each candidate must spend the same amount and choose how and where he will spend it. To spend a billion dollars on a campaign is obscene. The politicians have raped this country for all they could get and we sit back and pay them to do it. Heaven help us.

Shouldn't the title of this letter be "Whom to elect?"