On the Issues

Our first president – George Washington—famously warned against “ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear.” It is a moral outrage that we ensure that future generations will pay higher taxes because we refuse to live within our means.

The amount the government will spend on interest on the debt this year alone will be about $250 billion. These are funds that would have been available for anything and everything else.

Health Care is an issue that affects every Utah family and business.It is central to Utahans’ quality of life and to their financial well-being. I have championed a number of important health care-related bills during my time in Congress.

We all feel the pain of increases in gas prices and in utility costs for our homes and businesses.

Utahns want good jobs and a bright future.  We are now beginning to see signs of a recovery from the worst economic downturn since the end of World War II.  Unemployment numbers are still too high.  Trouble in the housing market and tight credit markets for small businesses create uncertainty and pain for many Utah families.

Utah is not the dumping ground for dangerous radioactive waste, whether it is low level radioactive waste from Italy, Brazil, and Great Britain, or the Department of Energy’s depleted uranium left over from the process of making nuclear bombs, or DOE’s uranium mill tailings from the Cold War era.

Keeping our children healthy and safe is my motivation in pushing for reasonable, common sense actions to protect consumers.

Utahns are concerned about the safety of the products in our homes—particularly when it comes to lead in toys or dinnerware.   Recalls of millions of toys because of dangers to kids from lead paint or tiny magnets that could be swallowed are disturbing.  Many of these products—most notably toys are now made overseas and there are concerns that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is not doing enough to alert the public.

Our extraordinary men and women in uniform are the core of our national defense.  I support whatever it takes to make sure they have the resources to perform their mission and to return home safely.  That is why I support funding our troops, providing the equipment and supplies they need, and raising their pay and keeping their health care costs affordable.

New consumer protections for credit card owners are now the law. They were included in the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility & Disclosure Act of 2009.
I was the only member of Utah’s delegation in the House to support this important bill. I did so because consumers deserve fair and transparent treatment from the card companies.

Banks now have to follow new rules designed to protect consumers from unwittingly going deeper into debt.