Aug 21
Bennett…12 Going On 19 (to 24) and Beyond?
2009 at 3:44 am | posted by Rep. Craig Frank 13 comments
The memory is fading, but I still seem to remember Bob Bennett promising would-be supporters and voters when he started his gig in the U.S. Senate that he would only serve two terms…that’s 12 years to you and me. At the end of his third term (and begging for more), Bennett is “not quite finished” back in “DC,” there’s “more to do” back there.
Breakfast at Mimimi’s. He told us he’s primed and ready for years 19 to 24…and asked for our support. I didn’t know oatmeal could get lodged in your throat like that. Bennett literally laughed at a small group of state legislators a few months back (meal under $25), when the suggestion was made that Congress should consider a Balanced Budget Amendment. (After all, the Utah State Constitution requires that kind of fiscal responsibilty each year from the legislature.) I gave my contribution back on the way out of the restaurant…didn’t even look in the envelope.
ps: I don’t know what it is about this wall…but, I sure love smacking my head against it!
August 21st, 2009 at 8:39 am
I hear that Representative Jason Chaffetz is supporting a balanced budget amendment. Maybe he should run for Bennett’s seat. Utah does a great job balancing their budget. Compare Utah’s prompt action with California’s lengthy budget fiasco.
August 21st, 2009 at 9:30 am
So long Senator Bennett. Thanks for you service, but enough is enough.
August 21st, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Rick,
I don’t get all the lovefest with Rep. Chaffetz. He says all the right things at all the right times, but he never actually accomplishes anything substantive.
I can’t say I’m too excited about Sen. Bennett, but at least he is relevant in the discussion moving forward. For example, I heard him speak about a health care bill he has sponsored (with Democrats and Republicans heaven forbid!). I forget the name of the bill, but I have seen Senator Bennett mentioned in conjunction with that bill several times by other Senators around the country.
And Chaffetz . . . Umm, he certainly puts together a good sound byte. But beyond that I see him as being quite irrelevant.
The balanced budget amendment you both tout is great political posturing, but it doesn’t stand a chance of actually passing. So why spend all your political capital just sending a message with nothing to show for it?
August 21st, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Asking congress to balance a budget is not possible. Congress can always print more money, barrow the money etc…
The best tax reform we could do would be to remove control of taxation from congress, Have an independent panel that is created from 3 appointee’s from the president and 3 appointee’s from congress using the VP as deciding vote when necessary, excepting that the congress can override this vote with a 2/3rds vote.
You define 1 tax that is a yearly adjustable tax that is controlled by this panel so that the panel can adjust it to what ever point is required to pay all the bills. And then you have any other tax’s as defined by congress in whatever way suites them.
This panel would be charged with Collecting enough tax’s to service all costs, and debt. This could be made law so that if they didn’t collect enough the panel could be sued and forced to increase the adjustable tax. Congress of course could always pass a bill to barrow money but they would be forced to put a number on the loan and it would be much easier to fight.
If you made the adjustable tax a consumption tax, basically a sales tax and eliminate income tax altogether. Not only could be eliminate allot of the lobbyist pandering around tax benefits, we could vastly simplify the federal tax collection system and save loads of money. Bad spending policy would have more immediate consequences for Congress and the president.
Their are many other benefits from a consumption tax, Its one of the issues that I think Huckabee had a good idea on.
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Just wait for the state economy to start tanking, then all the pompous legislators like Mr. Frank will scurry away from the limelight claiming their actions were not responsible for the downturn. But during the good times, they are obviously the responsible party.
Typical politicians. Claiming credit for anything positive even when they don’t deserve it.
Wait and see. Utah will NOT be the first state to exit the recession despite what our state leaders would have us believe. And who will be to blame then, Mr. Frank? Senator Bennett? President Obama? Anybody but yourself I’m sure.
August 22nd, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Utah has always had sort of a soft cushion that separates us from the rest of the nation on economics. It toke longer for the recession to hit Utah, We most certainly will be just as far behind in the recovery. I think this same effect kept Utah from being hit as hard by the recession as other states where hit as well.
I would guess this effect comes from the larger average family size and somewhat higher savings rate then the rest of the country, but that’s just a guess.
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Wow – what a bunch of crankies. Bennett promised to get in, serve 12 years and get out. He lied. The Bennett/Wyden bill would impose serious federal mandates – including gov’t funded abortions – and sweeping and heavy-handed federal control over the insurance markets and its replacement of one tax inequity with another. It socialist version #2.
And Candi, Rep Frank is the best there is, a true fiscal conservative who walks the walk. You should check out his voting record sometime. He consistently fights against growing government and consistently votes to keep money in the pockets of the tax payers.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:48 am
The Bennett/Wyden bill doesn’t do anything about the atypical behavior’s of the health care market ether.
August 24th, 2009 at 1:17 am
Holly, you forgot Rep. Frank’s penchant for non-binding resolutions.
And I’m loving all of this Bennett hate, mainly because he’s got the most political capital. The best thing that could happen for Sam Granato in this race is that the wingnuts get the loudest megaphone, and send up a chameleon like Shurtleff, or one of the other 1900 fringe candidates jockeying for this one.
As a Democrat, it’s laughable, because Bennett is most definitely a conservative… but ironically, he’s a conservative that thinks like a businessman, which has led to him crossing the “ideological purity” line you all impose on your oversimplified world-views. He’s practical. Which you hate?
It’s Cannon, redux. Don’t get me wrong here, I was glad to see Cannon go for many reasons (the man was had no spine when challenged on his own assertions… which is irritating, and similar to why I come here to harass Rep. Frank so often), but what conservatives effectively did in UT-3 was remove the rep. who had influence/tenure, and was open to being influenced from within the party with a rep. who is a joke on the hill (I know that might surprise you, but he is) and who no one wants to be within five miles of on paper (i.e. the most ineffectual a house member can be!). Woo hoo! You go.
Anyway, just some observations from an “outsider” without a tea bag on my head.
Carry on with your waterloo. It’s fun for the rest of us to watch.
August 24th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Oh Jasonthe, you’re just jealous that Jason C has SO much respect and influence on the Hill. For a freshman in the minority party, he is a rock star and you know it. Ranking member on a House committee? Unheard of!
But Bennett is NOT a conservative. Only 7 R’s in the Senate are ranked more liberal than he is. Even some D’s are more conservative…..
August 24th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
oh, and in case you don’t follow the national news, there are now more conservatives than liberals in every state of the union, although 3 are statistically insignificant. Obama’s approval rating is under 50% and his approval index is running between -8 and -10. Town hall meetings are packed with angry citizens of ALL political parties not wanting the feds to sell our country down the river any further. If there is a waterloo coming, it’s not for the conservatives……
August 25th, 2009 at 1:32 am
It just toke the pro health care crowd longer to get organized, which is to be expected as the pro health care crowd doesn’t get bused around in insurance industry sponsored bus’s with big red hands on them. In more resent town halls the Pro health care group’s have out numbered the Anti Obama care groups.
Its an amazing sight to see the difference between the two groups irregardless of where you stand on the real issues involved in health care, On one side of the street you will have people holding up signs of hope and pictures on Obama, And on the other side of the street you have people running around with swastika’s and pictures of Obama as hitler. To say nothing of the people showing up at town halls with AR-15 assult rifles(I don’t think this should be made illegal, personally i am fine with open carry, but come on this is intentional intimidation.).
I didn’t vote for Obama, But I find myself very disappointed in the actions of the national republican party as of late, Makes me not sure of who I should support being one of those independents.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Andrew– sounds like you would rather vote in someone that will go along with whatever everyone else is doing in Washington, so they can be, what did you call it? Relevant?
How about we just elect someone that will stand for the same things we do. Chaffetz does that for me. If you actually like the bill that Bennett is cosponsoring, then Chaffetz is not your guy, not because he’s not “relevant”, but because he understands liberty and freedom.