The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the St. George Spectrum. -Staff
"If men were angels," James Madison once wrote, "no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." America's founders understood the nature of both human beings and the governments they create and knew that ordered liberty requires limited government. That principle is critical in the current debate over health care reform.
The Constitution both empowers and limits government in general, and the federal government in particular. Congress must have more than just a good idea or a noble intention to legislate. It must also have authority grounded in at least one of its delegated enumerated powers.
The health care bills moving through Congress raise a host of contentious policy issues. But provisions in the bill before the Senate Finance Committee also test whether politics trumps the Constitution.
The liberty we enjoy in America requires limits on government power, and those limits come primarily from the Constitution. Our written Constitution delegates only certain powers to the federal government and Congress must point to at least one of them as authority to pass legislation.
The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the Washington Times. -Staff
I have always believed one of the major purposes of health care reform is to lower the costs of medical expenses to American families. Therefore, I was dismayed when an already bad health care reform bill in the Senate Finance Committee was made worse by the addition last week of a new tax increase that would largely hit the sick and the elderly.
The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the Deseret News. -Staff
The greatest opportunity offered by real health-care reform is lower costs facing Americans. At the outset of the health-care debate, members of Congress in both parties, as well as President Barack Obama, held out this promise. Unfortunately, after several months of attempted negotiations and a highly partisan prime-time speech by the president, genuine bipartisan reform has thus far failed. When it became apparent that health-care reform was going to raise the burden on American families, not lower it, I ceased participating in the Senate negotiations.
Posted by: Orrin Hatch in Untagged on
Sep 17, 2009
The following originally appeared as an op-ed in the National Review. -Staff
On this day, 222 years ago, 12 state delegations approved the new Constitution of the United States and 39 of the 42 convention delegates signed it. They sent it to the states for ratification, the act that would make it the supreme law of the land. It is worth focusing on just what the Constitution actually is.
The Constitution opens by saying: "We the people . . . do ordain and establish this Constitution." Nearly all Americans say the Constitution is very important to them and it requires that virtually all legislative, executive, and judicial officers, both state and federal, "shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution." But what is this thing called the Constitution that the people established, that Americans say is so important, and that public officials swear to support?
The following originally appeared as an op-ed in USA Today. -Staff
Affordable and quality health care for every American is neither a Republican nor a Democratic issue -- it is an American issue. Unfortunately, the current health care bills before Congress are too partisan, too expensive and too big-government for most Americans to support.
As congressional Democrats inch towards going it alone on health reform, I ask them to do what American families are demanding -- step back, take a deep breath and start over on a truly bipartisan bill. Using a partisan "reconciliation" process to jam a bill that deals with one-sixth of our economy with 20 hours of Senate debate -- less than one full day -- would be one of the most irresponsible actions that the majority could take.
Senator Hatch honored the induction of Jerry Sloan and John Stockton to The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last Friday with this speech before the U.S. Senate today.
Mr. President, I rise today to speak about a matter of great prominence to the people of my state. This past Friday, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Jerry Sloan and John Stockton were inducted into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. This is a well-deserved honor and I wanted to take a few moments to congratulate them both.
Tomorrow Senator Hatch is hosting a forum in Salt Lake City with Governor Herbert on the issue of our national energy policy. In particular, they're going to examine the impact of the cap-and-tax -- also known as "cap-and-trade" -- energy policy that Democrats in Washington are pursuing.
Earlier this summer, the U.S. House of Representatives passed this bill, and it is now being considered in the U.S. Senate. This forum tomorrow will specifically look at how this energy tax policy will impact the state of Utah and its citizens.
If you would like to attend, please see more details below.
Senator Hatch invites you to join him and leading economic experts at The Fiscal Future of America forum this Friday at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Senator Hatch explains why he's hosting his forum:
Our nation is at a critical juncture. The runaway spending train enveloping Washington, D. C., is threatening to decimate the future of our children and for all Americans for generations to come. My office has received literally thousands of letters, phone calls, and emails from Utahns who are extremely concerned about America's fiscal future. I envision this Forum as a way for our citizens to have an opportunity to not only listen to some speakers who have been at the forefront of our economy, but to ask questions of the experts and provide feedback to me that I can arm myself with for this fight in Washington.
