Our nation stands at a crossroads – and the path we choose to take will determine whether or not the United States continues to be a global beacon of economic opportunity and strength. The situation we face is daunting. Our national debt is nearing $16 trillion and runaway government spending is making it worse by the minute. Our national unemployment rate has been over 8 percent for a record 41 months. Economic
growth is worse than it was two years ago. Medicare is going broke, Social Security is headed for insolvency and our tax system is broken.

Instead of addressing the problem and demonstrating the leadership Utahns rightly expect, the Obama White House is pursuing policies that could drive our economy toward a double-dip recession. Something must be done if we are to preserve the American Dream for this and future generations. It is imperative to take the foot off the gas and change course if we want to avoid another economic calamity.

Others may be content to wait, but not me. And most Utahns I talk to feel the same way. That is why I’m inviting you to join me for the annual Economic Forum I will be hosting at Utah Valley University in Orem at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012.  The focus at this free public event will be on resuscitating our moribund economy through
entitlement and tax reform.

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid drive 60 percent of our national debt and that percentage is only going up. If we don’t act to reform them, these will be nothing more than another empty promise to our seniors. And our tax system, which former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman William Archer likened to a noxious weed, is choking off economic growth and injecting uncertainty into the marketplace, thus
preventing job creators from hiring more workers, investing and expanding.

In addition to my participation, this year’s two-hour forum will feature special guest Lawrence Lindsey, an economic guru who served on President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisors and as a Special Assistant to the President for Policy Development
during the first Bush administration.  He also served as Senior Staff Economist for Tax Policy in the Reagan administration.

I am gratified to have someone of Lindsey’s caliber at the forum. His expertise and breadth of experience cannot be overstated, and his involvement will add immeasurably to the event. So will yours and everyone else in attendance because the forum is an interactive event.

While the first part is reserved for my remarks and Dr. Lindsey’s presentation, the second will be devoted to answering your questions and listening to your suggestions. Your input will be of incalculable benefit to me as I continue my fight as Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee to reform our tax system and reform Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security so they are there not only for today’s seniors, but
tomorrow’s as well.

We are a great nation with a great people who know that our children and grandchildren will have a prosperous future with hard work, commitment to family and faith, and if government gets out of the way. That optimistic spirit will drive much-needed reforms in
Washington to ensure, as President Reagan said, we remain that “shining city on the hill.”   

So I look forward to seeing you there and hearing your ideas. 

For more information about the forum, please call my Provo office at (801) 375-7881, or my Salt Lake City office at (801) 524-4380.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah