Sen. Bob Bennett answers Deseret Morning News questionnaire

U.S. Senate

Deseret Morning News
Published: Monday, Oct. 18, 2004 8:15 p.m. MDT
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Republican two-term Sen. Bob Bennett

1. What is the major issue facing Utah today, and how would you deal with it?

The major issue facing Utah today is growth. I will do my best to continue to make appropriate federal assistance available for the state, primarily with respect to demands for infrastructure improvements, education initiatives and wise land use.

2. What are the key issues that this U.S. Senate race should focus on?

All politics is about the future. The key issue should be how each candidate will vote on major national challenges that will face us in the next six years — peace in the Middle East, free trade, transformation of the economy into the Information Age, and the economic consequences of the retirement of the baby boomers.

On the Utah side, voters should ask themselves which candidate is best positioned to assist Utah as it deals with its unique challenges.

3. Do you favor or oppose a U.S. constitutional amendment that would define marriage between a man and a woman? If yes, why? If no, why? Also, what is your position on the proposed Utah constitutional amendment on marriage, including on the debated second part?

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I am very reluctant to amend the Constitution and believe that a vote to do so is perhaps the most important I cast as a U.S. senator. I became convinced that a constitutional amendment was necessary to protect the institution of marriage following the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Court where, by a margin of 4-3, and without legislative deliberation or an opportunity for the voters to be heard, effectively changed the definition of marriage. Marriage and the creation of families has been an integral part of our society since its creation; it should not be defined without the kind of involvement by the people which a constitutional process would require.

4. Do you favor or oppose allowing U.S. citizens to buy prescription drugs from other countries like Canada. If not, what can be done to quickly reduce the cost of prescription medicines in the United States?

I would allow U.S. citizens to buy whatever they want wherever they want, but I oppose unrestricted use of the Internet to "re-import" drugs from Canada when there is no certainty these drugs were, in fact, originally produced in the United States.

Current evidence shows that much of the "re-importation" is in fact "new importation" with the actual drugs having been produced outside the United States or Canada and therefore outside the controls of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The rush to the Internet for overseas purchases puts the health of all Americans at risk.

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