By Stephanie Schaerr
Though perhaps more accustomed to addressing his gray-haired peers on Capitol Hill, Republican Sen. Bob Bennett appeared comfortable Friday milling with hand-shaking, business card-flinging professionals at the Provo Marriott.
?Give a politician a free meal, and he?ll show up,? Bennett joked before speaking to the crowd of business people.
The Utah senator, who serves as Chief Deputy Whip in the Senate, addressed the Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce at the organization?s monthly First Friday Forum. He took questions on topics ranging from the Central American Free Trade Association to steroid use in professional sports, cracking jokes and telling anecdotes to help the business-minded audience keep up.
Americans concerned about steep gas prices would be wise to take a cue from Bennett, who drives a hybrid Ford Escape. He said the solution is to take advantage of the technology that is already available. Drivers could get up to 100 miles per gallon of gas in a hybrid car with an electric converter, he informed the crowd.
Bennett defended his position that governmental controls on prices will do more harm than good.
?You cannot repeal the law of supply and demand,? he said. ?The market is better at controlling prices than the government is.?
In answer to inquiries into the current state of affairs in New Orleans, Bennett announced that the Senate passed a bill pledging $10.5 billion to relief efforts yesterday.
?As much as could be done physically is being done, and the money is there,? he said.
He tried to ease tensions about jobs being sent to emerging markets in Malaysia, India and China by arguing that the jobs have been lost to ?a country called ?productivity,?? and will ultimately lead to an improved American economy.
He praised corporations like Wal-Mart and Dell Computers for learning how to market their products globally and for using their worldwide appeal to create more jobs for Americans.
?We can either embrace it and prosper like Wal-Mart and Dell, or be terrified like Ted Kennedy,? Bennett said to the chuckling audience.
The senator touted immigration as necessary to the demographic stability of America. He said sealing the borders is simply not possible, partly due to budget restraints. He praised President Bush?s proposal to give blue cards to undocumented immigrants, a plan he said he believes will let Border Patrol officers focus on refusing entry to terrorists and criminals rather than wasting energy and resources fighting off chambermaids.
Many of the businesspeople said they were impressed with Bennett and his comments.
?They?re doing a great job of getting the focus back on things that really matter,? said Certiport President and CEO David Saedi. Certiport was the main sponsor of Friday?s event.
BYU?s Administrative Vice President Brad Farnsworth was in attendance and said that Bennett did a great job answering the questions.
?Some people get all hysterical about globalization, but I liked how he addressed it,? said Aaron Luman, a BYU economics student who was in attendance promoting dietary supplements.
Although Bennett praised the current state of relations between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, he could not resist taking a jab at former Senate Minority Whip Tom Daschle, who he blamed for a large portion of the past animosity between the parties in the Senate.
?I like Tom Daschle,? he said. ?I wish him well in private life, which is where he belongs.?
Senator Bennett is the Senate Chief Deputy Whip, Vice President of the Joint Economic Committee and a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee.
The Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce is a collection of area businesses that strives to ?promote the growth and retention of business in the community,? according to the organization?s mission statement.