The Hill News

LAS VEGAS â€" Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) dismissed the Occupy Wall Street movement as a group of confused youngsters who don't understand American prosperity.

"They don't seem to have an agenda other than causing problems," Hatch told Republican activists Friday at the Western Republican Leadership Conference.

Hatch pointed to protest participants who have called for forgiveness for some of the nation's student debt, which is currently hovering around $1 trillion. Hatch said that would be unfair to those who have paid back their student loans.

"They want the federal government to control all of our lives," he said. "These young people are really misguided, and they don't understand what made America the greatest country in the world."

The Occupy Wall Street movement started in September in New York City, but has spread across the country â€" and to other nations. Protesters say they are opposing corporate greed and disparities in economic conditions on Wall Street versus Main Street.

Hach also lashed out at Democrats, saying that a debate over a balanced budget amendment "would help everyone to know how really rotten these liberals really are."

Utah's senior senator, Hatch is the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.