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Home 2009 Archives for May 2009

Archives for May 2009

5/7/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Peter Groff Departs Denver with Nonpartisan Education Reform Gesture

A month ago I asked which party will miss Democrat Senate President Peter Groff more under Colorado's Golden Dome. Several days ago Senator Nancy Spence told me that Groff's parting gesture as Senate President before heading off to work for the Obama administration in Washington D.C. would be to appoint her -- a Republican -- to an interim committee on school finance. It didn't really surprise me, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise for everyone else either. Then today we learn: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: administration, Arne Duncan, Barack Obama, Bob Bacon, Chris Romer, Colorado, Democrat, education reform, golden dome, icing on the cake, interim committee, Josh Penry, kids, missed, Nancy Spence, opportunity, participate, parting gesture, Party, Peter Groff, Republican, school finance, Senate Education Committee, Senate President, successful, surprise, voucher program, Washington DC

5/7/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

“Da-da” Again, At Last

It's official: Baby Virtus has verbally acknowledged her "da-da". Today was worthy of a big smile! Unfortunately, it came more than a week after she started saying "mama". But I can't complain too much ... her big sister said "da-da" first. For those of you keeping score at home, that's Me 1, The Lovely Mrs. Virtus 1. Perhaps, though, Baby Virtus will follow in big sister's footsteps some day, and proclaim me "superdaddy". Of course, it's been a long time since I've heard that one, too. But having two happy, healthy, smart, beautiful, growing girls in the house means lots of joy and lots of surprises. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, General, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: Baby Virtus, big sister, da-da, Lovely Mrs. Virtus

5/7/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

U.S. Senate Candidate Ken Buck Responds to Campaign Rumors

This morning a post appeared on Rocky Mountain Right about the first announced Republican candidate in Colorado's U.S. Senate race:Reports are trickling out that [Ken] Buck has split with Phase Line Strategies, a Republican consulting firm made up of GOP veterans who would have probably been fulfilling most of Buck's fundraising and communications needs, and that his campaign manager may have departed as well. Details are sketchy at this point, but the reports are coming from enough directions that it appears very likely to be true. Earlier this afternoon I called Ken Buck and recorded our conversation, to get a clearer picture of the story directly from the source. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: asset, campaign, campaign manager, candidate, clearer, Colorado, Colorado Pols, Colorado Statesman, communications, consulting firm, conversation, Democratic, Douglas County, Face the State, formal relationship, fundraising, general consultant, GOP veterans, Greeley Tribune, half-right, half-wrong, Jack Stansbery, Ken Buck, Lincoln Day dinner, Michael Bennet, misunderstanding, morning, online polls, opponent, Phase Line Strategies, Picture, polls, Public Policy Polling, quote, race, reporter, Republican, Rocky Mountain Right, Ryan Frazier, Sean Tonner, source, story, straw poll, title, U.S. Senate, unaffiliated, valuable, voters, Walt Klein

5/7/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Enough Already with the Swine Flu Hysteria and Media Obsession, Please

Last week, columnist Jay Ambrose did a fine job swatting down the swine flu hysteria. The Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens chipped in with the swine-flu hysteria contest winner a couple days ago:Of course the winner of the contest is Mr. Biden, since he lacks even the excuse of a self-interested motive. But standing right behind the vice president is a legion of heavily credentialed panic proliferators. These are the people whose terrifying forecasts you last heard during the avian flu panic of 2005 (deaths to date: 257, according to the World Health Organization) and the SARS panic of 2002-2003 (774 deaths). By contrast, garden-variety flus typically kill upwards of 30,000 Americans a year. You might also have a vague memory of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, General, Health Care, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: avian flu, Boulder Daily Camera, Boy Who Cried Wolf, Bret Stephens, columnist, contagion, disturbing, graph, H1N1, hysteria, Jay Ambrose, Joe Biden, mad cow disease, malaria, SARS, spread, story, strain, swine flu, Wall Street Journal

5/6/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Sine Die

It sounds like a garbled threat, or possibly a song from the High Mass. Sine die means neither, but it is cause for high celebration: The Colorado state legislature is adjourned for 2009, at least for the regular session. (I'm hearing insiders say that the Governor very well may call a special session in the summer.) In one sense, it's a shame to see the legislature walk away from its responsibility: Democrats have kicked the state's fiscal problems a little ways down the road. But then again, the majority Democrats aren't likely to grow a sense of responsibility any time soon. So staunch the bleeding while there's still time. Because, in fact, Democrats are now openly touting a recent state supreme court decision to say they can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Judiciary, liberty, PPC Tagged With: adjourned, approve, bleeding, capital gains, Clear the Bench Colorado, Colorado, decision, Democrats, deserving, down the road, fiscal problems, garbled threat, Governor, havoc, high celebration, high court, High Mass, insiders, majority, plain language, raise, regular session, responsibility, sense, Sine die, song, soon, special session, state constitution, state house, state legislature, state senate, state supreme court, staunch, summer, support, tax hikes, taxes, vote of the people, walk away, wreak

5/6/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Senator Jim DeMint Sets Up a Great Framework for Rebuilding the GOP

If there is anyone currently in the U.S. Senate of whom I would consider myself a fan, Jim DeMint of South Carolina would be on that short list. I understood where he was coming from but found it a little disconcerting when he said: "I would rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who really believe in principles of limited government, free markets, free people, than to have 60 that don't have a set of beliefs." What a great relief then to see Senator DeMint's excellent column in yesterday's Wall Street Journal -- what I consider an opportunity to revise and extend his remark. His rhetoric is blunt, and his analysis is clear: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: abortion, analysis, beliefs, big tent, blunt, bolded statements, candidates, center-right coalition, centralized government, clear, coalition, column, Congress, conservative, Constitution, constructively, debate, democratic process, different, disconcerting, diverse, elected officials, electoral defeats, excellent, exceptional nation, extend, faithful few, fan, federal Leviathan, federalism, first impression, fiscal issues, flavor, focus, force for good, Free Markets, government, History, inalienable, individual liberty, isolation, Jim DeMint, limited government, measured disagreement, mind, national party, national security, people, perfect, politician, President, principles, problems, regions, rein in, remark, Republican, respectful, revise, rhetoric, same-sex marriage, short list, social issues, social policies, solved, South Carolina, states, strong poles, U.S. Senate, unelected judges, walk the walk, Wall Street Journal

5/5/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

“Conservativism Is Not a Dirty Word” Event at University of Denver, May 9

As promised in the closing moments of this week's edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio, here is information on this Saturday's event "Conservatism Is Not a Dirty Word" (PDF), co-sponsored by the Denver University College Republicans and Denver Women's Republican Club. When? Saturday, May 9, 10 AM to noon Where? Lindsay Auditorium, Sturm Hall, University of Denver What? Panel discussion, followed by Q & A Who? The panel features Republican National Committeeman and former state senator Mark Hillman, Aurora city councilman and likely U.S. Senate candidate Ryan Frazier, talk radio host and assertiveness trainer Karen Kataline, past chairman of the Colorado Republican Business Coalition Jim Noon, Step 13 founder Bob Cote, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, General, liberty, My Life, PPC Tagged With: Aurora, Blog Talk Radio, Bob Cote, candidate, city councilman, co-sponsored, College Republicans, Colorado Republican Business Coalition, Conservatism, Denver University, Denver Women's Republican Club, edition, founder, Jim Noon, Karen Kataline, Mark Hillman, Republican National Committeeman, Rocky Mountain Alliance, Ryan Frazier, state senator, Step 13, U.S. Senate, yours truly

5/5/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Colorado Union Goon to Republican Operative: “You Gotta Delete That”

El Presidente elaborates on a Complete Colorado exclusive: official 911 audio of Republican operative Matt Milner being threatened for recording a public event featuring newly selected U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Sure, our union goons aren't as bad as Michigan union goons or New Jersey union goons. But they sure aren't making a good name for themselves with this story. El Presidente asks:Are these thuggish tactics--employed by a Democrat constituency, big labor--indicative of what we as Coloradans should expect to influence a vote on EFCW, and a window into things to come with a Democrat win in 2010? In any case, I bet Mr. Milner won't be so inclined to show up in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, PPC, property rights Tagged With: 2010, 9/11, audio, Big Labor, card-check, Complete Colorado, constituency, Democrat, El Presidente, elaborates, exclusive, good name, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Matt Milner, Michael Bennet, Michigan, New Jersey, newly-selected, operative, public event, recording, Republican, sponsored, tactics, threatened, thuggish, U.S. Senator, union goons, union hall

5/5/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Sign of Bill Ritter’s Sagging Popularity

Governor Bill Ritter is wrestling with another veto decision over a labor issue. But there are plenty of other reasons why his popularity has hit the skids with Coloradans. A faithful Mount Virtus reader snapped this photo of a sign near Highway 285 and 291 in Chaffee County: Colorado Republicans are revving their engines in search of a candidate who will lead them down the right road to victory and back to lower taxes and responsible limited government in 2010. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, liberty, PPC Tagged With: 2010, Bill Ritter, candidate, Chaffee County, Coloradans, Colorado, decision, Governor, hit the skids, issue, Labor, Mount Virtus reader, photo, popularity, reasons, Republicans, responsible government, sign, veto, wrestling

5/5/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

RMA Blog Talk Radio at 8:30 Tonight: Blue Collar Muse and More …

Tune in tonight at 8:30 PM local Mountain time for the 25th edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. Our confirmed guest for this week is Ken Marrero, an entrepreneur and one of the leading bloggers on the Right, better known to many as Tennessee's Blue Collar Muse. A possible guest from the Colorado state legislature also may join us, but these being the final hectic hours of the session we're playing it by ear. If you miss the live show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: Blog Talk Radio, bloggers, Blue Collar Muse, Colorado, entrepreneur, hectic, Ken Marrero, legislative session, playing it by ear, podcast, Right, Rocky Mountain Alliance, state legislature, Tennessee

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Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

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