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Home Archives for 2009

Archives for 2009

12/8/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Harry Reid Compares ObamaCare Foes to Pro-Slavery, Makes Case for His Own Post-Senate, Village-Based Career

Update, 5:00 PM: Witticism of the day goes to the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto, who observes that "[Reid's] success to this point seems something of a miracle--an inspiration to dour, foolish men everywhere." Was that one of the painful throes of sheer desperation we heard from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday?Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took his GOP-blasting rhetoric to a new level Monday, comparing Republicans who oppose health care reform to lawmakers who clung to the institution of slavery more than a century ago.... "Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, 'slow down, stop everything, let's start over.' If you think you've heard these same excuses … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Health Care, History, liberty, National Politics, PPC

12/7/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Monday Quick Hits: GOP Unity, Church & State, Cold Fraud of Climategate

After a busy weekend, all I have to offer are a few worthwhile reads for a Monday: Last week Craig Steiner wrote an insightful piece titled "On GOP Unity in Colorado", especially worthwhile for those who have followed the intense controversy around the "Platform for Prosperity" and misappropriated Tea Party endorsements My Independence Institute colleague Jessica Peck Corry tackles the issue of church-state boundaries and public religious displays in a new Colorado Springs Gazette column, just in time for the Christmas holiday season Compliments of The Climate Realists, Marc Sheppard at American Thinker explains the now-infamous "Hide the Decline" in the Climategate fraud: simply a must-read that only adds to the sting of an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Climate Hysteria, Cultural Conservatism, General, History, liberty, PPC

12/4/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Thanks to Recovery.Gov, Time to Learn about Connecticut’s Fighting 42nd CD

It's Friday, time to lighten up ... Remember all those extra phantom congressional districts on the $18 million federal government boondoggle Recovery.gov? Well, apparently they provide a fabulous educational opportunity. Compliments of the Franklin Center and the Colbert Report, here's your chance to learn about Connecticut's "Fighting" 42nd Congressional District. Prepare to laugh: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC

12/3/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Lang Sias Joins Crowded GOP Field in Colorado 7th Congressional Race

ARVADA--Add one more to the list of Republican candidates for Colorado's 7th Congressional District. This morning at DiCicco's Restaurant in Old Town Arvada, U.S. Navy veteran and former McCain presidential senior staff member Lang Sias told a crowd of about 20 supporters that he was officially throwing his hat into the ring to challenge incumbent Congressman Ed Perlmutter. Sias -- an Arvada resident and father of two (soon to be three) -- touted the need for "mature, commonsense, fiscally conservative principles" in Washington, D.C., as well as for bringing down the federal debt and reforming tax and trade policies. Calling on his national security credentials, he observed: "There is evil in the world, and we can't ignore it or charm it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC, World Events

12/3/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Denver School Board Sees Therapist … Hold the Jokes, Please

Education News Colorado editor Alan Gottlieb offers up a laugh about the new Denver Public Schools board calling in a therapist to help everyone get along. In case you haven't heard, it was all brought on by some low-class politics at Monday's board meeting (H/T Ed Is Watching):As board member Michelle Moss walked up to take her seat for what was to be her last meeting in eight years representing southwest Denver, her newly elected replacement Andrea Merida told her that she would be sitting on the dais instead. Merida, rather than waiting to take the oath of office with two other new members after the meeting, had instead been sworn in hours earlier so she could cast a vote on the controversial reforms. A shocked Moss reacted with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, General, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous

12/3/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Cold Weather Heightens the Amusing Irony of Climategate Scandal Fallout

Given yesterday's and today's weather here in the Mile High City, it only seems fitting to write about the latest in the Climategate fallout. Two quick Thursday reads: Our own hometown journalist David Harsanyi explains clearly why we have a reason to be skeptical The Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens says if you want to understand why scientists were so eager to quash dissent, and manipulate and throw out data: "Follow the Money" The Washington Times reports that a Competitive Enterprise Institute scholar is pushing hard for NASA to release its raw climate data, too While you ponder the obnoxious deception of it all and the opportunity for a backlash to help set things aright, don't forget to bundle up today. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Climate Hysteria, General, liberty, PPC

12/2/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

The Substance Missing from Obama’s Afghanistan Speech at West Point

I listened carefully to Barack Obama's West Point speech yesterday evening -- at least as best I could while indulging the important concerns of the two Little Virtuses and ultimately having to turn off the radio to sit down for dinner. By that point I could tell the speech had dragged on too long for the relatively small amount of substance it contained. I don't need to go into great depth: Powerline's Paul Mirengoff and Red State's Erick Erickson offer excellent analyses of the politics, policies and rhetoric. (And Don Johnson asks where Colorado Republican Senatorial hopefuls Jane Norton, Ken Buck and Tom Wiens come down on Afghanistan.) Meanwhile, if you want to find the depth of substance on the military challenges we face, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, History, National Politics, PPC, World Events

12/2/2009 By Ben 4 Comments

Colorado 2010 State Senate Showdown: An Early Look at Hot Races

Colorado Republicans need to win four seats in the upcoming 2010 elections to win back a majority in the state senate. While such a development remains improbable at the moment, it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility. Of the 35 four-year seats in the chamber, 19 are contested in 2010 (including two for special election). Of those 19 seats: 4 are Democrat incumbents facing re-election to a second term 4 are open seats currently held by Democrats 3 are Democrat incumbents seeking their first election to the seat after filling a vacancy 5 are Republican incumbents facing re-election to a second term 2 are open seats currently held by Republicans 1 is a Republican incumbent seeking his first election to the seat after … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, PPC

12/1/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Memo to Colorado GOP: Court–Don’t Co-opt–The Tea Party Crowd

Update, 12/2: More valuable insights from Joshua Sharf. First, the Denver Post's Dan Haley weighed in on the Republicans' "Platform for Prosperity." Today, the story went national with coverage from Wall Street Journal reporter Stephanie Simon, and a quote from from one of my favorite grassroots activists (in spite of her misplaced football loyalties):Republicans, however, said the platform would prompt voters to focus on the party's message, rather than their feelings about individual candidates. "People can vote for the agenda," said Tom Tancredo, a former Republican congressman who had been mulling a run for governor. But Nikki Mata, a conservative activist in suburban Denver, said that such a strategy misses the point of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Journalism, liberty, PPC

12/1/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Labor Transparency Completely Missing from Obama Administration, Colorado

With so many other outrages going on in the Obama administration, you can be forgiven if you're not aware of the stonewalling at the U.S. Department of Labor. After months of bureaucratic wrangling, the National Right to Work Foundation was compelled … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, liberty, National Politics, PPC

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About Me

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.

Recent Posts

  • AI-Enhanced Cyberbullying: The Dark Side of Teen Innovation
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