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Home Archives for Ben

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Rocky Mtn Alliance Blog Talk Radio at 8:30 PM: Jan Tyler, Sen. Greg Brophy

Tune in starting at 8:30 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the 11th edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio, the third of 2009. Tonight's scheduled guests are locally-based elections expert Jan Tyler and state senate assistant minority leader Greg Brophy (R-Wray). Don't forget. If you miss the live broadcast of tonight’s show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus. More information on past and future episodes is posted at Slapstick Politics. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, General, My Life, PPC Tagged With: 2009, Blog Talk Radio, elections expert, Greg Brophy, guests, Jan Tyler, leader, live broadcast, Mount Virtus, podcast, Rocky Mountain Alliance, state senate, tonight's show

2/7/2026 By Ben 10 Comments

Nearly Half of Coloradans Admit They Don’t Know Who Michael Bennet Is

Congressional Quarterly says Michael Bennet "needs to get better known" -- who? Oh yeah! Colorado's junior junior U.S. Senator. The Democrats' Public Policy Polling - in a herculean effort to put an impossibly meaningful spin on an election that's more than 21 months away - finds almost half of Coloradans will admit they don't even know who Bennet is. (How many of the 54 percent were fibbing, or thought maybe pollsters were asking about this AFC West rival running back?) We're a long way from knowing much of anything about the dynamics for the 2010 U.S. Senate race in Colorado. But we'll at least begin to have a good idea of the terrain when we see how Bennet casts his vote on union card-check legislation. With the announcement … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, PPC Tagged With: 2010, admit, AFC West, Attorney General, card-check, Coloradans, Colorado, Congressional Quarterly, dark horse, Democrats, election, fibbing, fundraising steam, herculean effort, John Suthers, junior, Michael Bennet, Michael Bennett, political junkies, pollsters, Public Policy Polling, Ryan Frazier, spin, terrain, U.S. Senate race, U.S. Senator, union, vote

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Bill Ritter’s “Hiring Freeze” Doesn’t Include Lobbyists or Potato Inspectors

A few months ago I called out Governor Bill Ritter for his delayed hiring freeze tactic. Well, as the Denver Post reports this morning, that's nothing compared to what's happened since the alleged hiring "freeze" went into effect:A Denver Post review of hundreds of applications for exemptions shows that in three months, Ritter's office approved 326 new hires and promotions — out of 371 requests — that could cost the state more than $12 million. Ritter's rules say the freeze does not apply to health and safety positions, jobs caring for state wards or required by caseload demands, or positions that, unfilled, would disrupt an "essential state function" or present legal liabilities. Among the health care providers and criminal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: administrative assistants, applications, Bill Ritter, blunt assessment, caseload demands, chill, Colorado, contract lobbyists, criminal investigators, Denver Post, divorced from reality, essential state function, excuses, exemptions, Governor, health and safety, health care providers, hires, hiring freeze, Jessica Fender, leadership, legal liabilities, lottery ticket salesperson, management style, potato inspectors, promotions, raising fees, state wards, tight budget, tough decisions

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

With Bob Schaffer at Helm, State Board on Right Education Reform Path

Congrats to Bob Schaffer, new chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education (H/T Complete Colorado). Schaffer himself has graciously (and ironically) quipped on more than one occasion since his difficult defeat in last November's U.S. Senate campaign, that perhaps he ought to be flattered that so many Coloradans saw fit to keep him serving on the State Board. The State Board is a volunteer position, and is significantly limited in its policy making powers. However, with Schaffer at the helm we can be confident the Board will be a force for good in education reform. Also, along with the Attorney General's office, the State Board of Education remains the last bastion of Republican strength in Colorado. For the most part, things can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General Tagged With: 2010, Attorney General, bastion, Bob Schaffer, campaign, chairman, Coloradans, Colorado, Complete Colorado, defeat, education reform, flattered, good, helm, November, policy making powers, quipped, Republicans, Rocky Mountain News, State board of education, U.S. Senate, volunteer position

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Economic Recovery Soon? Even if Obama Slows it Down, He’ll Get Credit

Larry Kudlow is a very knowledgeable voice on economic trends and developments. I sure hope his post at The Corner is correct:Investors continue to ignore one of the very brightest spots in the firmament: Namely, the credit freeze is thawing, according to all manner of key interest rates and spreads. In fact, LIBOR is around 1 percent now, back to where it was in the early summer of 2007 before the crunch started. This means that much of the uncertainty about lending, borrowing, investing, and hiring is receding from the market. This is a very positive sign. While retail sales and jobs are lagging indicators, the credit-market improvement is a leading indicator — pointing to recovery in the economy sometime this spring or summer. I’m … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics Tagged With: bailouts, bank earnings, Barack Obama, credit, credit freeze, credit-market improvement, deep recession, economic trends, George W. Bush, investors, jobs, knowledgeable voice, lagging indicator, Larry Kudlow, leading indicator, lending, markets, National Review, old media, pessimism, recovery, retail sales, stimulus plan, stock market, The Corner, Treasury secretary, uncertainty

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

Folly and Hypocrisy of Colorado Media Matters in New Deal Debate Exposed

Over at Free Colorado, Ari Armstrong does excellent work deconstructing the silliness of Colorado Media Matters (CMM) and its well-compensated director in the debate about the New Deal. It seems CMM has placed nearly all its intellectual eggs in one basket, the bottom of which has just fallen out. Armstrong took the initiative to contact directly the one source CMM cites to "debunk" those who note the abundant academic evidence of the New Deal's economic failures. Unfortunately for CMM, this economist (Gene Smiley) refutes their case. But don't expect the Left to stop trying to shill for Barack Obama's new massive federal spending program, no matter how little window dressing they are left with to cover their embarrassingly thin … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Ari Armstrong, Barack Obama, basket, Colorado Media Matters, debate, deconstructing, economist, embarrassing, expose, federal spending, folly, Free Colorado, Gene Smiley, initiative, intellectual eggs, Left, New Deal, refutes, silliness, source, window dressing

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Now That’s a Debate Dinesh D’Souza & Christopher Hitchens Couldn’t Win

The headline of the day comes from the Boulder Daily Camera (H/T Complete Colorado):Conservative D'Souza, atheist Hitchens to debate God at CU Go back and read that again, out loud if you must... Dinesh D'Souza and Christopher Hitchens - two very bright, educated, opinionated men - are going to debate against the Almighty? Of course, this won't be a fair fight by any remote stretch of human imagination. For example, try responding to this opening statement:Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, Cultural Conservatism, General, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: atheism, Bible, Boulder, Catholic, Christopher Hitchens, Complete Colorado, conservative, Daily Camera, Dinesh D'Souza, editors, educated, fair fight, God, headline, human imagination, Job, Macky Auditorium, opinionated, religion, remote stretch

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Congrats to D’Evelyn JH/HS

Via the Rocky Mountain News, Jefferson County's own D'Evelyn Junior High-High School received another well-earned recognition yesterday as Business Week and GreatSchools.Net teamed up to name D'Evelyn the top-performing school in Colorado:D'Evelyn is a Jeffco public school started by a group of parents in 1994. It accepts students from across the district starting in grade seven and runs through grade 12. It emphasizes structured academics and strict discipline. The school's test scores are among the best in Colorado, and the remediation rates of its graduates attending state colleges and universities are among the lowest. D'Evelyn - named for the late Independence Institute co-founder David D'Evelyn - is a school with which I have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, General, My Life Tagged With: Business Week, colleges, Colorado, competition, complete list, connections, D'Evelyn, David D'Evelyn, Great Schools, Independence Institute, Jefferson County, model, option school, parents, remediation rates, Rocky Mountain News, school board, strict discipline, structured academics, success, test scores, top-performing school, universities, well-earned recognition

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Quote of the Day: Greg Brophy on Gov. Bill Ritter’s New Energy Economy

State senator Greg Brophy - "the Senate GOP's self-described 'eco-freak'" - on the trumped-up claims of Governor Bill Ritter's New Energy Economy:Said Brophy, "I guess if you can't use tax dollars to effectively promote green energy, you always can use them to promote the promotion of it." Well-said. I guess we've found one area where Ritter can begin to trim $632 million from the budget. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Hysteria, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Bill Ritter, budget, Colorado Senate News, eco-freak, green energy, Greg Brophy, New Energy Economy, promote, state senator, tax dollars, trim, trumped-up claims

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

Observing MLK Day

From the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech:Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commemorative, General, History Tagged With: birthday, federal government holiday, I have a dream, Martin Luther King, speech

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Inside

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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
  • My Baker’s Dozen of Top 2023 Reads
  • Common Learning Disabilities in Children
  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition

Colorado News

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National News and Politics

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  • Reason
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Blogs Extraordinaire

  • American Thinker
  • David Harsanyi’s Blog
  • E!! The True Conservative Story
  • EIA Intercepts
  • Evangelical Outpost
  • Hugh Hewitt
  • Instapundit
  • LaShawn Barber
  • Lileks
  • Little Green Footballs
  • Michelle Malkin
  • NRO's The Corner
  • Power Line
  • Red State

Completing the Blogroll

  • Alarming News
  • Black Five
  • Blogs of War
  • Eduwonk
  • Flypaper
  • Fraters Libertas
  • Historical Conversations
  • IMAO
  • Jay P. Greene
  • Mike Anderson
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  • Right Wing News
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  • Shot in the Dark
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  • Virginia Postrel
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Christian Commentary et al.

  • Kevin Pierpont
  • Sharper Iron

Conservative and GOP Sites

  • Backbone America
  • Cal Thomas
  • Colorado Republican Party
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  • Dennis Prager
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Other Sites

  • Technorati
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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

  • Reclaim the Blue
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  • The Daily Blogster
  • View from a Height

To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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