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Home Archives for Ben

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Amendment 54 Ad Spotlights Remedy for No-Bid Contract Corruption

Colorado's Amendment 54 proponents have taken their case to the airwaves for the first time [Video Updated]: The case of state senator Abel Tapia receiving hundreds of thousands in no-bid government contracts over 10 years was first brought to light by the Denver Post back in April. But as the ad correctly points out, Amendment 54 would create an electronic database of no-bid government contracts searchable by Colorado citizens. You can find the explanation for my endorsement of Amendment 54 and thumbnail explanations of all the measures on my guide to the 2008 Colorado ballot. ^^^^^^^ Most of the HP2-Q01 servicing HP desktops, workstations and notebooks and Cisco 640-553 implementing IOS network security students are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: 2008 Colorado ballot, Abel Tapia, airwaves, Amendment 54, Colorado, Denver Post, electronic database, endorsement, investigation, no-bid contracts, state senator, YouTube

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

CNN Documents ACORN Voter Fraud: 2,100 Registrations All Phony

Though they couldn't bring themselves to identify ACORN's connection with Barack Obama and the Democratic Party (via Powerline): 2,100 voter registrations in one county, and they are ALL fraudulent? Has Barack Obama answered any questions about ACORN? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, General, National Politics Tagged With: ACORN, Barack Obama, CNN, Democratic Party, Powerline, voter fraud, voter registrations, YouTube

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Voter Fraud ACORN Opposes Colorado Amendment 49, Ethical Standards

ACORN, the increasingly notorious voter fraud group, is part of the Colorado C-3 Roundtable going around "educating" voters about various ballot initiatives. Among the initiatives ACORN hates and opposes (and which the Roundtable won't invite supporters to share their side of the debate) is Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative. This amendment "will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the funds to special interests, like unions. These special interests use the money to lobby the same politicians who just delivered the cash to them." So why is ACORN part of the virulent opposition? We could start with its own ethical lapses, which include not only voter fraud but also an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, National Politics Tagged With: ACORN, Amendment 49, bad precedent, ballot initiatives, Boulder Daily Camera, business groups, civic organizations, Colorado C-3 Roundtable, Colorado Springs Gazette, common sense, community leaders, corruption, Denver Post, ethical lapses, Ethical Standards, good-government measure, investigations, lobbyists, major newspapers, misuse of tax dollars, opposition, politicians, prohibit, Protect Colorado's Future, Rocky Mountain News, special interests, voter fraud

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Nick Kliebenstein for House District 33: Creative Ad, Conservative Leader

Nick Kliebenstein is one of the more impressive candidates I've seen this year. Running for the Colorado State House in District 33, which includes Broomfield and surrounding areas, Nick came up with this creative piece of Web advertising: At least I don't have to pronounce his name as I'm writing this post, but I am looking forward to hearing more about Nick Kliebenstein's independent conservative leadership in the state legislature for years to come. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: Broomfield, Colorado, conservative, creative, District 33, independent, Nick Kliebenstein, pronunciation, state house, Web advertising, YouTube

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado State Government’s “Non-Union Rep” Launches Site

Dave Ohmart, the unofficial "non-union rep" for Colorado state government, finally has his Colorado Loses website up and running. Look for newsletters, events, and relevant legal information pertaining to employee rights in state government. Colorado Loses is the clever foil to the Colorado WINS union organizing coalition:Colorado WINS, the big state employee union, recently held a convention. Union loyalists were shown a video depicting flood and famine – images from the Gulf Coast of slums, Hurricane-ravaged homes and the like. The moral of the story: state employees are the only line of defense Colorado has against, uh, Hurricanes. No, floods. Wait, I’m confused. Hurricane Katrina was a tragedy, but it has nothing to do with … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 49, Amendment 54, Colorado Loses, Colorado WINS, convention, Dave Ohmart, employee rights, events, exploitation, Face the State, foil, good government, Hurricane Katrina, initiatives, legal information, newsletters, non-union rep, politicking, state government, tragedy, union organizing coalition, website

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Former Sen. Hank Brown Touts Colorado Amendment 49 Endorsements

Update: Audio embedded The campaign for Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative, has released a new 30-second radio ad featuring former U.S. Senator Hank Brown: Here's the text of the ad:Both the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post urge you to vote Yes on Amendment 49. 49 stops government from being the bagman for special interests and lobbyists. This is Hank Brown, and I'm thrilled that nearly every newspaper across Colorado agrees: Yes on 49. The Pueblo Chieftain, the Grand Junction Sentinel, the Colorado Springs Gazette, and yes, the Boulder Camera, just to name a few. Join me and Bill Owens in voting Yes on 49. 49 keeps lobbyists in line. Paid for by EthicalStandardsNow.com. I'm not sure if there is any other … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: Amendment 49, bagman, Bill Owens, Boulder Daily Camera, Colorado, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post, endorsements, Ethical Standards, Grand Junction Sentinel, Hank Brown, Independence Institute, lobbyists, major newspapers, Pueblo Chieftain, radio ad, Rocky Mountain News, special interests

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Watch Tonight’s Presidential Debate Live with Snide Comments Included

I won't be covering tonight's final Presidential debate (thankfully!) , but you can watch some other wiseacres from the People's Press Collective provide their live, MST3K-style commentary. If all works as promised, you should be able to watch the video below as the debate is going on: Update: Live embedded feed removed … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, General, National Politics Tagged With: live video, Mystery Science Theater, Peoples Press Collective, Presidential debate

2/7/2026 By Ben 8 Comments

Why Barack Obama’s Ties to ACORN Should Really Scare (or Anger) You

It was good to see ACORN brought up in tonight's debate. My frequent attention of late to the topic has brought on Lefty critique (22 comments!) that the group has never actually been convicted of electioneering fraud. But we'll leave that dispute aside for the time being. Investigative reporter Stanley Kurtz points us to the deeper problems:On ACORN, I continue to be stunned by Obama’s denials of his extensive ties to this execrable group. The fact that ACORN came up at all is good. Most folks still don’t know what ACORN is, how bad it is, and how deeply it’s tied to the financial meltdown. John McCain needs to make sure the public learns about ACORN and Obama. Obama’s dissembling on his ties to ACORN shows that he recognizes … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: ACORN, agenda, association, Barack Obama, cherished freedoms, column, debate, electioneering fraud, financial meltdown, investigative reporter, lying, New York Post, socialist program, Stanley Kurtz, The Daily Blogster, weak economy

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Former I.I. Intern Smiles for Washington Post during Presidential Debate

(Photo: Washington Post) Former Independence Institute intern and now Washington insider (ha!) Dan Head smiles widely as he watches John McCain deliver a zinger at last night's debate. After two mediocre McCain performances, last night was the aging Arizona senator's best debate of the season against Democrat Barack Obama. The only question that matters now is whether it will make enough difference to impact the election. For that, we'll just have to wait and see. Way to go, Dan, making it into the Washington Post. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: Arizona, Barack Obama, Dan Head, debate, Democrat, election, Independence Institute, intern, John McCain, photo, senator, Washington insider, Washington Post

2/7/2026 By Ben 4 Comments

Three Cheers for Joe the Plumber, Just Don’t Call Liquid Plumber First

As the son of a pipefitter, I'm proud to say that Joe the Plumber - with his common sense and courage to "speak his mind" and ask the right question at the right time - might yet become the hero of the 2008 election: Of course, there is always the chance that the John McCain campaign makes the fatal mistake of calling Liquid Plumber first.* Let's hope that doesn't happen! Even if he is from Ohio, God bless Joe Wurzelbacher. *In case you were trying really hard to figure it out, this is neither a product endorsement nor any kind of deep metaphor. It's just a bad joke. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General

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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
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  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition

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