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Home Archives for Ben

10/6/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

My 2010 Colorado Ballot

It's becoming a tradition. As of this evening, I have posted online my ballot with informed recommendations based on my personal inclinations, for whatever they are worth. The online ballot includes all Colorado statewide issues and one local issue, with a discussion of each, along with the candidates for whom I plan to vote (some of which include explanations). Perhaps I should be flattered, but here's hoping you don't agree with me on every last point. Not that I take it to the extreme of one of the greatest conservative political philosophers of the 20th century, of whom William Buckley, Jr., once famously said: "As hard as it is to disagree with Harry Jaffa, it’s even harder to agree with him." Even so, I hope you find it useful. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, Colorado Politics, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC

10/5/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Teacher Union-Funded vs. Reformer-Funded: Interesting Colorado Races

Last week I highlighted the political giving of Colorado education-related groups, making several observations. Among them was the fact that none of the groups -- not even the pro-reform **Stand for Children small donor committee -- had supported a single Republican candidate. But I wrote too soon. They just hadn't reported it yet. An Ed News Colorado story today highlights that Stand for Children has backed some of its Republican (and other) endorsements with campaign cash: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Labor, liberty, PPC

10/2/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

October Means It’s Time to Play Who Said You Said Billboard Scavenger Hunt

Colorado drivers, look around you. Okay, keep your eyes on the road. Of course. But if you're motoring along highways throughout the state, you may see one of the 100 famous Who Said You Said billboards spread throughout Colorado (86 in the Denver metro area and 7 each in Fort Collins and Grand Junction):The billboards invite citizens to “Stop Payment” on reckless ?spending by visiting WhoSaidYouSaid.com and send “Stop Payment”? notices to those officeholders. Federal spending has ballooned to $3.7 trillion, we have a $1 trillion budget deficit and are $13 trillion in debt. Take some time today and send these representatives a “Stop Payment” notice. Breitbart TV has taken notice of the billboard campaign; why not you? If you're … [Read more...]

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

10/1/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Enterprise Group Political Report: Some State House R Will Deliver Big Upset

In the most recent edition of The Enterprise Group Political Report ("At the Nexus of Business and Politics") email newsletter, Andrew Boucher of Boucher Strategies in Fort Collins writes:I'll make three fearless predictions for November: 1. In the state legislative races, there will be at least one absolute stunner where a Republican no one has ever heard of knocks off an incumbent Democrat no one knew was in trouble. 2. Everything down-ballot is going to swing heavily towards the Republicans. (The less a voter has been paying attention to a particular race, the more likely they'll default to the the national mood. Call it surfing the wave.) 3. Ben DeGrow is exactly right: "In this kind of generic political environment, in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, Journalism, liberty, PPC

10/1/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Why Decent Souls Will Be Glad to See Congressman Alan Grayson Lose

One of the silent joys I plan to take on Election Night will be watching the defeat of Florida Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson, truly a despicable figure and, as this NRCC ad puts it (H/T Redstate's Moe Lane), using his own words to make the case, a "national embarrassment": As Hot Air reports, even a liberal MSNBC interviewer had to call Grayson on the carpet for his outrageous attack ad against his Republican opponent Daniel Webster, an ad that took Webster's recorded comments out of context to make them sound like he said the exact opposite. Watch Grayson dissemble on the cable news program, and you'll soon join me in rejoicing at his coming defeat. And if you need a good laugh along the way, watch a good out-of-context … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Cultural Conservatism, National Politics, PPC

9/30/2010 By Ben 1 Comment

More Serious Doubts Raised by Legal Complaint Against Bernie Buescher

As Election Day draws closer, appointed Democrat Secretary of State Bernie Buescher can't be feeling too good. He has been nagged by his office's failure to ensure that overseas military personnel have timely ballot access, perhaps affected by his long hours away from the office. Then yesterday comes the painful, ironic news of a campaign finance complaint against the state's chief election officer. As reported by Steven Paulson of the Associated Press:A Denver attorney has filed a complaint against Secretary of State Bernie Buescher claiming Buescher violated state law by using state workers to coordinate his campaign for re-election. A press release from the campaign of Republican opponent Scott Gessler highlights the other part of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, PPC

9/29/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Yes, Ken Buck is Ahead, DSCC Poll Isn’t Equivalent to Rasmussen (Not Close)

The Denver Post's Michael Booth is to be commended for his efforts: He's working really hard to bolster the flagging campaign of appointed junior U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. Maybe it's some sort of "Michael B" bond. Who knows? Though artificially inflating Bennet's hopes in the end isn't a terribly kind thing to do. Seriously, a new Rasmussen survey comes out today showing Ken Buck breaking the 50 percent mark at 51-43, confirming a trend of independent polls that have the Republican challenger beating Bennet outside the margin of error. Yet Booth leads with a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) poll showing Bennet with a statistically insignificant lead of 48-46. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Journalism, liberty, National Politics, PPC

9/29/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Ed Perlmutter Casts Deciding Adjournment Vote Against Tax Relief

We already knew that my Congressman, liberal Democrat Ed Perlmutter, can twist himself into knots defending the Death Tax. But today Perlmutter went further, providing the decisive vote on the House floor (210-209) to adjourn Congress to keep from voting on extending the Bush tax cuts that would provide relief to my family and millions of others. Thirty-nine Democrats voted against adjournment to give a chance to debate tax relief. But not Ed Perlmutter. The official response from the campaign of Republican challenger Ryan Frazier:“Ed decided to skip town early rather than vote to get our nation’s economy back on track,” Tyler Q. Houlton, Ryan Frazier’s Campaign spokesman, said. “Ed would rather put his reelection chances above the … [Read more...]

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

9/29/2010 By Ben 1 Comment

Fact-Checking Democratic Candidate Jeanne Nicholson on K-12 Spending

Update, 10:30 PM: In an email this evening, Republican candidate Tim Leonard responded to the charge from his Democratic opponent as follows:After one debate together, she clearly knows that her statement of my position is erroneous. I have used clear language to state that my position is to reduce our state government spending to equal our tax revenues -- currently estimated to be a $1.1B budget decrease. And I have been equally clear that I support an "across the board" reduction in all the funded areas of our state government. So to represent to the public that I would support absorbing 100% of our budget shortfall within public education is a purposeful misrepresentation for the benefit of fooling voters. This is the very … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, PPC

9/28/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

How Will Colo. Education Groups’ Political Giving Match Election Results?

Ed News Colorado posted an interesting piece by Todd Engdahl this morning on the political support of the five in-state education interest groups that endorse and contribute to candidates: Colorado Education Association (CEA) American Federation of Teachers Colorado (AFT) Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE) Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) Stand for Children Colorado (Stand) Unsurprisingly Engdahl reports:Of the more than 130 contributions or endorsements by the five groups, 90 percent went to Democratics [sic]. Only CASE (seven of 32 total) and Stand for Children (five of 18) endorsed Republicans. (Stand also endorsed the legislature’s only independent, former Democratic Rep. Kathleen Curry of Gunnison.) The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, liberty, PPC

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Inside

  • About Ben
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    • Colorado Ballot 2008
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    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
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  • Writer / Editor For Hire

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

  • Colorado Senate News
  • Complete Colorado
  • Independence Institute
  • Loveland Politics
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National News and Politics

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  • National Review
  • Politico
  • Real Clear Politics
  • Reason
  • The Washington Times
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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
  • Mullings
  • Professor Bainbridge
  • Right Thinking
  • Right Wing News
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  • Shot in the Dark
  • Talking Points Memo
  • Virginia Postrel
  • Volokh Conspiracy

Christian Commentary et al.

  • Kevin Pierpont
  • Sharper Iron

Conservative and GOP Sites

  • Backbone America
  • Cal Thomas
  • Colorado Republican Party
  • Colorado Republican Study Committee
  • Dennis Prager
  • Denver Metro Young Republicans
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Colorado Blogs

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Other Sites

  • Technorati
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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

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

To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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