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Home Archives for clean government

12/10/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Blago and Bailouts Connected in Anger-Inducing Big Government Theme

Economist Steve Horwitz ties the thread between the two mammoth stories running through the blogosphere right now (H/T Brian Doherty, Reason):I can't help but note that yet another politician is indicted on corruption charges at the very same time we are handing over unprecedented power to the political class as we partially nationalize the banking system and, apparently, the Big Three auto companies. I simply do not understand how those who are in favor of giving government all of these new powers because they sincerely believe that doing so will work out the way their blackboard designs intended can keep a straight face. What kind of cognitive dissonance must it take to believe that the people YOU are handing power over to are "not … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, National Politics Tagged With: auto bailout, average citizen, bailout, Big Government, Big Labor, Big Three auto companies, blogosphere, car, complicit role, Congress, consumer, corruption, Democratic majority, destructive, destructive economic agenda, domestic production, economic pain, economist, exacerbate, expansive regulatory powers, fewer choices, footing the bill, government, high labor costs, human nature, irony, jobs, Joe Taxpayer, key player, less money, major example, mammoth stories, more taxes, new powers, officials, pay-to-play scandal, political scandal, President-elect, problems, rationality, Rod Blagojevich, scandal, Service Employees International Union, Steve Horwitz, swamp-like conditions, ties together, TV, United Auto Workers, victim

12/8/2008 By Ben 5 Comments

Corleone-Like Cronyism Another Reason to Shun Huckabee’s Leadership

Regular readers of this blog know I'm no fan of Mike Huckabee. If you need a refresher: Huckabee surge is bad news for serious, coherent conservatives Why not Huckabee? The slime Colorado GOP should heed Kafer and Hillman, not Parker and Huckabee Today, Dr. Jay Greene brought my attention to a story from Arkansas that further highlights the problem. Mike Huckabee's populist themes, identity politics, and underhanded tactics are complemented by his dedication to old-fashioned Southern cronyism. Conservatism and the movement it represents appear to be little more than tools in Huckabee's political toolbox. Or, as Jay Greene puts it:The Huck’s indifference to ideas and obsession with building his personal political network, make … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, General, National Politics Tagged With: Arkansas, civil service, coherent, conservative movement, cronyism, Don Corleone, identity politics, Jay Greene, leader, Mike Huckabee, old-fashioned, personal political network, political toolbox, populist, problem, refresher, Republican Party, standard-bearer, successful, television career, underhanded tactics

12/8/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Stevens, Jefferson Down: Very Small but Promising Signs of Health

First, corrupt Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was narrowly taken out in his umpteenth re-election bid. More recently, corrupt Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson was ousted in Saturday's run-off election. Let me say these are both very small but genuinely promising signs for the health of the Republic - as it were. A first-generation Vietnamese-American lawyer and political novice, Republican Anh "Joseph" Cao, defeated lifetime pol and Democrat incumbent Jefferson in a heavily Democratic district. Michelle Malkin has more. Cheery thoughts for a Monday in December, in which the world of politics further drifts into the background, though hopefully not beneath too much snow here on Colorado's Front Range. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, General, National Politics Tagged With: Alaska, Anh Cao, corruption, December, Democratic district, drifting, lawyer, Louisiana, Michelle Malkin, Monday, ousted, political novice, promising signs, re-election bid, Republic, Republican, run-off election, senator, small signs, snow, Ted Stevens, Vietnamese-American, William Jefferson

12/1/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

Democrat Leader Tapdances Around His Party’s Push to Kill Secret Ballot

After their impressive electoral victories, the Democrats on Capitol Hill are feeling their oats. Can you blame them? It's payback time to the Big Labor leaders who have bankrolled the campaigns of many a Congressional Democrat. Top of the list therefore? The unpopular and poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would take away workers' rights to a secret ballot in union elections. Watch how House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), appearing on Fox News Sunday, tapdances around Chris Wallace's question contrasting the union bill with the House Democrats' own procedures for electing officers within the caucus: "Why is a secret ballot okay, and desirable, for Congress, but you want to take it away from workers?" (H/T … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, National Politics Tagged With: administration, bankroll, Betsy Markey, Big Labor, bon voyage, campaigns, Capitol Hill, caucus, Chris Wallace, Christmas, Colorado, Congress, Democrats, EFCA, elder statesman, elections, electoral victories, Employee Free Choice Act, employees, feeling their oats, fighting chance, filibuster, Fox News Sunday, George McGovern, Georgia, high priority, House Majority Leader, John Salazar, Kaiser, Karen Mayhew, Ken Salazar, leaders, Left, lottery jackpot, Mark Udall, Maryland, materials handler, Mike Ivey, Minnesota, Nancy Pelosi, Norm Coleman, payback, poorly-named, question, real workers, recount, Saxby Chambliss, secret ballot, Senate, Steny Hoyer, Strike One, trial lawyers, union bill, union elections, unpopular, video, workers' rights, Workplace Fairness Institute, YouTube

11/24/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

Hmmm…Will Al Franken Find His Winning Recount Votes in Time?

Powerline has the latest update on the Norm Coleman-Al Franken recount saga. Not exactly the grand Florida melodrama of eight years ago. Nor does the angry, foul-mouthed comedian seem to have much reason to be less angry than usual. As I write this, Coleman's pre-recount lead of 206 now stands at 210 with 77 percent of the ballots totaled. According to Powerline, though, many of the untallied votes will come from Minneapolis precincts. Stuart Smalley Al Franken has to hope that some of the Twin Cities' deceased cousins in Chicago, Philadelphia, or King County, Washington, might have made a last-minute trek there to cast a vote for him from beyond the grave. ("I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and darn it, dead people like me.") Maybe a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, General, National Politics Tagged With: Al Franken, angry, ballots, Barack Obama, bone up, box, brilliant, Chicago, comedian, Congress, dead, December 2, Democrats, dumpster, firewall, foul-mouthed, Georgia, impulses, King County, Left, Minneapolis, Nate Silver, Norm Coleman, Philadelphia, Powerline, precincts, President-elect, reading material, recount, regression analysis, runoff election, Saxby Chambliss, timely, Twin Cities, votes

11/24/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

The Case for Colorado Spending Transparency: Jeffco Schools Edition

Quite simply, the people of Colorado deserve open, accountable, and transparent government. Not the kind where you as a taxpayer walk into the school district admin building, get a barrage of questions for asking for a copy of the district's credit card transactions, and have to pay $75 from your own pocket just to see how your money is being spent. That's Natalie Menten's story with Jeffco Public Schools, and you can hear it on an iVoices podcast: Shouldn't it be easier for citizens to access this information? Is creating a comprehensive, user-friendly, online searchable database asking too much of our governments? In these tumultuous economic times, placing the public eye on government spending should help ensure that money is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: appropriate, citizens, Colorado, Colorado Spending Transparency, credit card transactions, cutting edge, government spending, governments, hard economic times, Independence Institute, information, iVoices podcast, Jeffco Public Schools, money, Natalie Menten, open government, pocket, prudent, public eye, questions, school district, searchable database, State Capitol, taxpayer, Transparency, user-friendly

11/20/2008 By Ben 3 Comments

Colorado GOP Should Heed Kafer and Hillman, Not Parker and Huckabee

This week's two prime examples of self-serving guns on the Right pointing inward? On the one hand, Kathleen Parker caricaturing and lambasting me and millions of evangelical Christians:To be more specific, the evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn't soon cometh. Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party.... It isn't that culture doesn't matter. It does. But preaching to the choir produces no converts. And shifting demographics suggest that the Republican Party -- and conservatism with it -- eventually will die out unless religion is returned to the privacy of one's heart … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, clean government, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics Tagged With: annoying, armband religion, Beltway cocktailk parties, caricaturing, Colorado, culture, demagogic, economic populism, evangelical Christians, Faux-Cons, fiscal conservative, former presidential candidate, GOP coalition, gripe, humility, influential voices, Jon Henke, Kathleen Parker, Krista Kafer, lambasting, leaders, Liberalism, libertarianism, Mark Hillman, Mike Huckabee, political action, political wilderness, preaching to the choir, privacy, publish, religious faith, Republican Party, reservation, Right, right-wing, Ron Paul, self-serving guns, shifting demographics, shut up, social conservatives, tax increase, Time magazine

11/15/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Great Resource: Election Neutrality Now

At Founders' Night I briefly met former Denver elections official Jan Tyler. She introduced me to her website Election Neutrality Now, a great resource on conducting clean and fair elections, as well as issues related to voter fraud. Jan had a Speakout in the Rocky Mountain News published a few days ago. It's also worth a read. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, My Life Tagged With: clean elections, Denver elections official, Election Neutrality Now, Founders Night, Jan Tyler, resource, Rocky Mountain News, Speakout, voter fraud

11/14/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Podcast Recapping Big Labor’s Multi-Million Dollar Colorado Ballot Battles

Just in case you want to hear another recap of Colorado's recent ballot battles - specifically, Big Labor's well-heeled campaign to sink Amendments 47, 49, and 54 - I was the guest on an Evergreen Freedom Foundation podcast with Scott Dilley to explain just that very thing to the primarily out-of-state audience: I know, it's not exactly "DeGrow Gone Wild" on the podcast. But what did you expect? Anyway, moving on now.... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, My Life Tagged With: Amendment 47, Amendment 49, Amendment 54, ballot battles, Big Labor, Colorado, Evergreen Freedom Foundation, podcast, Scott Dilley, well-heeled campaign

11/3/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Sarah Palin is Cleared in Troopergate

Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin's reputation is salvaged from scurrilous charges in a faux scandal (H/T Fort Hard Knox). Given its 11th hour release, you can just about guarantee the media establishment will bury her exoneration. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, General, National Politics Tagged With: candidate, faux scandal, media establishment, Republican, Sarah Palin, Troopergate, vice presidential

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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.

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