Mount Virtus

"Happy to come back to Michigan, but I miss the mountains!"

Ben on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About Ben
  • Mount Virtus?
  • Writer / Editor For Hire
  • What I’m Thankful For
  • Colorado Ballot Reviews
    • Colorado Ballot 2008
    • Colorado Ballot 2010
    • Colorado Ballot 2012
  • Archives
  • Passion and Purpose:
    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
  • Mary and Jacob: From the Forgotten Dust
  • The Westfield Gardener
Home Archives for Colorado Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

Colorado Confidential Accuses U.S. Military Personnel of “Murder”?

Today Colorado Confidential published a story by Kate Bernuth about a controversy developing at a small private Denver school. It starts as a typical foray into agenda journalism for the heavily Left-leaning site:At a tiny international school in southeast Denver, a conflict is playing out that reflects, in a microcosm, the wider divisions in American society as the nation enters the sixth year of a bloody, unpopular war. A display of photographs and a statement by the Iranian artist in the halls of Colorado International School has caused a dust-up between administrators and an outraged parent who accuses the school of spreading "anti-American propaganda." Every month at this language-immersion school of 44 students, most of whom are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General, World Events Tagged With: Colorado Confidential, Colorado International School, Face the State, Farhad Vakili Tabar, Iraq War, Jason Salzman, moral equivalence, Rocky Mountain News

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Union Bosses Act Like State Property Owners Under Ritter’s Order

Face the State has the skinny on "Colorado WINS" union bosses acting like they own state government property:An executive order, signed by Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, last November, empowered unions to serve as “exclusive representatives” of state employees for the purposes of forming “employee partnerships.” Days after the order, a coalition of three major unions – CAPE-SEIU, AFSCME, and the American Federation of Teachers – announced a cooperative agreement to organize state workers under the name "Colorado WINS." After hearing from state employees that Colorado WINS is aggressively trying to organize an election, Face The State attempted to attend an on-site meeting between the union and state employees. Face The State … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Colorado WINS, Executive Order, Face the State, Gov. Bill Ritter, union organizing

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Without Republican Support, Car Fee Hike One Too Many for Ritter

This morning the Denver Post reports that Gov. Bill Ritter is dropping the "hot potato" that would have hit all Colorado families with another $100 in vehicle registration fees. Of course, it's important to note that it was Ritter who took the potato out of the oven after it had been thoroughly cooked by his blue ribbon commission. Seems the governor was unable to get a single Republican in the legislature to sign on to "the bait and switch con game." Kudos to the Republicans for showing some taxpayer-friendly backbone on this one. Meanwhile, the fact that Ritter is unwilling to push his fee hike forward without a Republican co-sponsor shows just how scared Democratic leaders are of being recognized as the party of tax … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: Gov. Bill Ritter, Property Tax Increase, Republican backbone, vehicle registration fees

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Statehouse Dems Pushing Colorado Farther Away from Tax Freedom

The Tax Foundation's yearly "Tax Freedom Day" report is out (H/T State Policy Network Blog), and the results as usual are not startling. The average taxpayer both in Colorado and nationwide has to work until April 23 to pay off their share of the tax burden:This year’s Tax Freedom Day falls three days earlier than in 2007. Fiscal stimulus rebates and a projection of slow growth in 2008 are the principal reasons for the earlier celebration. However, if the large projected deficit for 2008 were counted as a tax in the current year, Tax Freedom Day would fall on May 3. “Government continues to dominate the American taxpayer’s budget,” said Tax Foundation president Scott Hodge. “Americans will still spend more on taxes in 2008 than … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Colorado legislature, Property Tax Increase, Rep. Amy Stephens, Tax Foundation, Tax Freedom Day

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Corry: Colorado Conservatives Uniting?

My Independence Institute colleague Jessica Corry has a column up at Politics West about a Denver event last night that she says holds out hope for re-uniting key wings of the old Reagan Republican coalition. Former Owens adviser Sean Duffy and Colorado Family Institute president Jim Pfaff were two of the panelists:Duffy calls himself a "pro-life, pro-gay" Republican, jokingly claiming that he's been kicked out of the Republican Party multiple times only to come back for more abuse. You may remember him as the right-hand man of former Gov. Bill Owens, a conservative Republican. "At the end of the day, as Republicans, we should all just want the government to leave us alone," he told me. And Pfaff, while frequently identified by his ties … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, General Tagged With: Colorado Family Institute, Jessica Corry, Jim Pfaff, Reagan Republican Coalition, Sean Duffy

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

McCain’s Appearance in Denver

The most thorough reporting on Republican Presidential candidate John McCain's stop in Denver yesterday can be found at Slapstick Politics. In one key passage El Presidente writes:So when the Democrats and the left target Senate candidate Bob Schaffer for comments he made about Sen. McCain last year that appear critical, ask them how they will handle their party's own squabbles, name-calling, and vitriol. If Schaffer can't offer his opinion and then change/modify/alter it, then it will be tough (even for Democrats) to see either Obama or Clinton offering their support for each other, once the nomination is decided. And the attacks we've seen between those two this primary season make any tension between Schaffer and McCain pale in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics Tagged With: Bob Schaffer, Colorado, John McCain, Republican Party, Slapstick Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Local GOP Blogger Declares Candidacy for State Legislature

One of my longest, most consistent friends in the blogging world has decided to throw his hat in the ring. Republican Joshua Sharf has declared his candidacy for House District 6. Since the district is a heavily Democrat enclave, the campaign is much less about personal ambition than principle. Having exposed frontrunning Republican candidate Rima Barakat Sinclair for her anti-Israel Islamist agenda and other suspect credentials, Joshua has decided to petition on the primary ballot to ensure she does not carry the Republican Party banner in the fall. Apparently, a Republican candidate for Congress learned about Ms. Sinclair's history and decided to reject her $500 contribution to his heated primary campaign. That's a strong message, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: House District 6, Joshua Sharf, Republican Party, Rima Barakat Sinclair, View from a Height

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Big Labor Unleashes More Big Guns to Aim at Right-to-Work Initiative

The Denver Post reports today that Big Labor has escalated its political battle with the business community by introducing new proposals for Colorado's fall ballot:The five ballot initiatives filed by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 7 include measures that would: • Deny tax breaks and incentives to companies that relocate jobs outside Colorado. • Require businesses to pay more in property taxes. • Allow injured workers to sue employers outside the workers' compensation system. Along with ballot proposals backed by other unions, Monday's filings further set the stage for a fiery showdown between business and labor in November. Big Labor has pulled out the big guns to try to shoot down one … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Big Labor, Gov. Bill Ritter, right-to-work, United Food and Commercial Workers

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Democrats Use Your Money to Defend Ritter Taking Your Money without Asking

Democrats in the state legislature are pushing a line item in the state budget that would give $150,000 in taxpayer funds to pay Gov. Bill Ritter's legal costs. For what, you ask? To defend a policy Ritter promoted and signed that levies a property tax increase on thousands of Colorado homeowners and business owners without a vote of the people, in violation of the state constitution. So let's get this straight: Bill Ritter thumbs his nose at the state constitution, choosing to force through a widespread property tax hike. Then he gets sued by taxpayers because he didn't get their permission as the state constitution requires. Now his Democrat allies are working to make sure the very people hit by the tax hike will foot the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Democrat arrogance, Gov. Bill Ritter, property tax hike, state legislature

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Ohio Can Have Hillary and Terrelle – Colorado Is Just Fine, Thank You

Jim Geraghty looks at the Rasmussen poll data (showing McCain and Obama tied at 46, but McCain clobbering Hillary 52-38) and muses:We've seen Obama running ahead of Hillary in some states, but an 11 or 12 point difference? What's got him so popular there, and her so unpopular? Does Obama come across as a mountain state kind of guy? Is he related to John Elway or something? I don't have a good answer to that question, but many hypotheses abound. Coloradans don't like the old-style Eastern politics that Hillary Clinton represents. Colorado swing voters are more open to vapid liberal platitudes than cynical ones. Frankly, it beats me. Hillary polls terribly unpopular here and would have virtually no chance to win the Centennial State in a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, My Life, National Politics, Sports and Leisure Tagged With: Barack Obama, Colorado, Democratic presidential primary, Hillary Clinton, Jim Geraghty, John McCain, Ohio, Terrelle Pryor

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 102
  • 103
  • 104
  • 105
  • 106
  • …
  • 155
  • Next Page »

Inside

  • About Ben
  • Archives
  • Colorado Ballot Reviews
    • Colorado Ballot 2008
    • Colorado Ballot 2010
    • Colorado Ballot 2012
    • Colorado Ballot 2014
  • Mary and Jacob: From the Forgotten Dust
  • Mount Virtus?
  • Passion and Purpose:
    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
  • The Westfield Gardener
  • What I’m Thankful For
  • 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
  • The Colorado Observer

National News and Politics

  • Drudge Report
  • Hot Air
  • National Review
  • Politico
  • Real Clear Politics
  • Reason
  • The Washington Times
  • TownHall
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Weekly Standard
  • World Magazine

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
  • Right Wing Nuthouse
  • 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
  • Free Republic
  • Heritage Foundation
  • Jefferson County Republican Party
  • Mackinac Center for Public Policy
  • Mark Steyn
  • Michael Medved
  • Rush Limbaugh

Colorado Blogs

  • American Kestrel
  • Bob Agard
  • Colorado Charter Schools
  • Colorado Peak Politics
  • Colorado Pols
  • Colorado Right
  • Conservative Libertarian Outpost
  • Coyote Gulch
  • Ed Is Watching
  • Free Colorado
  • Jeff Crank Show
  • Mark Hillman
  • Patient Power
  • PirateBallerina
  • Protein Wisdom
  • Reagan Girl
  • Rocky Mountain Alliance 1.0 (Archive)
  • Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0 (Archive)
  • Rossputin
  • Stop the ACLU Blog
  • The Spot (Denver Post)
  • We Stand Firm

Other Sites

  • Technorati
  • Word Press

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

Copyright © 2026 RSS Feed · WordPress · Log in