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 Fiscal Policy

8/27/2010 By Ben 1 Comment

Ryan Frazier 40, Ed Perlmutter 39: Liberal CD-7 Incumbent Feels the Heat

National Review Online's Michael Sandoval breaks more news this afternoon by bringing our attention to a new Magellan Strategies poll of my own 7th Congressional District. Bottom line: Republican Ryan Frazier edges out incumbent Ed "Don't Call Me Pelosi" Perlmutter, 40-39. Some observations on the survey: The voter sample was 38 percent Democrat, 35 percent Republican and 27 percent Unaffiliated, a reasonable model given expected high GOP voter intensity. If you weight the voting sample in line with actual active voter registrations (which would assume Democrats and independents are as enthused about voting this year as Republicans), Perlmutter still only leads 40-38. In other words, this race is absolutely a statistical tie. The … [Read more...]

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

8/26/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

WhoSaidYouSaid Nails Hickenlooper: Your Taxes “as Low as They Can Go”?

Compliments of the creative team at WhoSaidYouSaid, here's a great new video with a candid response from Denver mayor and Colorado Democrat gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper: According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, Hickenlooper currently leads Republican Dan Maes, 41-33, with 3rd-party candidate Tom Tancredo picking up 16 percent. In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, Hickenlooper and Maes are tied at 45. … [Read more...]

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

8/24/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Support State House Candidates at R Block Party Event: It’s That Important

My friends at R Block Party are putting on their second annual picnic tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday, August 25) as a fundraiser for state house candidates. Many of you know I have devoted several postings to analyze this year's showdown for the Colorado state house and Colorado state senate. Many of these races remain critically important even as they are outshone by higher-profile statewide races (and have become even more important in light of the folly that is the governor's race in this state) -- including the 22 candidates participating at R Block Party tomorrow. The state representatives of today also help form the bench for runs at higher office in the future. The R Block Party's second annual picnic includes a live and silent … [Read more...]

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

8/21/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado Cost of Government Day

According to Americans for Tax Reform, today (Saturday, August 21) is Colorado's official Cost of Government Day (the national Cost of Government Day was Thursday):This is the day on which the average American has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of the spending and regulatory burdens imposed by government at the federal, state, and local levels. The cost of government at all levels consumes about 64 percent of the average Coloradan's gross income (compared to the national average of 63.41 percent). There's a less-than-inspiring thought for the day. If that doesn't help focus your energies on advancing liberty and limited government for the upcoming fall elections, I'm not sure what will. … [Read more...]

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

8/20/2010 By Ben 1 Comment

Ed Perlmutter’s Bush-Bashing Overlooked in 7th CD Debate Coverage

Update, 8/21: Lynn Bartels' story in today's edition of the Post fills out a little bit more detail and gives more attention to both the major party candidates... including a lede that identifies Perlmutter's Bush-bashing blameshifting (which makes the headline above obsolete). Guess the blog focus on the Libertarian candidate was supposed to be the teaser for today's story (?). I also was promised some video footage from the Frazier campaign, and will post that here when it arrives. This morning featured the first showdown of Colorado 7th Congressional candidates at a chamber of commerce-sponsored debate. It was practically in my backyard, but who has $20 or more to swing for such luxuries? The only coverage of the debate I've found … [Read more...]

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

8/15/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Absurd Accusation Against Candidate Owen Hill Shines Light on Shoddy Journalism, Political Hackery

Republican state senate candidate Owen Hill was blindsided yesterday by a Colorado Springs Gazette story with fabricated claims that Hill plagiarized statements off his Libertarian opponent's website. A friend of mine, quoted in the story, does his job of defending his Party's position and candidate, but issued his quote carefully:“My understanding is, from Doug, that Doug had written the stuff, and he noticed it was on his opponent’s website and was not pleased with that discovery,” said David K. Williams Jr., chairman of the Libertarian Party of Colorado. [emphasis added] Essentially hearsay. Unfortunately, the Gazette opted for a sensational he said / he said story rather than perform a little basic investigation. Owen Hill's … [Read more...]

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

8/10/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

J.J. Ament Concedes, Walker Stapleton to Face Cary Kennedy for Treasurer

On his Facebook page, just a few minutes ago J.J. Ament published a concession to Walker Stapleton in Colorado's Republican state treasurer primary:... would like to thank the countless volunteers across the state who made this a competitive race and I wish Walker all the best in defeating Cary Kennedy in November. At this hour the Denver Post reports with 77 percent reporting that Walker Stapleton has a 50.7-49.2 lead over Ament. Not to toot my own horn, but I did predict that Stapleton would beat Ament 51-49. Hey, I had to nail one race right on, didn't I? … [Read more...]

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

8/2/2010 By Ben 1 Comment

Denver’s Michael Fallon Embraces Tough Task of Retiring Diana DeGette

Last week I was privileged with the opportunity to sit down and meet Dr. Michael Fallon, the Republican candidate for Colorado's 1st Congressional District. For those in the know, that phrase typically evokes shrugs of apathy. A Republican in the 1st CD? That covers the heart of Denver. The city has been represented by the tag team of Lefty Democratic icons Pat Schroeder and Diana DeGette for a combined 37 years. Republicans has held the office for a total of one two-year term since 1946. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, only 49 of 435 Congressional Districts are considered more heavily Democratic. But don't think for a moment that deters the 45-year-old Fallon. "Diana DeGette is out of touch with the district," the … [Read more...]

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

7/27/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Gallup Survey of Institutions: Congress Rock-Bottom, Presidency Falling Fast

For what it's worth, if you want a glimpse of the public mindset concerning 16 major institutions in American society, you should check out the new Gallup survey (H/T Mike Antonucci). The following are some salient observations on how favorably Americans view the 16 major institutions: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Cultural Conservatism, Education, Fiscal Policy, Health Care, Journalism, Judiciary, Labor, liberty, National Politics, PPC

7/23/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado’s Falling Worker Freedom Grade Highlights Bill Ritter Legacy

Americans for Tax Reform is out with its annual Index of Worker Freedom this week. The idea is to look on a state-by-state basis to determine the extent of employee individual rights and freedoms in workplaces based on the laws and policies of their respective states. ATR looks at whether a state has Right-to-Work laws, paycheck protection, what the share of public and private sector union membership is, etc. In December 2007, when the Index was first released, Colorado received an A-minus (MP3). This year? … [Read more...]

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

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • …
  • 54
  • 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 © 2025 RSS Feed · WordPress · Log in