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Home Archives for General

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

With Apologies to Fido, Lassie, and All of Loyal, Trustworthy, Canine-Kind

Okay, this one made me laugh. When I read the liberal wag's op-ed, I nearly fell out of my chair. Now, there's no need to glorify his work with a link or even a free Google mention - especially since, given the site, the link figures to evaporate very soon. Nevertheless, the following paragraph was written under the sub-heading "Bigoted remark":Another senior staff member of the Independence Institute, education policy analyst Ben DeGrow, offered the "analysis" on a Feb. 20 Internet broadcast of RIGHTTALK.COM, that because of [Governor Bill] Ritter’s executive order enabling state employee groups to form partnerships, a variety of unions had "been attracted to the state like opening up a can of dog food and getting your dog to come … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, Labor, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: analogy, Ben DeGrow, bigotry, Bill Ritter, canine-kind, corruption, dog food, education policy analyst, Executive Order, fatcat, Fido, inartful, Independence Institute, labor unions, Lassie, liberal wag, loyal, op-ed, outburst, Partnerships, pension dollars, political causes, restoration, RightTalk, secret ballots, state employee groups, trustworthy, union leaders, workers paychecks

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Candidate Evie Hudak: “I Support the Entire Democratic Party Platform”

Perhaps the most closely contested state legislative race of 2008 is the battle for Senate District 19 in Arvada and Westminster. But how close would it be if people really knew what Democratic candidate Evie Hudak stood for? Yes, the same Evie Hudak who has a bizarrely condescending view of homeschoolers and parental responsibility in education. A revealing document goes even further, telling us just how much Evie Hudak is attuned to a rigid, Left-leaning ideology - far more than to the interests of everyday people in Senate District 19. On an online questionnaire for the Progressive Democrats of America, Hudak wrote:I support the entire Democratic Party platform. I have supported the issues in previous elections as an active Democrat … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Energy, Fiscal Policy, General, property rights Tagged With: anti-business, Arvada, balanced coverage, ballot initiatives, Colorado, common-sense candidate, Democratic candidate, Democratic Party platform, Department of Interior, domestic energy exploration, drilling, Education, equal time requirements, Evie Hudak, Fairness Doctrine, free political speech, free religious expression, health insurance, homeschoolers, Left-leaning, legislation, Libby Szabo, lockstep liberal, natural gas leases, no-fault automobile insurance, north Jeffco, online questionnaire, parental responsibility, Partnerships, planks, Progressive Democrats of America, public property, regulations, religious symbols, reporter, rigid ideology, Roan Plateau, Senate District 19, state legislature, Ten Commandments, traditional marriage, Westminster

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Mass Deception in Attacks Against Amendment 49, Amendment 54

This morning Mike Rosen, Colorado's leading radio talk show host, called out the group "Protect Colorado's Future" for deceptive ads run against Amendment 47, Amendment 49, and Amendment 54 on Colorado's ballot this fall. Here's the transcript:CALLER: A fairly deceptive ad running on TV. I've seen it a number of times recently. It's a fireman from Littleton, and the background is sort of set against a real sympathetic figure fighting fires, been doing this for 14 years and, you know, I'm in the same league with nurses, and teachers, and policemen, and all that, and vote against these "deceptive" amendments 47, 49, and 54. He never, they never come right out and say what these amendments are obviously, but - ROSEN: It's a clever tactic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 47, Amendment 49, Amendment 54, audio clip, bundling money, clean government, Colorado ballot, deceptive ad, deceptive attacks, Ethical Standards Now, firefighters union, fireman, hollow case, hypocrisy, Littleton, lobbying groups, mass deception, Mike Rosen, nurses, police union, policemen, Protect Colorado's Future, public payroll systems, radio talk show, reforms, right-to-work, special interests, sympathetic figure, teachers, ugly playbook, Unions, workers' rights

2/7/2026 By Ben 7 Comments

Exclusive Video: DNC Scrubs Free Speech from Pepsi Center Sidewalk

Bringing the Democratic National Convention to town means not only cleaning up the homeless off the streets but also cleaning up any vestiges of apparently offensive speech. One of the capable Peoples Press Collective video journalists caught it on video in front of the Pepsi Center today: "Obama, stop abortion!" ... "Stand for life" - All getting washed away. I doubt there will be any debate inside the Pepsi Center about the Democratic Party's abortion platform. Free speech can be a matter of convenience sometimes. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, General, National Politics Tagged With: abortion, Democratic National Convention, Free Speech, homeless, party platform, Peoples Press Collective, Pepsi Center, pro-life, YouTube

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

More Lies Attacking Colorado’s Amendment 47, Amendment 54

Face The State has a great story on a forum hosted by Lefty non-profit groups to "educate" about various initiatives on Colorado's fall ballot. As reported, a spokesman for the well-heeled group Protect Colorado's Future lied directly to the audience about two initiatives his group opposes. First, he deceived attendees about the effects of Amendment 47, the Right-to-Work initiative:“In places where they’ve been successful in passing these laws in other states, there is data that has shown workers make about $5,000 less per year and infant mortality is actually 21 percent higher,” said [spokesman Daniel] Klawitter on Amendment 47, the right-to-work measure. But Kelley Harp, spokesman for the Amendment 47 campaign, questioned … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: "educational" forum, Amendment 47, Amendment 54, ballot initatives, campaign contributions, Daniel Klawitter, deception, earnings, economic development, economic growth, employment, Face the State, government contractors, infant mortality, Kelley Harp, Lefty non-profit groups, lies, no-bid contracts, political campaigns, Protect Colorado's Future, right-to-work

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Seriously … Joe Biden?

Update: Another Colorado blogger added to the list below Barack Obama picked Joe Biden as his running mate ... seriously? When I first heard the news late last night, it sounded too good to be true. My first reaction was that Obama must have made the pick from an insecurity about Obama's personal and political weaknesses. Example? There's no way Biden's long-winded, incoherent ramblings could upstage the Obamessiah's cultish appeal at this week's Democratic National Convention. Beyond the DNC, what does Barack Obama have to look forward to in having Joe Biden as a running mate? What do we really know about Biden? Here's a quick rundown from Colorado bloggers: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, General, National Politics, World Events Tagged With: Atrios, Barack Obama, Best Destiny, blogosphere, Bob Agard, Clarence Thomas, Colorado blogs, compliment, Daily Kos, David Harsanyi, Delaware, Democratic National Convention, Democrats, Denver, Denver Post, eat their words, gaffe-free, gaffe-prone, gravitas, Haditha, Human Events, hypocrisy, infamous audio, Joe Biden, John McCain, Joshua Marshall, Lefty bloggers, liberal, long-winded ramblings, lose their lunch, Michael, Mickey Kaus, National Journal, Obamessiah, Patrick Ruffini, plagiarism, political weaknesses, Rocky Mountain Right, Ross Kaminsky, running mate, script, seniority, teleprompter, The Next Right, Townhall, U.S. Marines, U.S. Senator, U.S. Supreme Court, vice president, YouTube video

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Let Joe Biden Speak for Himself

Joe Biden, Barack Obama's vice-presidential nominee, can speak for himself. First, a video put together by Rocky Mountain Right: Second, Joe Biden talking about Barack Obama, via The Next Right: I need to pinch myself again. Obama really picked Biden - er, Cliff Clavin? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: Barack Obama, Cliff Clavin, Hugh Hewitt, Joe Biden, Rocky Mountain Right, The Next Right, vice presidential nominee

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Peoples Press Collective Scooping DNC

If you are interested in following events in and around the Democratic National Convention, you should be checking in regularly with the grassroots media coverage of the Peoples Press Collective. A lot of photos and video are up from the weekend's protests, with more exciting coverage to follow today as the DNC actually kicks off. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Democratic National Convention, grassroots media, Peoples Press Collective, protesters

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Following the RNC, McCain-Palin Ticket Surging Beyond Expectations

What's that sound I hear? A bounce for McCain-Palin from the Republican National Convention that exceeded my expectations (H/T Rocky Mountain Right). A 10-point lead among likely voters ... seriously? At this point, it's an outlier, but the trend is undeniable. The Republican ticket leads in the Real Clear Politics average (which includes McCain's 1-point Rasmussen edge and 3-point Gallup Tracking Poll lead but not his 4-point tilt from Zogby) for the first time in about six months. There's a lot of campaigning left to do, but John McCain is in significantly better shape at this point than almost anyone would have forecast him doing. As I see it, the Presidential contest has moved from "Obama's race to lose" to "a toss-up." I'll take … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: 10-point lead, Barack Obama, Democrats, Gallup Tracking Poll, Gallup-USA Today poll, John McCain, McCain-Palin, outlier, Rasmussen Tracking Poll, Real Clear Politics, Republican National Convention, Republican ticket, toss-up, trend, Zogby poll

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

“He’s Proud to Be a Loser”: Dave Ohmart’s Modest Profile in Courage

The Denver Post has a great feature story today about Colorado state employee Dave Ohmart, who has been challenging the union organizing power with a mixture of tenacity, fair-mindedness, and self-deprecating wit:The self-described "nonunion rep" worries that the nascent state workers union will eventually draw dues from even employees who voted against it, a specter other states have faced. It's a scenario Colorado union organizers flatly reject. Nevertheless, Ohmart in June began offering counter-points to union pitches through a group dubbed "Colorado LOSES," a jab at the three-union coalition Colorado WINS that won the right to represent all 31,000 eligible state workers last month. "I don't want someone forcing me to join … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: agency fees, apathy, coercion, Colorado, Colorado Loses, Colorado WINS, Dave Ohmart, Denver Post, fair-mindedness, government employee union, greed, honorary "loser", labor union, losers, non-state employee, nonunion rep, political ambition, poster, self-aggrandizement, self-deprecating with, state employee, tenacity, union coalition, union leaders, union organizers

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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
  • 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

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National News and Politics

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Blogs Extraordinaire

  • American Thinker
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Completing the Blogroll

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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

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To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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