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Home Archives for General

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Global Warming Takes a Holiday

News like this has got to be a bit of a bummer for the likes of Ted Turner and the Eco-Elites: They soon may be looking for another excuse to impose their De-population policies on you and your family. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Hysteria, General Tagged With: Eco-theology, global warming, Ted Turner

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Independence Institute Event Tonight: Persecuted Ethiopian Journalist Speaks

Yesterday I was privileged to meet Ethiopian journalist and scholar Habtamu Dugo. He shared a small part of his story with me. As one who like most Americans easily can take for granted the freedoms we enjoy, I was humbled by his steadfast courage, gracious modesty, and passionate eloquence. This evening Habtamu will be speaking at the Independence Institute:A persecuted reporter and academic, Mr. Dugo will share his experiences exposing human rights abuses in Ethiopia, restrictions on freedom of the press and what happens when a journalist dares to defy the brutal Ethiopian government. Mr. Dugo will join us for a reception at the II offices on Tuesday, April 22 at 5:30 p.m., followed by his presentation and Q&A at 6 p.m. RSVP for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, General, World Events Tagged With: Ethiopia, Habtamu Dugo, Independence Institute

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Maybe Hillary IS That Unpopular

Does anyone remember Jeremiah Wright and Tony Rezko? Or is news like this just a sign that the Democratic Party - and America in general - really, truly is sick of the Clintons once and for all?A new national Democratic primary poll from Diageo/Hotline (.pdf) (March 28-31, 342 Dem RV, MoE +/- 5.3%) shows Obama leading Clinton by 12 points, after the two had remained close in similar polls in previous months. On negative campaigning, 42% felt Clinton had unfairly attacked Obama, while 22% felt Obama had atttacked Clinton unfairly. Per his usual excellent output, Mark Steyn has the most eloquently biting pre-mortem on the Clinton campaign, saying it looks like "last call for Hillary":It's 3 a.m., and your children are safe and asleep. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: Barack Obama, Democrat primary, Hillary Clinton, Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko, voter apathy

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Bill Ritter Announces Earth Day Regulations Out of the “Blue Sky”

From today's Denver Post:Gov. Bill Ritter celebrated Earth Day beneath an unblemished blue sky this morning by enacting several major pieces of his Climate Action Plan, including a statewide greenhouse gas emissions reduction standard. I'm curious to know why the phrase "an unblemished blue sky" was included in the lead sentence. It would have been a lot more compelling to read that Ritter was standing beneath "a smog-filled sky," or that he was "drenched in sweat from the Climate Change-induced heat wave." But then again, Steven Hayward at Human Events explains how the radical environmental agenda has been a victim of its own success:Time magazine this week is running its sixth cover story about global warming, but one of these days … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Hysteria, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: "an unblemished blue sky", Climate Action Plan, Earth Day, Gov. Ritter, Human Events

2/7/2026 By Ben 4 Comments

Wil Armstrong for Congress

Having accepted an invitation, today I met with Wil Armstrong - Republican candidate for Colorado's 6th Congressional District. Nationally-known Congressman Tom Tancredo has stepped down after five terms in office, and four candidates are vying to replace him for the safe Republican seat. The other candidates are Secretary of State Mike Coffman, State Senator Ted Harvey, and State Senator Steve Ward. Unlike the other three, Wil Armstrong has never held elected office. But in a time when many Republican voters are frustrated with the fiscal irresponsibility of their own elected officials and are clamoring for change, he considers the lack of experience a strength. Instead, Armstrong has been a successful entrepreneur and a dedicated … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, My Life, National Politics Tagged With: 6th Congressional District, endorsement, Mike Coffman, Steve Ward, Ted Harvey, Tom Tancredo, Wil Armstrong

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Algore’s Climate Fearmongering Not Catching on with Americans

Following up on Bill Ritter's Earth Day "climate change" regulations, I ran across this recent Gallup survey report on Americans' environmental concerns (H/T Bill Smith). As I noted before, it seems like an appropriate way to commemorate Earth Day by celebrating the remarkable progress made in cleaning our air and water in the last 35 years. Public opinion seems to evidence that trend. According to the Gallup poll, Americans' greatest environmental concern consistently has been water pollution, yet even so the percentage of Americans "worried a great deal" about the problem has declined from 72 percent in 2000 to 53 percent in 2008. After multi-millions spent to scare people into joining High Priest Algore's Church of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Hysteria, Colorado Politics, General, National Politics Tagged With: acid rain, Al Gore, Church of Eco-Theology, Earth Day, Gallup poll, global warming, Gov. Bill Ritter, water pollution

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

State School Board Should Stop Hiding from Public Vote on Tax Hike

The latest update in the saga of Gov. Bill Ritter's "school" property tax hike ... The State Board of Education, one of two defendants in a lawsuit from taxpayers who say they should have been asked first under the requirements of the state constitution, is hiding from public view:When deciding whether to fight or effectively bow out of a lawsuit challenging a politically volatile property tax freeze, the state's education board opted for secret meetings instead of a public vote, records show. E-mails obtained Monday by The Denver Post reveal internal turmoil between a cadre of Republican members, who argue that the governor-backed freeze is unconstitutional, and the panel's Republican chairwoman, who has blocked attempts at public … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Bob Schaffer, Gov. Bill Ritter, Pamela Jo Suckla, property tax hike, State board of education, Transparency

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Backlash from Doug Bruce “Illiterate Peasant” Comment Needs Closer Look

When I read this Grand Junction Sentinel story this morning - via the Dead Governors - I was disturbed:Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, said after she gaveled down Rep. Doug Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, for calling Mexican immigrants “illiterate peasants” during a Monday debate, she was bombarded with threatening messages via e-mail and telephone. “The hate mail is off the charts, and there’s issues with people in terms of this response,” Curry said. “It has really bothered me.” She said hundreds of threatening, acerbic messages have clogged her cell phone’s voicemail and her e-mail inbox. Since the news report leaves little sense of the exact nature of the phone calls and emails, it is difficult to comment … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: "illiterate peasants", Dead Governors, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Night Twister, Rep. Douglas Bruce, Rep. Kathleen Curry

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Speak Out for Florida Taxpayers!

A note from my Independence Institute colleague Amy Oliver:Our conservative brethren in Florida need our help and time is of the essence. Right now TABOR type legislation is being debated by a special Constitutional committee comprised of 25 private citizens, not elected officials. They have the power to put a positive version of TABOR on the ballot as a proposed amendment to the state constitution. The proposal is called the "Taxpayer Protection Amendment" or CP-45. The vote will be on Friday so if you could take just a few minutes to email (email address is below) Florida's Constitutional committee about how TABOR has been beneficial in Colorado and send this email/suggestion along to some of your friends to do the same it would help … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Amy Oliver, CP-45, Independence Institute, TABOR, Taxpayer Protection Amendment

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Michael Yon’s Words Deserve Attention

Mr. Bob points the way to a stellar Wall Street Journal column penned by Michael Yon, who has earned the utmost credibility in Iraq by virtue of spending more time following the action in person than probably any other independent observer. So when he writes:I have seen this war – and our part in it – at its brutal worst. And I say the transformation over the last 14 months is little short of miraculous. The change goes far beyond the statistical decline in casualties or incidents of violence. A young Iraqi translator, wounded in battle and fearing death, asked an American commander to bury his heart in America. Iraqi special forces units took to the streets to track down terrorists who killed American soldiers. The U.S. military is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics, World Events Tagged With: counterinsurgency, Iraq, Michael Yon, The Daily Blogster, Wall Street Journal

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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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Completing the Blogroll

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To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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