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 General

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Benigno on Governor’s Reform

My close Independence Institute colleague Pam Benigno was interviewed by Denver's Channel 7 for a story aired last night about Gov. Bill Ritter's sweeping new education reform plan. You can go here to read the story and watch the video. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General, My Life Tagged With: Channel 7, Gov. Bill Ritter, Independence Institute, Pam Benigno

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Opening Day

The waiting is over. Weather permitting, baseball season arrives in its full glory today for both of my favorite teams. The revamped Detroit Tigers break spring training camp with high expectations and a potent lineup, but questions about the pitching staff exacerbated by untimely injuries. Rain may delay their afternoon showdown at Comerica Park with the lowly Kansas City Royals. As for the local Colorado Rockies, 2007 National League champions, the season gets underway in St. Louis. Possible rain showers also are in the forecast there. Having waited this long, though, what would be another day? Too long. Let's play ball! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life, Sports and Leisure Tagged With: Colorado Rockies, Comerica Park, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Opening Day, St. Louis Cardinals

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

Putting Iraq in Perspective

Today's lead editorial in the Wall Street Journal puts our five-year-long war in Iraq in perspective - surveying where we've come from, where we are today, and what the near future portends. The editorial, which deserves perusal from beginning to end, concludes:In our March 18, 2003 editorial on the eve of Iraq's liberation, we supported the war while noting that "toppling Saddam is a long-term undertaking" and "the U.S. has never been good at nation-building." We wish we had been wrong on both counts, but our view has always been that nations shouldn't begin wars they don't intend to win. And newspapers don't endorse wars only to walk away when the fighting gets difficult. The U.S. sacrifice in Iraq has been honorable, our soldiers have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics, World Events Tagged With: Gen. David Petraeus, Iraq, Michelle Malkin, Slapstick Politics, Vets for Freedom Heroes Tour, Wall Street Journal

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 1 Comment

Good Friday

Serious reflections for Good Friday (all passages from the New American Standard Bible): Romans 5:6-9 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. I Peter 2:21-24 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, General Tagged With: crucifixion, Good Friday

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Hillary and Health Care: Sweet Irony

Have I been too easy on Hillary? Not much has seemed worthy of any sort of fresh attention here, but there is something about the combination of Clintons, Leftist ideas, and irony that's hard to ignore. According to a detailed report at Politico, paying campaign staffers' health insurance premiums is not really a priority for Senator Hillary Clinton: nearly $292,000 in unpaid bills, while her opponent Republican Senator John McCain is all paid up. She must think her prescription for government-provided single payer health care has already kicked in. Thankfully it has not, and hopefully it will not. Meanwhile, Scott Ott at Scrappleface takes the irony to another humorous level:Ending weeks of speculation, Sen. Hillary Clinton today … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, Health Care, National Politics Tagged With: Democratic presidential primary, Hillary Clinton, Prozac, Scrappleface, universal health care, unpaid debt

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

“Democrat” Label Featured Less in Scandal Reporting: More Proof

Any fair-minded and honest observer of political events knows that neither major party has cornered the market on scandals. Public officials elected both as Republicans and Democrats have been exposed for various types of corruption, malfeasance, and other prominent moral failings. So why are major media outlets so unbalanced in their presentation? Sure, anytime there is a salacious scandal or other revelation that results in the resignation of a big-city mayor, governor, or member of Congress, the news has to talk about it. But there has been a clear and measurable tendency on the media's part to ignore the party label far more when the story is about a Democrat. More proof emerges today: My Independence Institute colleague David … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: Congress, David Kopel, Detroit, Eliot Spitzer, Gene Kinsey, Harry Potter, Kwame Kilpatrick, Mark Foley, Newsbusters, Political scandals, Rocky Mountain News

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Obama Gutters Altoona

Saturday was a bad day at the bowling alley in Altoona, Pa., for Barack Obama, who rolled an improbably bad 37:"My economic plan is better than my bowling," Obama told fellow bowlers Saturday. "It has to be," a man called out. Obama let everyone know he hadn't bowled since Jimmy Carter was president -- and finished with a score of 37.... Somewhere in all that, I think Obama or the reporter got the facts mixed up. I think his economic plan is reminiscent of Jimmy Carter. I'm not even sure where the bowling fits in exactly. But as one who spent two years of my life in central Pennsylvania - I even attended a minor league Altoona Curve baseball game once - I can tell you that such abject failure at the lanes is not liable to win … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics, Random and Miscellaneous, Sports and Leisure Tagged With: Altoona, Barack Obama, bowling, Byron York, Democratic presidential primary, Real Debate Wisconsin

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

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

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 130
  • 131
  • 132
  • 133
  • 134
  • …
  • 228
  • 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