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Home Archives for General

2/7/2026 By Ben 3 Comments

Penn State’s “The Veteran” Training Video Brings Back Ironic Memories

I couldn't resist commenting on this one - from the Wall Street Journal's Best of the Web:"What if it was 'Oh, the gay one,' or 'Oh, the Asian kid?' " asks Maggie Kwok, head of the Penn State Veterans Organization in an interview with the Daily Collegian, PSU's student newspaper. She is referring to a "training video," prepared by the university's Counseling and Psychological Services office, depicting "worrisome student behavior." The office swiftly removed the video when it prompted a kerfuffle, but the PSU College Republicans preserved it on YouTube. It's a fascinating documentation of academic prejudice. Why bring this one up? I find the video not only bizarrely condescending in the generic sense, and for all the cogent reasons … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, Cultural Conservatism, Education, General, My Life, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: analysis, Best of the Web, bizarrely, blue book exams, cogent reasons, College Republicans, complain, condescending, Counseling and Psychological Services, courteous, Daily Collegian, different era, diligent, engaged, essays, female, generic, generous, graduate students, hardest-working, honest, James Taranto, kerfuffle, Maggie Kwok, mature, office hours, Penn State University, personal connection, polite, privilege, razzed, recitations, room, ROTC, stood my ground, student, student newspaper, sympathy factor, teaching assistant, training video, university, veterans, Wall Street Journal, whole experience, worrisome student behavior

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Democrats Gamble State Finances, Majority Status, on Pinnacol “Gimmick”

The budget debate at Colorado's State Capitol heads into full throttle this week. In a tough year, the linchpin to the Democrats' plan is a raid on the privately-funded Pinnacol Assurance Company. Even the Denver Post recognizes this as a bad idea:If lawmakers can't get money from Pinnacol, higher education could be cut by more than $400 million — more than half the state's allotment to colleges and universities. Pinnacol offers guaranteed workers' compensation insurance, and Republicans have argued that because the insurer's assets were funded by businesses paying premiums, the state should keep its hands off. [Attorney General John] Suthers, a Republican, clearly, agrees. The Pinnacol idea is dubious at best. It is a gimmick, a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC Tagged With: accustomed, Andrew Ripemoff, anti-taxpayer, assets, Attorney General, bad idea, budget, Colorado, court decision, debate, Democrats, Denver Post, desperate times, dubious, editorial, elected leaders, eliminating, eschewing, Face the State, full throttle, funnier take, gimmick, higher education, important connection, insurer, John Suthers, linchpin, majority party, Mary Mullarkey, newfound powers, notch, own hides, Pinnacol Assurance, plan, primary strategy, Republican, risky gimmick, State Capitol, supreme court, TABOR, tax exemptions, tough decisions, tough year, workers compensation

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

BREAKING: ColoradoPols Behind the Curve on Local GOP Politics

"Breaking" news from the Dead Governors: Marc Holtzman won't be running for governor. Hey, don't yawn at me like that. -- Oh, I see ... you're yawning at their headline? -- So what you're trying to say is the Dead Guvs aren't exactly the source of breaking news for things happening on the Republican side of the aisle here in Colorado? -- Okay, okay, call me Captain Obvious. But I'm not the only one around here.... Sources also have shared with Mt. Virtus a sneak peek at some possible upcoming headlines from the Democrat Pols blog:Breaking: Bill Owens Says He Doesn't Want Governor's Job Again Breaking: Jane Norton 'Not in the Mix' to Take On Ritter Breaking: Bruce Benson to Stay at CU, Won't Vie for Governor's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, General, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous, Sports and Leisure Tagged With: Amazing Race, Bill Owens, Bill Ritter, breaking news, Bruce Benson, Captain Obvious, Carmelo Anthony, Dead Governors, Democrat, Denver Broncos, headlines, Jay Cutler, Lindsey Vonn, Marc Holtzman, The Fray, Tim Gill, Ward Churchill

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

RMA Blog Talk Radio Tonight at 8:30: Tax Day Tea Party, Jessica Corry

Tune in tonight at 8:30 PM local Mountain time for the 22nd edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. We have two guests for this week: Brian Campbell to talk about tomorrow's Tax Day Tea Party, and Jessica Corry from the Independence Institute to talk about high salaries and lack of transparency at the University of Colorado. If you miss the live show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Legislation to Unionize Colorado State Government: Coming 2010 Battle?

Via the Right to Work blog comes news that the new Republican Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer has repealed her predecessor's executive order granting union powers to state workers. This scenario (and others like it before - witness Missouri and Indiana as examples) is precisely why the Colorado WINS labor coalition will not rest satisfied with Bill Ritter's November 2007 executive order that introduced collective bargaining to our state government. Odds are strong that the political winds will favor Big Labor pushing a broad piece of government employee collective bargaining legislation in 2010. The question is whether the Democrats in charge at the State Capitol by then will have backed off the cliff's edge, and from governing away their … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, PPC Tagged With: 2010, Arizona, Big Labor, Bill Ritter, broad, cliff's edge, Collective Bargaining, Colorado WINS, Democrats, Executive Order, governing, government employees, Governor, Indiana, Jan Brewer, labor coalition, legislation, majority, Missouri, political winds, precisely, predecessor, question, Republican, right-to-work, satisfied, scenario, State Capitol, state government, state workers, union powers

2/7/2026 By Ben 3 Comments

Remember the 10th Amendment! (We’ll Worry about the Alamo Later)

God bless Texas:Gov. Rick Perry joined state Rep. Brandon Creighton and sponsors of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 50 in support of states’ rights under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, Labor, PPC Tagged With: 10th Amendment, Alamo, Barack Obama, Brandon Creighton, federal government, Governor, HCR 50, hope, interference, intrusive, liberty, national roots, President, regulations, Rick Perry, states rights, Tax Day Tea Party, Texas, U.S. Constitution

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Tax Day Tea Party, Colorado

Update VI, 4/16: Here are some pictures taken by Jimmie H. Butler at yesterday's rally in Colorado Springs. Re-posted with permission: Update V, 4/16: My brother-in-law has a great set of photos from yesterday's Denver event. Slapstick Politics has begun to post video from the well-attended festivities at the West Steps of the Capitol. Rossputin has some "Post-Tea Party Thoughts" that includes photos, video, and an interactive poll question. Here is a great site that is tallying attendance reports from Tea Party events all across the country. I've already notified the site operator with a few reports from Colorado locations he hadn't yet received. Update IV, 10:00 PM: Over at Free Colorado, Ari has a good … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Christianity and Faith, clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, liberty, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: advice, After the Tea Party, blogger, budget, Colorado, compelling, concerned, constituents, debate, Democrats, details, disturbances, doorstep, El Presidente, follow-up, Getting Connected in Colorado, lawmakers, Lefty, legislative calendar, links, majority, mourn, Night Twister, Pinnacol, printable, pro-liberty activist, protest, rally, Randomridge, reasons, resource, Rocky Mountain Alliance, state house, Tax Day, taxpayers, Tea Party, theft

2/7/2026 By Ryan Leave a Comment

How Much is a Trillion?

To put a trillion dollars into perspective, I decided to do a little imagining.  Just suppose that you could use a 53-foot semi-trailer to represent 1 million dollars.  One million dollars won't fill a trailer, but every time you see one, you know it stands for a million dollars. Now, imagine driving 12 hours per day on a road trip past a solid row of 53-foot semi trailers.  This row of trailers represents 1 trillion dollars, with 1 million dollars in each trailer.  Here are your approximate trip stats (based on this route and driving time): 10,000 Miles of semi trailers 3.74 Rows of trailers from LA to DC 146 Hours to drive up and down the rows 12 Days for a road trip (driving 12-hour days) up and down the rows Now that's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Why the Tax Day Tea Party?

A great video from the People's Press Collective (H/T Slapstick Politics): An intriguing idea: Stay tuned... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, liberty Tagged With: Peoples Press Collective, Tax Day, Tea Party, YouTube

2/7/2026 By Ryan 5 Comments

Hello Colorado Blogosphere!

My name is Ryan Morgan and, at the kind request of Ben, I will be guest posting from time to time on this blog.  A 21-year-old resident of Arvada, I was home educated and have a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (focus in general management) from Thomas Edison State College.  I am a developer at a small software firm. I am a Bible-believing Christian, not associated with any particular denomination, but with an experiential belief in forgiveness of sin solely through faith in Jesus Christ's blood atonement at Calvary and His resurrection from the dead. I am a conservative first and a Republican second.  I believe in limited, effective government; adequate (strong) national defense; and laws based on Biblically moral … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Christianity and Faith, Colorado Politics, Commemorative, Cultural Conservatism, General, liberty

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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

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