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Home Archives for My Life

11/5/2009 By Ben 6 Comments

Help Steer the Local Political Discussion: It’s Time for the November Survey

Mount Virtus readers, this post will remain sticky through the end of the survey (November 13). For newer postings, please scroll down. It's that time again. Yes, El Presidente and I have commissioned and fashioned another survey that we hope you will take 10 minutes or so to complete — especially if you’re from Colorado. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill quick-hit polls. Once again we’ve gone a little more in-depth. Some of the questions are the same. Some are new. One interesting added follow-up is asking what the most important factor is for you in choosing to support a Republican primary candidate for governor and U.S. Senate. Click here to take the November 2009 Colorado online political survey Your opinion counts. Take a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC

11/4/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Kent Lambert’s Announcement Thursday: Going for Senate District 9?

Yesterday Republican state senator Dave Schultheis announced he would be retiring from office in 2010. This evening a press release went out from (and about) one of my Leadership Program of the Rockies classmates:Representative Kent Lambert, House District 14, will make a short public political announcement on Thursday, November 5, at 12:00 at the El Paso County Republican Headquarters, 205 Sutton Road, Colorado Springs, CO, 80907. An opportunity for media Q&A will follow. [link added] Connection between the announcements of Schultheis and Lambert? It would be hard to speculate as anything else. You didn't think Tom McDowell would go unchallenged in his quest for Senate District 9, did you? No one has a stronger 2009 rating from the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, My Life, PPC

11/3/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

GOP Surprise: Dave Schultheis to Retire, Tom McDowell to Succeed Him?

From CBS4 Denver, foot-in-mouth State Senator David Schultheis (R-Colorado Springs) has pulled a surprise and announced he's not running for re-election in 2010. Does this make former blogger and self-proclaimed "big tent" Republican candidate Tom McDowell the frontrunner in Senate District 9? It's no secret that Tom once was a frequent visitor to this blog, and has left his share of comments that speak for themselves. All I can say is he seems to like to pick fights over imagined disputes. If nominated and elected, I hope he shows more tact than his predecessor. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, My Life, PPC

10/31/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Bill Ritter Bait-and-Switch Continues … Desperate? Unethical? Incompetent?

Update, 11/2: Another campaign email from Ritter begging multiple times for contributions, with only a brief passing mention of "improving the quality of our children's education" .... Yes, that's one bait-and-switch online petition. The Bill Ritter email bait-and-switch continues. Three weeks ago, during my first and only ever contact on Bill Ritter's website, I signed an online petition urging "the U.S. Department of Education to recognize Colorado’s distinct education reform initiatives, and to award Colorado a 'Race to the Top' grant...." What followed within the first couple weeks were a pair of emails from Ritter urging me to take action in support of Obama Care. Did it occur to anyone in the Bill Ritter re-election office that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Health Care, My Life, National Politics, PPC

10/30/2009 By Ben 3 Comments

Taking on the Colorado Supreme Court: Mark Hillman, Mike Rosen & Me

Update, 1:50 PM: I also will be talking about the Lobato case and school funding adequacy on Face The State weekend radio with Brad Jones. In the Denver area, that's AM 710 KNUS on Saturday at 5:00 AM and Sunday at noon. Check local listings for additional stations and times. A sense that the Colorado Supreme Court is growing out of control continues to pick up momentum after the October 19 Lobato v State ruling (PDF), in which the 4-3 liberal majority arrogated to itself the power to determine school funding policy. On Wednesday my friend and former state senate leader Mark Hillman ably dissected the dangers in this decision. Yesterday, Colorado's leading conservative talk show host Mike Rosen leaped into the fray with a strong … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Judiciary, liberty, My Life, PPC

10/28/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Jeffco GOP Central Committee Recap: Governor Hopefuls Speak, Gholston Steals Show, Frazier Team Absent

Last night I attended the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee meeting, along with nearly 200 other local precinct and district leaders. Considering the central order of business was to ratify new by-laws and the snows of the big storm were just beginning to fall, turnout was not at all bad. The main bill might also have helped bring some folks in. All three Republican gubernatorial candidates got their six-minute turn on the stump. And Alex's observations notwithstanding, all three comported themselves well and were equally well received by the audience. The biggest loser at last night's event was obviously Bill Ritter -- whose unpopularity seemed unrivaled. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC

10/22/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Another Norton-McCain Connection?

(H/T Complete Colorado) The Colorado Independent reports on another connection between Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jane Norton and our last presidential nominee John McCain -- thanks for the links. In the race for a little more than five weeks now, the former lieutenant governor has been hitting the campaign trail on the Western Slope recently. As the Grand Junction Sentinel notes, Norton certainly is hitting the right talking points early on. This blogger still has some skepticism, some questions to be answered. An interview may be in the near future: Stay tuned.... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC

10/21/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Support for Education Reform Funds = Support for Bill Ritter’s Re-Election?

Update, 10/24: Received a third pro-Obama Care email from Bill Ritter (and Mark Udall and Michael Bennet) today, still nothing on education reform ... Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has a page set up where you can sign a petition to support the state's effort to receive federal Race to the Top competitive grant dollars that support education reform. If you sign the petition, you end up on some sort of mailing list for Ritter's re-election campaign. In the two weeks since I signed the petition I've received two mass emails urging me to back Obama Care! Here's the complete text of the online petition: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Health Care, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC

10/19/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Arvada City Council Candidates Respond to Financial Transparency Idea

All politics is local, right? Mail ballot municipal elections already are underway, so late last week I decided it was finally time to ask the Arvada city council candidates on my ballot what they think of the idea of detailed financial transparency. Below I've pasted the message I emailed to the two at-large candidates and the two district candidates and what I learned: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, My Life, PPC, property rights

10/15/2009 By Ben 49 Comments

Laura Boggs for Jeffco School Board

Update, 10/29: Rumors have spread, including in my own comment section, that candidate Laura Boggs has plans to close down Green Mountain and Wheat Ridge high schools. There is no truth to these rumors, and the candidate herself has debunked them. Furthermore, in today's Denver Post story about Jeffco Schools considering closures, it reads: "Closing an elementary school building saves about $300,000 a year on fixed costs; closing a middle school saves $800,000 to $1 million; and shutting down a high school — which is not one of the district's 45 options — saves $3 million a year." [emphasis added] Several people this week have asked for my insights on whom to support for school board here in Jefferson County -- Colorado's largest school … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, My Life, PPC

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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
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