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 My Life

2/7/2026 By Ben 3 Comments

RMA Blog Talk Radio Tonight at 8:30: A Look at Fort Collins, Tom Stone

Tune in starting at 8:30 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the 16th edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. In the early slot, two candidates for Fort Collins city council join us to discuss issues facing one of the best places to live in the United States, and their vision for the city's future. Later we'll talk with Tom Stone, recently announced candidate for the chairmanship of the Colorado Republican Party. We'll find out his thoughts about where the party has fallen short and lost its way, and what it will take to turn things around. Is it time for a new guard? Don't forget. If you miss the live broadcast of tonight’s show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, Colorado Politics, General, My Life, PPC Tagged With: best places, Blog Talk Radio, candidates, chairmanship, city council, Colorado, Fort Collins, Mount Virtus, podcast, Republican Party, Rocky Mountain Alliance, sidebar, Tom Stone, United States

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

How Does a Federal Agency Lose So Many Computers, Cameras, & Forklifts?

You hear a lot of talk about waste in government, especially in the bureaucracies at the federal level. But then you see an investigation by my Independence Institute colleague Todd Shepherd (also the founder of Complete Colorado), and that waste sort of comes to life. It becomes a little less abstract. If the headline doesn't draw you to take a peek, I'm not sure what will: "Excuse me, Homeland Security Department, how do you lose two forklifts?" (H/T Amy Oliver) During one calendar year, the Customs and Border Patrol Agency by itself lost $7.1 million of material, including 171 desktop computers, 28 motion picture cameras, and - yes - 2 forklifts. Check it out for yourself, then do what the Independence Institute did: write members … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, clean government, Fiscal Policy, General, Journalism, Labor, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: Amy Oliver, bureaucracy, calendar year, Complete Colorado, Congress, Customs and Border Patrol Agency, desktop computers, federal level, forklifts, founder, government, headline, Homeland Security Department, Independence Institute, investigation, material, members, motion picture cameras, take a peek, talk, Todd Shepherd, waste

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Farewell, Paul Harvey

As the weekend in which the late great news commentator Paul Harvey will be memorialized and laid in his final resting place, I wanted to offer a tiny tribute. Like anyone who turned on an AM radio in recent decades, Paul Harvey's news and "Rest of the Story" segments were almost always irresistible. I didn't get to see him speak in person until he delivered the commencement address at Hillsdale College in 2000, when I watched some of my friends graduate. About that same time, he began singing the praises of my alma mater on his radio program. Subscriptions to Hillsdale's free speech digest Imprimis have soared. Many people I've met in recent years, people of various ages and backgrounds, the only connection they have to Hillsdale … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commemorative, General, Journalism, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: accounts, alma mater, AM radio, commencement address, condolences, connection, down to earth, example, Family, figures, final resting place, folksy charm, friendly voice, genial, Hillsdale College, Imprimis, influence, irresistible, loved ones, memorialized, microphone, missed, news, news commentator, Paul Harvey, people, praises, public statuture, quintessentially American, radio program, reassuring, rest in peace, rest of the story, subscriptions, tiny tribute, trademark, tremendous reach, vocal delivery, warm personality, weekend, widespread appreciation, work

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Add Dave Schultheis to the List of GOP Lawmakers with Foot in Mouth

Update (2/26): El Presidente weighs in, along with Rocky Mountain Right and David Harsanyi. A little good judgment, please? Perhaps an apology or two? The list of Republican state legislators over the past week with foot in mouth reaches three: Don Marostica Scott Renfroe Dave Schultheis There's much I could say about Senator Schultheis' comments and rationale, but for the sake of time I'll limit it to this: The best way to expose the pro-abortion Democrats' hypocrisy on the issue would be to cast a vote in favor of life, not in favor of a confused moral message. There is much, much, much room for the Republican Party to be the conservative party, the predominantly pro-life party, to welcome and encourage social conservatives … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life Tagged With: behavior, brush, comments, confused, conservative, Dave Schultheis, Democrats, Don Marostica, elevating, foot in mouth, honoring, hypocrisy, isolated minority, issue, Lefty, manipulators, message, money, moral message, political, politically incorrect, pro-abortion, pro-life, rationale, Republican, Republican Party, rhetoric, Scott Renfroe, silly, spend, state legislators

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

Tell Congress to Read the Bill: Why Not Sign the Online Petition Today?

Transparency (or the lack thereof) is the name of the game these days. After the Generational Theft Act got shoved down our throats in such a hurry - with Congress having a matter of only a few hours to read the mammoth bill - supporting this idea is the most basic sort of common sense we can ask for in our representative form of government. So go ahead and sign the online petition at Read the Bill, a very simple process that will take you one minute or less (H/T Soren Dayton). Why? The Democrats in charge of Congress don't want you to do it It might help the Republicans find a backbone and champion real reform on the issue It's the right thing to do For more on the government transparency movement (at least in Colorado), visit … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: backbone, champion, common sense, Congress, Democrats, Generational Theft Act, government, issue, mammoth bill, name of the game, Read the Bill, real reform, representative, Republicans, right thing, Soren Dayton, supporting, Transparency

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Better Late Than Never: A Few More Photos of Denver’s Anti-“Stimulus” Rally

Everybody else has posted their pictures from yesterday's anti-"stimulus" rally at the Colorado State Capitol: Michelle Malkin Slapstick Politics (photos) Slapstick Politics (complete video) Peoples Press Collective Face The State Ari Armstrong, Free Colorado Rocky Mountain Right Rossputin El Marco, Looking at the Left Roger Fraley As for me, better late than never. Here are my photographic contributions, trying to avoid too much redundancy with the others above: … [Read more...]

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

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado Daily Op-Ed Tackles Porkulus Bill and Local Education Reform

For anyone interested, my latest op-ed contribution ran yesterday in the Colorado Daily, which starts as follows:Given the significant debt future generations are now obligated to repay, President Barack Obama's new "stimulus" package could be far better used to promote meaningful education reform in Colorado. Rather than helping, the large amount of free-flowing federal funds may end up undermining efforts to improve educational opportunity in Colorado. It too heavily subsidizes the status quo, while needlessly placing promising innovations at risk. Hopefully it comes off as a little bit irritable and provocative, but ultimately one idea for helping to make the best out of a bad situation. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: Barack Obama, Colorado Daily, debt, education reform, federal funds, innovations, op-ed, stimulus

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Good News: Night Twister Spins Liberty on the Rocks into Fort Collins

Kudos to fellow Rocky Mountain Alliance member Randy Ketner (aka Night Twister) for taking the initiative to launch the Fort Collins chapter of Liberty on the Rocks. (Of course, you would already have known this if you were listening to Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio.) The movement continues to grow. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, General, My Life, PPC Tagged With: chapter, Fort Collins, grow, kudos, Liberty on the Rocks, member, movement, Night Twister, Randy Ketner, Rocky Mountain Alliance

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

Re Hugh, I Second Joshua’s Motion

Earlier today Joshua wrote:Hugh, you know we'd like to have you here in Colorado, under the right circumstances. But it's hard to see how those circumstances include a dilletante's knowledge of Colorado politics, and a studio build-out large enough for a swimming pool and in-studio parking. Then again, the Winter X-Games sponsorship possibilities are intriguing. I second that motion. The right circumstances also might include a regular weekly segment on the Hugh Hewitt Show with representatives of the Rocky Mountain Alliance of Blogs, and a severe rationing (or outright ban) of pathetic cheerleading for Ohio State and all teams Cleveland. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, General, My Life, National Politics, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: cheerleading, Cleveland, Colorado, Colorado Politics, Hugh Hewitt, Joshua Sharf, Ohio State, outright ban, representatives, right circumstances, Rocky Mountain Alliance, severe rationing, Winter X-Games

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Big Day for School Transparency

Update: Senate Bill 57 passed the state senate on 2nd reading - which means it's almost certainly on its way over to the House for debate. Today (very likely) is a big day for Colorado and the movement toward school financial transparency: Two major editorial endorsements, one news story, and an important debate on the floor of the state senate. Check it all out at the Colorado Spending Transparency blog. Update: You also can follow me (bendegrow) on Twitter. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, My Life, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • …
  • 55
  • 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