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Home Archives for National Politics

2/26/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Charles Chaput Observes Obamessiah Phenomenon — Really a Big Deal?

The observations made by the Denver's archbishop are hardly anything new or unreasonable, but the Rocky Mountain News reports that his words are stirring up the blogs (which ones? not clear):Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput told a Canadian audience this week that some Catholics are treating President Barack Obama with a "spirit of adulation bordering on servility." "In democracies, we elect public servants, not messiahs," he said. [link added] And:"Americans, including many Catholics, elected a gifted man to fix an economic crisis. That's the mandate. They gave nobody a mandate to retool American culture on the issues of marriage and the family, sexuality, bioethics, religion in public life and abortion," he said. [emphasis … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: abortion, adulation, American culture, archbishop, bailouts, Barack Obama, blogs, Canadian, Catholics, Charles Chaput, commonsense, consumer confidence, Denver, Denver Tea Party, economic crisis, economic plans, economy, electoral success, Family, freedom-based, gifted man, inept, intervention, investor confidence, mandate, marriage, messiahs, observation, public servants, reforms, Republicans, Rocky Mountain News, Rossputin, servility, sexuality, solutions, start, statist

2/25/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Does God Oppose the Secret Ballot?

Hey, who knew intimidating and badgering workers was a religious virtue? Or that God opposes the secret ballot in workplace elections? Well, apparently, so say "55 Colorado faith leaders" who signed a letter and sent it to Congress on behalf of the deceptively-named Employee Free Choice Act. (Or maybe they haven't actually read the bill to see what it does.) I don't deny the Religious Left's right to petition the government. They just happen to be terribly wrong on this issue. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: Colorado, Congress, Employee Free Choice Act, faith leaders, God, government, issue, letter, opposes, petition, Religious Left, religious virtue, secret ballot, workplace elections, wrong

2/24/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

RMA Blog Talk Radio Tonight at 8:30: Filmmaker Evan-Coyne Maloney, Nadeem Esmail on Health Care

Gloomy about the Obama administration's intervention halting economic recovery and pushing the markets down so we can party like it's 1997? Then I have just the cure. Tune in starting at 8:30 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the 15th edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio, with two very interesting guests. First is Evan Coyne-Maloney, creator of the film Indoctrinate U, which exposes and challenges political correctness run amok on our nation's college campuses. His on-air discuss with the RMA crew comes two days before the movie's showing at Liberty on Film Thursday evening in Denver's LoDo. With proposals to further socialize health care looming at the State Capitol, the second guest is the Fraser Institute's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Health Care, Movie Reviews, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: 1997, administration, archive, Barack Obama, Blog Talk Radio, Canadian, college campuses, column, cure, D.C. Examiner, Denver, economic recovery, El Presidente, Evan Coyne-Maloney, film, Fraser Institute, free-market alternatives, Health Care, Independence Institute, Indoctrinate U, intervention, Liberty on Film, LoDo, markets, movie, Nadeem Esmail, neighbors, Patient Power, Paul Hsieh, podcast, political correctness, preview, Rocky Mountain Alliance, shortcomings, single-payer health care, Slapstick Politics, socialize, State Capitol, system, widget

2/23/2009 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

2/23/2009 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

2/21/2009 By Ben 3 Comments

Poetic License: A Lefty Blogger’s Dilemma, the Week in Review

With too much time on my hands, here's a fun set of rhyming couplets to recapitulate the week just passed from the perspective of a hypothetical Lefty Colorado blogger:Do I write about Marostica, Or the dude with the Swastika? A Republican lawmaker mocking his peers, Or some guy to abuse for a few Josh Penry jeers? I must blog on one or the other, 'Cause what is there really to say about Suthers? Do I write about Marostica, Or the dude with the Swastika? One gives our free-spending values that bipartisan glow, The other had fun stealing Michelle Malkin's show. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Christianity and Faith, clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, My Life, National Politics, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: Barack Obama, Big Government, Bill Ritter, bipartisan glow, Bob Beauprez, debt, dilemma, Don Marostica, elephants, inspiration, John Suthers, Josh Penry, Lefty bloggers, Liberty on the Rocks, Marc Holtzman, Mark Udall, Michael Bennet, Michelle Malkin, mistakes, Nutroots, Obamessiah, pretensions, Progress Now, propaganda machine, rally, Republicans, right-wing, Senate, State Capitol, swastika, tasteless sign

2/19/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Michael Bennet to Colorado Taxpayers: Porkulus is Merely the Beginning

Selected Senator Michael Bennet to Colorado taxpayers: "The beatings will continue until moral improves". So reports the Fort Morgan Times on Bennet's visit yesterday:Government has to find some kind of answer to the economic woes which are besieging the country, he said. The stimulus package is just the beginning, but it can bring some relief, Bennet said. [emphasis added] What's next? The Obama housing plan? You know, rewarding irresponsible behavior, paying your neighbor's mortgage. Does Michael Bennet have a position on the Obama housing plan? Or maybe he just expects Colorado's hard-working taxpayers to assume the position again (you know, hand in wallet).... Is there anything Bennet will support or oppose without the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics, PPC, property rights Tagged With: beatings, beginning, Colorado, economic woes, Fort Morgan Times, hard-working, irresponsible behavior, Michael Bennet, morale, oppose, permission, position, relief, senator, stimulus package, support, taxpayers, visit, White House

2/19/2009 By Ben 13 Comments

Obama “Stimulus” Overreaches, But Republicans Still Have Much to Prove

A candid word from liberal Mickey Kaus about a major effect of the Pelosi-Reid-Obama Generational Theft Act:But the reference to liberalism isn't irrelevant, because the now-undermined welfare reform was the key to rebuilding confidence in (liberal) affirmative government. As Bill Clinton recognized, voters may well have been willing to let government spend, but they didn't trust old style liberals not to spend in actively destructive ways, like subsidizing an isolated underclass of non-working single mothers with a no-strings cash dole. It's a 75-25 values issue. Work yes. Welfare no. Even if welfare spending was only a tiny portion of the liberals' spending agenda, it poisoned the rest of it. Only when Clinton's New Democrats put an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: anti-"stimulus", backbone, Barack Obama, beginnings, big plans, Bill Clinton, bloated, candor, chairman, Congress, day care, Denver, dependency, destructive ways, early, Earned Income Tax Credit, federal largesse, fiscal conservatives, fiscal responsibility, fortified pensions, Gateway Pundit, Generational Theft Act, government, governors, hard work, Health Care, liberal, liberty, limited government, major effect, Michael Steele, Mickey Kaus, newfound, political opportunities, positive signs, public confidence, rallies, reform, Republican majority, Republican National Committee, Republicans, restoring trust, rhetoric, right direction, rousing speeches, saying no, serious, Social Security, spend, state legislators, state level, trust, welfare reform, wisely

2/18/2009 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

2/17/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Liberty on the Rocks Responds to Obama’s Final Stimulus Package

Tired of all the government bailouts? Then watch the great new video from my friends at Liberty on the Rocks: Should Amanda's fame continue to grow as a result of this video, it's going to become difficult to avoid the inevitable comparisons with this comic legend. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: Amanda, bailouts, comic legend, fame, friends, government, Liberty on the Rocks, video, YouTube

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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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