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 PPC

3/16/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Has State Representative Don Marostica Wandered Off the Political Cliff?

Update, 3/17: Link added - check out "Keep The Cap Colorado" Saying state representative Don Marostica is not the future of the Colorado Republican Party was one of the blog understatements of the year. As if latching on to the Democratic caucus to support California-like spendthrift policies wasn't enough by itself, Marostica had to go and try to explain his position. From Don Marostica's hometown, this Loveland Politics report seems to indicate the representative has walked off the political cliff:If the purpose of Saturday's "town hall" meeting was to mend fences within his own party, it failed miserably when the Republican legislator Marostica told those assembled "Now, I know Republicans -- really get nervous about that because … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, PPC Tagged With: abstain, account, Arveschoug-Bird, blog, California, Colorado, coming election, Democratic caucus, Don Marostica, elected, explain, foolhardy strategy, future, higher taxes, hometown, incoherent logic, label, lesson, libertarians, Loveland Politics, mere convenience, overlap, party designations, phony rhetoric, policies, political cliff, reinforced, Republican, Republican Party, spending, spendthrift, state representative, support, talking points, understatements

3/16/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Undeterred by Plain Reading of Constitution, State Supremes Stick It to Colorado Taxpayers

Update, 3/17: Law student Constructively Reasonable says the decision is a cause for "outrage". A watcher says Colorado may not as well even have a constitution. The Colorado Supreme Court has done it again, showing its disdain for taxpayer protections in the state constitution. From the majority opinion:When it issued its declaratory judgment order, the district court did not have the benefit of our recent decision in Barber v. Ritter, 196 P.3d 238 (Colo. 2008), in which we held that a statute challenged under article X, section 20 must be proven to be unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial court erroneously held that the relevant test of SB 07-199s constitutionality came from the interpretive guideline included in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Judiciary, PPC, property rights Tagged With: 49 states, Allison Eid, arbitrary rule, Ari Armstrong, boss, campaign issue, Cary Kennedy, clairvoyance, Colorado Supreme Court, common sense, compelling case, conservatives, constitutional sanity, constitutionality, Cory Gardner, Democrat, Denver Post, dissenting voice, downgrading, faith, fiscal restraint, forthcoming, full retreat, government, Governor, Grand Junction Jon Caldara, higher threshold, inescapable, Josh Penry, just, justice system, kudos, law, legal arena, libertarian, life support, local elections, local tax revenues, loyalist, most partisan, observation, offense, other ideas, partisan interests, plain reading, realization, reasonable, Republicans, SB 07-199, school districts, senate minority leader, simpler, state constitution, state house, state legal system, state of Colorado, state representative, state senate, state treasurer, tactical idea, tax dollars, tax policy change, tax revenue gain, taxpayer protections, Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, The Colorado Index, violated, voter permission, weigh in, writer

3/16/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado Well Represented Among Top Conservative Columnists

It seems Colorado's own David Harsanyi is getting some national attention for his column-writing talents. Witness "The 30 Best Conservative Columnists for 2009" list compiled by John Hawkins of Right Wing News. David breaks in at number 22. Yes, David is a native New Yorker and not really from Colorado. (Then again, few of us really are from Colorado.) But he's certainly made a name for himself while on the editorial board of the surviving Denver Post. Some of us even can say we knew him "when". You can find his columns here and his blog contributions here. Of course, Michelle Malkin - who regularly graces the lists of top conservative columnists and comes in at number 7 on the latest - is officially a Coloradan as of last … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Commemorative, Cultural Conservatism, General, Journalism, liberty, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: blog contributions, Coloradan, Colorado, column-writing, compiled, conservativce columnists, David Harsanyi, Denver Post, editorial board, John Hawkins, list, Michelle Malkin, New Yorker, officially, Right Wing News, talents, well represented, writers

3/15/2009 By Ben 3 Comments

Hugo Chavez? Say It Ain’t So, Magglio

A mildly disturbing story that makes me wish sometimes we could keep the world of sports / entertainment separate from the larger political world. From an ESPN article about my favorite baseball team's All-Star right fielder and a loathsome, repressive dictator:President Hugo Chavez came to the defense of Magglio Ordonez on Sunday, slamming Venezuelan baseball fans who booed the major leaguer at the World Baseball Classic. Chavez lamented that his friendship with Ordonez prompted catcalls from the mostly Venezuelan crowd during the team's 3-1 victory over the Netherlands in Miami on Saturday, saying the fans who booed the Detroit Tigers slugger "have no shame."... Ordonez, one of Venezuela's biggest baseball stars, appeared in a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, General, PPC, Sports and Leisure, World Events Tagged With: All-Star, Baseball, booed, catcalls, constitutional amendment, crowd, defense, Detroit Tigers, dictator, eliminate, entertainment, friendship, game, Hugo Chavez, loathsome, Magglio Ordonez, major leaguer, match, Miami, mildly disturbing, Netherlands, Opening Day, outfielder, political world, President, proposal, repressive, right fielder, slugger, Socialist, softball, sports, stars, state television, story, television ad, term limits, Venezuela, vote, World Baseball Classic

3/13/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

The Education Empire (Quietly) Strikes Back at SB 57 School Transparency

Senate Bill 57, the school financial transparency bill, has defied anyone's expectation and made it through one-half of the legislature. From the senate, it's now on to the house. Apparently, but not too surprisingly, the lobbyists for the education establishment are looking for a way to kill the bill without looking like they oppose transparency. The COST blog exposes the details. School districts can use low-cost technology to place expenditures and revenues online in a searchable format; that excuse has been worn thin. So I guess it's time to resort to other ineffective arguments, along with procedural tactics and other technicalities. What about the people's lobby? Will they turn out again to speak out for their right to see … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC Tagged With: Colorado, education establishment, excuse, expenditures, financial transparency, House, House Education Committee, ineffective arguments, kill the bill, legislature, lobbyists, low-cost, online, oppose, people's lobby, procedural tactics, revenues, school, searchable format, Senate, Senate Bill 57, speak out, spent, tax dollars, technicalities, technology, turn out

3/12/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Is Dennis Apuan Still Boulder’s Own Representative in El Paso County?

Face The State follows up on a Complete Colorado lead about Democrat State Representative Dennis Apuan. He is the lead sponsor of a resolution honoring fallen soldiers (PDF), but he also has been arrested as an anti-war protester. Jeff Crank, former Republican Congressional candidate and current Colorado Springs radio host, wants to know why Apuan is hiding from his 2003 arrest. The following response was fired back from the Democrats' press office:Statement from Rep. Dennis Apuan (D-El Paso) Date: Fri, Mar 6, 2009 "Six years ago, long before I was an elected official, I participated in a peaceful prayer vigil at Peterson Air Force Base. With a group of religious leaders, I peacefully expressed my opposition to the use of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, PPC, property rights Tagged With: answering, anti-war protester, arrest, Boulder, Colorado Springs, community service, Complete Colorado, Congressional candidate, Democrat, Democrats, Dennis Apuan, district, El Paso County, Face the State, fallen soldiers, Fort Carson, issue, Jeff Crank, lead sponsor, military personnel, nuclear weapons, Peterson Air Force Base, prayer vigil, prepared statement, press office, property, questions, radio host, religious leaders, Republican, resolution, response, rest, state representative, Sunday School, trespassing, views

3/12/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Rob Witwer Tells National Audience about Colorado’s Blue “Rocky Ride”

Some of you may remember many months back when Fred Barnes at the Weekly Standard gave national coverage to "The Colorado Model". Certainly a fine piece in its own right, but you'll find an even more detailed and insightful piece along the same lines in the new issue of National Review, written by my friend and former state representative Rob Witwer. Check out "Rocky Ride". By reading the piece, I learned that Rob and Adam Schrager of 9News (a Wolverine and a history major, a double-plus) are co-authoring a full-length book along the same lines titled The Blueprint: How Democrats Won the West (and Why Republicans Should Care). I plan to read their book (apparently scheduled to be released in 2010) after I get caught up and read … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, My Life, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: 2010, 9News, Adam Schrager, book, co-author, Colorado Model, detailed, double-plus, fine piece, Fred Barnes, history major, insightful, national coverage, National Review, new issue, released, Rob Witwer, Rocky Ride, state representative, The Blueprint, The Principled Politician, Weekly Standard, Wolverine

3/12/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Poor Timing of FasTracks Tax Announcement Only Tip of Iceberg

It's kind of surreal to find these two headlines in the same edition of the Denver Post: Colo. jobless at 21-year high: "The unemployment rate hasn't been this high since April 1988, when it was at 6.7 percent. It is also higher than the 6.3 percent rate reached during the depths of the dot-com bust from 2001 to 2003." Doubling FasTracks sales tax gets nod: "On Wednesday, a majority of the Metro Mayors Caucus tentatively approved a plan to salvage FasTracks by asking voters for another 0.4 percent sales tax. The mayors, hoping to see the entire $6.9 billion expansion finished by 2017, are gambling that voters will maintain support for the project despite higher costs and some of the weakest economic conditions in the past … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Energy, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC, RTD, transportation Tagged With: alternatives, benefits, collision, costs, deceptions, Denver Post, disproven claims, edition, encroachment, expansion, expensive, expert, FasTracks, headlines, higher costs, Independence Institute, inefficient, irony, jobless, land use, laughable timing, light-rail plan, majority, mayors, metro Denver, Metro Mayors Caucus, more, overpriced, Randal O'Toole, report, RTD, sales tax, skeptical, sorry, striking, support, surreal, tip of the iceberg, Titanic, transportation, unclean, unemployment, voters, weak economic conditions

3/11/2009 By Ben 3 Comments

The Colorado Blogosphere is on a Roll … and It’s Only Wednesday

Too much good stuff out there, too little time. Here's a quick Wednesday morning roundup of the best from the Colorado blogs (in no particular order): Rocky Mountain Right brings attention to Governor Bill Ritter's lavish overseas business trip on Colorado taxpayers' dime during a very tight budget situation Now your 10 dollars (or more) can go a lot further in helping the Independence Institute promote transparent government in ColoradoRossputin points to a hilarious Scott Ott spoof on embryonic stem cell research and global warming (did he read yesterday's post?) Michael at Best Destiny observes some irony from Al Gore concerning global warming and moon landings Rossputin also points to Gateway Pundit's detailed litany of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, Climate Hysteria, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Energy, Fiscal Policy, General, Journalism, liberty, National Politics, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous

3/10/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Principal of Jay Bennish’s Overland High School Secures National Post

An interesting tidbit from Cherry Creek Schools:Jana Frieler, principal of Overland High School in the Cherry Creek School District since 2005, was voted president-elect of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) at the organization’s national conference in San Diego February 27, 2009. Frieler will lead the 30,000- member organization in 2010-2011. Frieler has been active in principal leadership through national-level committee work and service on the NASSP Board of Directors. Congrats to Jana Frieler on her new position. What's the big deal with this announcement, you say? You may remember Frieler as the principal who during her first year was thrown into the fire of national controversy over teacher Jay … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, General, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: big deal, blast from the past, Board of Directors, Cherry Creek Schools, conference, controversial, effective leadership, fact-challenged, faculty member, fiasco, geography class, growth model, interesting tidbit, Jana Frieler, Jay Bennish, math, National Association of Secondary School Principals, outrageous, Overland High School, press conference, principal, reading, San Diego, School Accountability Report, school choice, student, tirade, writing

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • …
  • 82
  • 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 © 2025 RSS Feed · WordPress · Log in