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Mount Virtus?

Every day is seeking to rise to the challenge, 'neath the shadow of the mighty Rockies.

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Sometimes the choices are daunting or confusing, sometimes they're as clear as a Mile High view.

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If I had five more writers just like him, I think my job would be the easiest in journalism....

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Now That’s a Debate Dinesh D’Souza & Christopher Hitchens Couldn’t Win

The headline of the day comes from the Boulder Daily Camera (H/T Complete Colorado):Conservative D'Souza, atheist Hitchens to debate God at CU Go back and read that again, out loud if you must... Dinesh D'Souza and Christopher Hitchens - two very bright, educated, opinionated men - are going to debate against the Almighty? Of course, this won't be a fair fight by any remote stretch of human imagination. For example, try responding to this opening statement:Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, Cultural Conservatism, General, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: atheism, Bible, Boulder, Catholic, Christopher Hitchens, Complete Colorado, conservative, Daily Camera, Dinesh D'Souza, editors, educated, fair fight, God, headline, human imagination, Job, Macky Auditorium, opinionated, religion, remote stretch

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Michigan Can Keep the Bitter Cold; I’m Glad to Be in Colorado

From an article that appeared yesterday highlighting weather conditions in the region in which I grew up:Here's the bad news: Flint broke a 95-year-old record early Wednesday morning when the temperature plummeted to a frigid 19 below zero. The previous record? Minus 10, set in 1914, according to the National Weather Service. Here's the even worse news: We won't seeing relief in the next few days. Early morning lows Thursday are expected to be 9 below zero, with a 20 below zero wind chill. Highs on Thursday will reach 4 degrees. Friday's lows are expected to be 5 below, with wind chills reaching 25 below. Highs are expected to reach around 6 degrees. Wind chills will reach 25 below again on Saturday. Two quick … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Hysteria, General, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: bad news, cold, Colorado, Flint, frigid, global warming, hype, Ice Age, National Weather Service, region, weather

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Phony Hiring “Freeze” Latest Example of Bill Ritter Really Stepping in It

Governor Bill Ritter's political future looks bleaker and bleaker. It sure looks like the phony hiring "freeze" issue will come back to haunt him. If you think I was hard on Ritter, check out Rossputin's hard-hitting essay:I think it's just one more step toward Bill Ritter being a one-term governor. He ran as a "pro-business Democrat." In fact, what he really is is a "pro-business-as-usual Democrat," something rational people knew we couldn't afford before and someone whom I hope the rest of the voters are coming to realize is clueless, ineffective, and reckless with their money. Clueless. Ineffective. Reckless. I see the wheels turning in Republican strategists minds as they imagine campaign ads for 2010. Meanwhile, the Denver Post - … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: 2010, bad news, Bill Ritter, bleaker, campaign ads, clueless, Colorado bloggers, controversy, Denver Post, employees, endorsed, good news, government, Governor, hard-hitting, haunt, heartburn, hiring freeze, hiring practices, ineffective, non-essential workers, one-term, political future, pro-business, pro-business-as-usual, public records, recession, reckless, Republican strategists, Right-leaning, Ritter administration, Rossputin, state, taxpayers, wheels

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

Folly and Hypocrisy of Colorado Media Matters in New Deal Debate Exposed

Over at Free Colorado, Ari Armstrong does excellent work deconstructing the silliness of Colorado Media Matters (CMM) and its well-compensated director in the debate about the New Deal. It seems CMM has placed nearly all its intellectual eggs in one basket, the bottom of which has just fallen out. Armstrong took the initiative to contact directly the one source CMM cites to "debunk" those who note the abundant academic evidence of the New Deal's economic failures. Unfortunately for CMM, this economist (Gene Smiley) refutes their case. But don't expect the Left to stop trying to shill for Barack Obama's new massive federal spending program, no matter how little window dressing they are left with to cover their embarrassingly thin … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Ari Armstrong, Barack Obama, basket, Colorado Media Matters, debate, deconstructing, economist, embarrassing, expose, federal spending, folly, Free Colorado, Gene Smiley, initiative, intellectual eggs, Left, New Deal, refutes, silliness, source, window dressing

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Economic Recovery Soon? Even if Obama Slows it Down, He’ll Get Credit

Larry Kudlow is a very knowledgeable voice on economic trends and developments. I sure hope his post at The Corner is correct:Investors continue to ignore one of the very brightest spots in the firmament: Namely, the credit freeze is thawing, according to all manner of key interest rates and spreads. In fact, LIBOR is around 1 percent now, back to where it was in the early summer of 2007 before the crunch started. This means that much of the uncertainty about lending, borrowing, investing, and hiring is receding from the market. This is a very positive sign. While retail sales and jobs are lagging indicators, the credit-market improvement is a leading indicator — pointing to recovery in the economy sometime this spring or summer. I’m … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics Tagged With: bailouts, bank earnings, Barack Obama, credit, credit freeze, credit-market improvement, deep recession, economic trends, George W. Bush, investors, jobs, knowledgeable voice, lagging indicator, Larry Kudlow, leading indicator, lending, markets, National Review, old media, pessimism, recovery, retail sales, stimulus plan, stock market, The Corner, Treasury secretary, uncertainty

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

With Bob Schaffer at Helm, State Board on Right Education Reform Path

Congrats to Bob Schaffer, new chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education (H/T Complete Colorado). Schaffer himself has graciously (and ironically) quipped on more than one occasion since his difficult defeat in last November's U.S. Senate campaign, that perhaps he ought to be flattered that so many Coloradans saw fit to keep him serving on the State Board. The State Board is a volunteer position, and is significantly limited in its policy making powers. However, with Schaffer at the helm we can be confident the Board will be a force for good in education reform. Also, along with the Attorney General's office, the State Board of Education remains the last bastion of Republican strength in Colorado. For the most part, things can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General Tagged With: 2010, Attorney General, bastion, Bob Schaffer, campaign, chairman, Coloradans, Colorado, Complete Colorado, defeat, education reform, flattered, good, helm, November, policy making powers, quipped, Republicans, Rocky Mountain News, State board of education, U.S. Senate, volunteer position

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Bill Ritter’s “Hiring Freeze” Doesn’t Include Lobbyists or Potato Inspectors

A few months ago I called out Governor Bill Ritter for his delayed hiring freeze tactic. Well, as the Denver Post reports this morning, that's nothing compared to what's happened since the alleged hiring "freeze" went into effect:A Denver Post review of hundreds of applications for exemptions shows that in three months, Ritter's office approved 326 new hires and promotions — out of 371 requests — that could cost the state more than $12 million. Ritter's rules say the freeze does not apply to health and safety positions, jobs caring for state wards or required by caseload demands, or positions that, unfilled, would disrupt an "essential state function" or present legal liabilities. Among the health care providers and criminal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: administrative assistants, applications, Bill Ritter, blunt assessment, caseload demands, chill, Colorado, contract lobbyists, criminal investigators, Denver Post, divorced from reality, essential state function, excuses, exemptions, Governor, health and safety, health care providers, hires, hiring freeze, Jessica Fender, leadership, legal liabilities, lottery ticket salesperson, management style, potato inspectors, promotions, raising fees, state wards, tight budget, tough decisions

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

Bill Ritter Ginning Up Excuses for His Attack on Taxpayer Protections

Wandering out to the Western Slope on his cross-state jaunt with his U.S. Senate protege Michael Bennet, Governor Bill Ritter yesterday sat down with the editors of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. When asked about his reckless anti-TABOR remarks ("the straightjacket") in his State of the State speech, here's reporter Mike Saccone's retelling of how Ritter defended himself:He started by saying that if Colorado has taken all the money it has refunded under TABOR and kept it in a rainy-day fund, Colorado would not have had to make massive budget cuts in the last recession and an estimated $600 million worth of cuts this year. Here's the problem, though. Bill Ritter already chose to pass up a legitimate chance to put money from Referendum … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: anti-TABOR, Bill Ritter, blame, budget cuts, cross-state jaunt, editors, fiscally irresponsible, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Michael Bennet, Mike Saccone, protege, rainy day fund, Reason, recession, reckless remarks, Referendum C, reporter, retelling, sincere, State of the State, straightjacket, taxpayer protections, U.S. Senate, weak leadership, Western Slope

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Affirmative Action for Men Losing Jobs?

Snark of the day: Where's affirmative action for men who are losing jobs at a much faster rate than women? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: affirmative action, jobs, men, snark, women

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Putting State Government’s Checkbook Online Should Take Months, Not Years

I quickly hoorayed last week when Governor Bill Ritter announced his full backing for putting the state's checkbook online. But a follow-up report from Face The State seemed to suggest the process could take a long time:“Putting the budget online will be different because there is too much to put it all,” [state representative Don] Marostica said, adding that legislative staff is working on ways to publish a “simplified” version. While Kennedy was hesitant to commit to a timeline, Marostica said the process could take three years. But - as explained in this iVoices podcast with Sandra Fabry of Americans for Tax Reform - the fact is the federal government has already pioneered this work, along with several other states, and all … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Americans for Tax Reform, Bill Ritter, Cary Kennedy, cause, Colorado, credit, Don Marostica, excuses, Face the State, federal government, fiscal transparency, four months, hoorayed, iVoices podcast, legislative staff, months, online transparency, open government, pioneered, politicians, Sandra Fabry, searchable budget database, state checkbook, state of Colorado, states, years

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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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  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

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To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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