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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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Colorado Ballot Reviews

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

Writer / Editor For Hire

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

Denver Attorney Spearheads Grassroots Judicial Reform

4/24/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

Denver Attorney Spearheads Grassroots Judicial Reform

Openly challenging judicial prerogatives isn’t a common trait in his profession, and political activism marks a new experience for him. But Denver attorney Chris Forsyth has stepped forward to lead an uphill battle to get a pair of judicial reform initiatives on the 2014 statewide ballot. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics

April 19: Week in Review

4/19/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

April 19: Week in Review

There's nothing like Holy Week and the joyous anticipation of our Savior's resurrection on Easter Sunday. Some of my favorite sacred songs and texts impress themselves deeply into the mind and heart during this special time of year (see below). But there were other more mundane matters to write about as well. From the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Jeffco School Board Steps Forward (Podcast) Breath of Fresh Air: Teachers Stand Up Against Tenure Lawsuit, Union Bullying (Ed Is Watching) How to Avoid the Munchkins: A Little Tenure Reform Advice for Kansas (Ed Is Watching) Cheering for New Hampshire Kids to Win Their Day in (the Supreme) Court (Ed Is Watching) Large-Scale Class Size Reduction Doesn’t Work: More Moderation, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, clean government, Education, liberty, My Life

Colorado Takes Steep Tumble in Economic Outlook Rankings

4/15/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado Takes Steep Tumble in Economic Outlook Rankings

For the second consecutive year, Colorado took a tumble in the national rankings for economic outlook. A gradual weakening of taxpayer protections, combined with pro-growth gains in other states, have pushed Colorado from near the top of the heap to the middle. No state has slipped further faster. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiscal Policy, liberty

April 12: Week in Review

4/12/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

April 12: Week in Review

Judging by the content posted here since last Saturday, it's been a fairly productive week of writing. Now for the rest of the update, as we await the results from the Colorado GOP Assembly. From the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Greeley Dives into Blended Learning (Podcast) Another ADM Study? HB 1292 Student Success Act Soap Opera Plays Rerun (Ed Is Watching) School Choice Programs Growing Fast; Kansas Looks Like Next State to Join (Ed Is Watching) Testing, Data Issues around Common Core Alive and Kicking in Colorado (Ed Is Watching) Jeffco Board Makes More Money Follow Students, Brings a Jan Brady Smile (Ed Is Watching) Top Social Media Links of the Week Extensive Tweeting this week from Monday's open union … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, liberty, My Life, National Politics

Jeffco Union Should Honor Its Own Calls for Transparency

4/11/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

Jeffco Union Should Honor Its Own Calls for Transparency

The Jefferson County Education Association came to Monday’s contract negotiations with a plan to walk out, and they seized the moment. With discussions over compensation scarcely begun, JCEA negotiators stepped away from the bargaining table—and from transparency. This road has been traveled before. JCEA and other affiliates of Colorado’s largest teachers union have declared impasse more than once in recent years. …Read the rest of my article at Complete Colorado Page Two…. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Education, Labor

Colorado’s Tax Freedom Comes Five Days Later Than Last Year

4/8/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado’s Tax Freedom Comes Five Days Later Than Last Year

As the dreaded April 15 filing deadline approaches, Coloradans have to work an extra five days this year to pay all their taxes. Residents of only 12 other states have to work longer to cover their combined tax bill. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiscal Policy, liberty

Transparency Struggles Persist at Thompson School District

4/7/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

Transparency Struggles Persist at Thompson School District

Transparency still comes with a hefty price tag in Thompson School District. Loveland resident and Liberty Watch co-founder Nancy Rumfelt filed a March 19 Colorado Open Records Act request for a little more than three months of school district emails including the names of school board members or the terms “reform” or “new school board majority.” She didn’t expect the request would bring a charge of $3,490. …Read the rest of my article at Complete Colorado Page Two…. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Fiscal Policy

April 5: Week in Review

4/5/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

April 5: Week in Review

Within hours on Sunday afternoon, two Michigan basketball teams seasons came to an end, falling just short of the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. But a glorious silver lining quickly followed: Opening Day in Detroit on Monday, followed by Opening Day in Denver on Friday. Baseball is in the air, bringing the sweet smell of spring and of hope springing eternal for the loyal fans. Sports-wise, it's arguably the best time of the year. From the Independence Institute Amy Oliver Show: Commission Recommends Online Education Policy Improvements (Podcast) Colorado Ranks 21st in Per-Pupil Spending (and Other New Numbers from the NEA) (Ed Is Watching) New Independence Institute Ownership? Goodbye, Eddie; Hello, Little Ed Koch (Ed Is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Christianity and Faith, clean government, Education, liberty, My Life, Sports and Leisure

March 29: Week in Review

3/29/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

March 29: Week in Review

On Thursday I spent an hour live on air with Mike Rosen (AM 850 KOA) discussing open union negotiations and related issues in Jeffco Public Schools. More from the Independence Institute's Ed Is Watching Blog Colo. Digital Learning Policy Alternate Route Gives Some Spring Break Hope Opponents' Best Shot? Maybe Thompson Should Look at Innovating Educator Pay Watching Student Data Privacy Issue Means Not Watching Student Data Finished One Good(read) Book This Week Vanished: The Sixty-Year Search for the Missing Men of World War II by Wil S. Hylton: The author quickly grips and engages the reader with the little-known mystery of a B-24 crew that was shot down in a 1944 bombing raid over Palau. Hylton weaves together the tales of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Book Reviews, Christianity and Faith, Education, liberty, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous, Sports and Leisure Tagged With: sesquipedalian, vanished

Mesa 51 School Strategic Compensation Meeting Gets Unexpected Dose of Sunshine

3/26/2014 By Ben Leave a Comment

Mesa 51 School Strategic Compensation Meeting Gets Unexpected Dose of Sunshine

Public exposure of one Western Slope school district’s formal discussion to change the educator pay system stirred a backlash from the leader of the local teachers union, a recent email message reveals. Rather than stay behind closed doors, the March 5 meeting of the Mesa Valley School District 51 strategic compensation committee made the front page of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, the region’s largest newspaper. The appearance of an additional school board director triggered the open meetings law and thus made the gathering accessible to the media. …Read the rest of my article at Watchdog Wire Colorado…. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, liberty

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Inside

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    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
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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
  • 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

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Blogs Extraordinaire

  • American Thinker
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Completing the Blogroll

  • Alarming News
  • Black Five
  • Blogs of War
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  • Flypaper
  • Fraters Libertas
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  • IMAO
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Christian Commentary et al.

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Other Sites

  • Technorati
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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

  • Reclaim the Blue
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  • View from a Height

To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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