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
Red Mountain View

Mount Virtus?

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

Colorado Capitol

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....

1/27/2006 By Ben Leave a Comment

Off to the LPR Retreat

I'm off to the Leadership Program of the Rockies (LPR) Retreat at the Broadmoor this weekend for a fantastic time. If you don't know what I'm talking about or would like to learn more, you can read posts from one of LPR's most enthusiastic alumni here, here, and here. Look forward to a Mount Virtus report from Colorado Springs on sessions and speeches from Ann Coulter, Hugh Hewitt, Kate O'Beirne, Stephen Moore, Mike Rosen, and more. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life

1/26/2006 By Ben Leave a Comment

Saving money for a rainy day

Kudos to two of the state GOP's rising stars for proposing the most responsible legislation I've seen yet regarding how to handle the influx of Referendum C dollars. Reps. Josh Penry [memo to Lynn Bartels & editors - Penry, not Henry] and Cory Gardner are leading the way with a couple of different plans to create a rainy-day fund to save state money rather than spend it frivolously on new programs. I'm glad to see these two Republican lawmakers out in front on this issue, and hopefully the Democrat-majority legislature can avoid the temptations to empty the pocketbooks and instead follow a sound plan for the future, much like your average Colorado family has to do. Keep an eye on these pieces of legislation: I have a feeling they will be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General

1/26/2006 By Ben Leave a Comment

Salazar’s “Abomination”

Our junior United States Senator from Colorado, Ken Salazar - have the Left-liberal pressure groups inside the Beltway caused him to forget who he represents, or does he really feel this way? A key Salazar quote from today's Rocky Mountain News: "There are members of the U.S. Supreme Court that I very much disagree with. Clarence Thomas, for example, I think is an abomination when you contrast him to the leadership and principles of someone like Thurgood Marshall. I've been in front of the court and I know the justices." Think for a minute: When was the last time you heard a sitting Republican elected official call Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Stephen Breyer or John Paul Stevens an "abomination"? With rhetoric like that, they would be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics

1/24/2006 By Ben Leave a Comment

Holtzman/Spradley ’06?

Karen Crummy of The Denver Post reports this morning that the Marc Holtzman campaign is courting former House Speaker Lola Spradley as his gubernatorial running mate. The salient observation from the article is that Spradley does not fit the campaign's recent anti-establishment tone. Republican consultant Katy Atkinson astutely observes that Holtzman "could be trying to balance the ticket." To me it appears that Holtzman may be backing off the strident attack footing that resulted in some bad press last week. Floating Spradley's name as a potential running mate might refocus and stabilize the direction of his unconventional, heavily grassroots campaign. Spradley, who hails from tiny Beulah north of Pueblo, was Colorado's first-ever … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General

1/18/2006 By Ben Leave a Comment

Democrats Heading For Social Issues Trap

All evidence to the contrary, Colorado's Democrat "wine-and-cheese" crowd think they have not only the more fashionable but also the more popular positions on all the so-called social issues. When Republicans make a proposal to allow school districts to teach intelligent design, a collective tsk, tsk arises from the elite quarter. We're reminded of Democrat Speaker Andrew Romanoff's poignant quote from the 2005 legislative session about budgets vs. bestiality, and the sound of snickers can be heard between sips of Merlot. But when Democrats announce a proposal to give marriage benefits to homosexuals, the "wine-and-cheese" crowd fawns in awestruck delight. "Forget the budget, and accountability to the taxpayer, now THIS is a winning … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General

1/17/2006 By Ben Leave a Comment

Ray Nagin, meet Pat Robertson

People who confidently presume to know the mind of God in major world events have always unsettled me. Often I think they must not be reading the same inspired Scriptures that I do. About 10 days ago I took Rev. Pat Robertson to task for his remarks about Ariel Sharon: both presumptuous and inappropriate. Yesterday, New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin got in on the act, with his claims that the hurricane that struck his city and the Gulf Coast region was some kind of retribution for the Iraq war. At least Robertson's claim had some loose connection to actual Old Testament prophecy. Nagin went even farther out on a limb, appropriating Divine purposes to suit his views on American foreign policy. Yet I can guarantee the outcry and response from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics, World Events

1/17/2006 By Ben Leave a Comment

Beauprez On Board with Blunt

Yesterday I wrote an open letter urging Rep. Bob Beauprez to support Rep. John Shadegg in the upcoming House leadership elections. An astute commenter pointed out that I was "too late" - linking to a site I had not seen that says Beauprez has already committed to supporting current House Majority Whip Roy Blunt. Assuming the complete accuracy of this list, it is important to note the following: As he burns up cell phone minutes this weekend, Shadegg is likely to secure endorsements from previously uncommitted members of the group. And today his spokesperson went even further, issuing a statement asserting that they "already have defections from the Blunt list." Lastly, as Richard Cohen sagely noted in this week's issue of National … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics

1/16/2006 By Ben Leave a Comment

An Open Letter to Bob Beauprez

This morning I sent the following letter to my Congressman, U.S. Representative Bob Beauprez of Colorado's 7th Congressional District, regarding the important upcoming decisions for new leadership in the House: As an active Jefferson County Republican and supporter of your candidacy in the past two elections, I have a concern shared by many within the party that I would like to share. Regarding the upcoming elections of GOP House leadership, I believe it is of the utmost importance for the sake of the party and the country to select leaders a) who are completely untainted by any dealings with Jack Abramoff, b) who are proven and committed fiscal conservatives (opponents of pork & earmarks), and c) who understand that lobbying and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics

1/13/2006 By Ben Leave a Comment

Petition on House Leadership Elections for Center-Right Bloggers

As a principled and purposeful conservative Republican partisan activist who believes in the power of ruling majorities to shift debates and move agendas, and as an American dedicated to the highest ideals in the stewardship of our government, I gladly contribute my humble and wholehearted support to the following petition at NZ Bear (and encourage other center-right bloggers to join the growing list): An Appeal from Center-Right Bloggers We are bloggers with boatloads of opinions, and none of us come close to agreeing with any other one of us all of the time. But we do agree on this: The new leadership in the House of Representatives needs to be thoroughly and transparently free of the taint of the Jack Abramoff scandals, and beyond … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics

1/13/2006 By Ben 1 Comment

Owens: Preserving a Legacy, Defending the Barricades

Yesterday, as promised some members of the Rocky Mountain Alliance sat down for 30 minutes with Gov. Bill Owens. The Kestrel has already posted his thoughts, while Joshua was in attendance, too. While we talked about a range of issues, mostly stemming from his State of the State Address earlier in the day, the Governor gave the sense of a leader committed to defending and extending his legacy in his final year in office. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 230
  • 231
  • 232
  • 233
  • 234
  • …
  • 267
  • 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