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Home Archives for Ben DeGrow

10/31/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Yes, I Am “Uncle Charley”

I am the pseudonymous conservative gadfly blogger on a local education new site. At least that's what 9News would have you believe:Not everyone agrees. An online blogger named "Uncle Charley" has written several entries for Education News Colorado trying to get readers to think about the need before they act. One blog is entitled, "More Tough Questions on DPS Bond," which talks in part about the individual items that would be funded by this bond issue and series of property tax hikes have agreed to in Denver over the past two decades. "Uncle Charley" is actually the pseudonym for Ben DeGrow, with the Independence Institute, a non-partisan conservative political think tank. DeGrow says spending $13 million dollars on athletic fields … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life Tagged With: 3A campaign, athletic fields, Ben DeGrow, blogger, Colorado Education Association, conservative blogger, current recession, Denver voters, Ed News Colorado, education site, identity, Independence Institute, largest school bond proposal, legitimate needs, line-item veto, North High School, pseudonym, student performance, tax increases, think tank, tiny splash, Uncle Charley, Ward Churchill, whole package, William Ayers

9/16/2008 By Ben 2 Comments

With Apologies to Fido, Lassie, and All of Loyal, Trustworthy, Canine-Kind

Okay, this one made me laugh. When I read the liberal wag's op-ed, I nearly fell out of my chair. Now, there's no need to glorify his work with a link or even a free Google mention - especially since, given the site, the link figures to evaporate very soon. Nevertheless, the following paragraph was written under the sub-heading "Bigoted remark":Another senior staff member of the Independence Institute, education policy analyst Ben DeGrow, offered the "analysis" on a Feb. 20 Internet broadcast of RIGHTTALK.COM, that because of [Governor Bill] Ritter’s executive order enabling state employee groups to form partnerships, a variety of unions had "been attracted to the state like opening up a can of dog food and getting your dog to come … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, Labor, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: analogy, Ben DeGrow, bigotry, Bill Ritter, canine-kind, corruption, dog food, education policy analyst, Executive Order, fatcat, Fido, inartful, Independence Institute, labor unions, Lassie, liberal wag, loyal, op-ed, outburst, Partnerships, pension dollars, political causes, restoration, RightTalk, secret ballots, state employee groups, trustworthy, union leaders, workers paychecks

9/8/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

School Leaders Seeking More Taxpayer Money in Presidential Election Year

In an article printed today, the Denver Post's Jeremy Meyer asks why Colorado school district leaders are pushing a massive slew of construction bond proposals on the ballot:But presidential elections produce large voter turnouts, and 90 percent of Colorado school ballot issues pass when they are on the general election ballot. "My hypothesis is the larger turnout means (districts) are reaching into a voter base that is generally less informed about local issues and more inclined to give money to schools because it sounds like it is the right thing to do," said Ben DeGrow, education-policy analyst for the Independence Institute, a free-market think tank based in Golden. On the other hand:DeGrow, however, said he thinks Colorado … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life Tagged With: Ben DeGrow, bond proposals, Colorado, Denver Post, different perspective, education policy, financial transparency, Independence Institute, Jeremy Meyer, November ballot, reporters, school construction, school district, tax increases, taxpayers, think tank

8/16/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado’s Amendment 49 Better Version of Idaho Clean Government Law

The latest edition of Budget & Tax News highlights an important case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court about a clean elections law from Idaho:In 2003, the Idaho Legislature passed the Voluntary Contributions Act, which banned the collection of political contributions through government payroll systems throughout the state. Nothing in the law prohibits union members from contributing to candidates by choice, and nothing in it prohibits unions from engaging in politics. Policy experts view the law favorably. Noted Ben DeGrow, an education analyst with the Independence Institute, "Governments should be focused on performing vital services for taxpayers, not on acting as a bill collector for private groups--especially groups that are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 49, Ben DeGrow, Budget & Tax News, clean government, Ethical Standards, government, Idaho, Independence Institute, lobbyists, payroll systems, policy experts, political candidates, Political contributions, special interests, U.S. Supreme Court, union members, Voluntary Contributions Act

8/12/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

A Different Perspective on Metro Denver School District Bond Elections

When 9News reporter Nelson Garcia wanted a different perspective on school district bond elections, he asked to interview me. If you want to see the video - or just read it in print so to avoid having to look at me - the story is here:Ben DeGrow is the education policy analyst for the Education Policy Center within the Independence Institute, which is a conservative political think tank. DeGrow says too many middle class families are coping with high gas prices and a poor real estate market to think about raising their own property taxes for schools. "This may be a tough year for JeffCo and other metro school districts to be asking for money," said DeGrow. JeffCo is just one of the major districts around Denver poised to ask voters … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life Tagged With: 9News, Aurora, Ben DeGrow, bond elections, Cherry Creek, Denver, Education Policy Center, high gas prices, Independence Institute, JeffCo, mill levies, Nelson Garcia, policy analyst, presidential elections, real estate market, school districts, shameless self-promotion, think tank

6/20/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Bill Ritter, Tax Increases, Unions, and the Colorado Supreme Court

With a little shameless self-promotion, I tie it all together on the longest day of the calendar year. First, news broke earlier this week that Gov. Bill Ritter has done the inevitable, by agreeing to appeal a district court ruling that came to the clear and appropriate conclusion that Ritter erred in raising school property taxes without voter permission. Sure, I could link to lots of articles that highlight this news, but only the one in the Denver Daily News quotes the author of this blog:"I believe the district court judge did the right thing by recognizing that Colorado voters should be asked before they endure a tax increase," said Ben DeGrow, a policy analyst at the Independence Institute. "It's simply a matter of honoring the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: Ben DeGrow, Bill Ritter, Colorado Children's Amendment, Colorado Supreme Court, Denver Daily News, Denver District Court, Evan Dreyer, Greeley Tribune, Independence Institute, Poudre Education Association, Property Tax Increase, public education, taxpayers, teachers unions

6/4/2008 By Ben 4 Comments

John LeGrew, Who Are You?

If you want to know how bad a state the national Republican Congressional campaign is in, look no further than my own backyard: Colorado's 7th Congressional District. Once a nationally targeted toss-up swing district defended by Republican incumbent Bob Beauprez, the GOP cannot find anything approaching a credible candidate to square off against the first-time Democrat incumbent Ed Perlmutter. According to the Colorado Statesman handed out at Saturday's Republican State Convention, the GOP's candidate for the 7th is none other than (drumroll, please) ... John LeGrew. "No information was available to the Party as of press time," it reads under his picture. No offense or anything, I'm sure Mr. LeGrew is a nice guy and all. But just who … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, My Life Tagged With: 7th Congressional District, Ben DeGrow, Bob Beauprez, British Army, Colorado Statesman, Crimean War, Ed Perlmutter, John LeGrew, Light Dragoons, Republicans, Will Grow

5/20/2008 By Ben 3 Comments

Colorado Supreme Court: Unions Get a Pass from Electioneering Laws

Are Coloradans awakened yet to the union takeover of Colorado? On this site, I've covered Big Labor's controlling influence on the legislature (last year's House Bill 1072) and on Gov. Bill Ritter (union "partnership" executive order, anyone?). One that hasn't received as much play is the unions' controlling influence on the Colorado Supreme Court. What, you say? There's hardly any other way to explain the Court's 5-2 ruling yesterday that the teachers union is exempt from certain campaign finance restrictions in the state constitution. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General, Labor Tagged With: Allison Eid, Ben DeGrow, Big Labor, Bill Ritter, Colorado Education Association, Colorado Supreme Court, Democrats, Fort Collins Coloradoan, Nathan Coats, Paul Marrick, Poudre Education Association, Wayne Rutt

5/9/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Westminster School District Negligence Makes Case for Online Transparency

I about fell out of my chair when I read this local CBS4 TV news story (video also available):An out-of-state architectural firm has billed an Adams County School District nearly $60,000, for hotels, meals and travel expenses in the last year but the district hasn't bothered to ask for, or review, a single receipt. "It's negligence," said Kevin O'Brien, a former IRS agent, CPA and business ethics professor at the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business. "The public has a right to expect there will be some minimum checking on those receipts because its really the public's money." Adams County School District 50 hired Healy, Bender and Associates of Naperville, Ill., last year. The school district enlisted the company to help … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life Tagged With: Americans for Tax Reform, Ben DeGrow, bond election, Brian Maass, CBS4 News, Colorado Open Records request, financial transparency, Healy Bender and Associates, Kevin O'Brien, negligence, Pueblo Chieftain, school construction, school district budgets, Westminster High School, Westminster School District

4/17/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Speaking Out for Individual Workers’ Right to Choose, Free from Coercion

For the second time in the span of a week, I have been quoted in the Rocky Mountain News. Quite astonishing, really, except for the fact that the writers of these stories on all the political battles over right-to-work and other initiatives must be glad to find a different voice than the standard pro-business and pro-labor mouthpieces. I was glad to be able to give a pro-liberty view to the article:"The Labor Peace Act is unique and offers some protection, but it doesn't offer complete protection," said Benjamin DeGrow, an analyst at the Independence Institute. "Anything that best protects the individual worker's right to decide what they want is the right sort of policy." Instead of addressing the argument in the story, the other side … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, Labor, My Life Tagged With: Beck rights, Ben DeGrow, coercion, freedom, Independence Institute, Labor Peace Act, labor unions, right-to-work laws, Rocky Mountain News, Roland Zullo

Inside

  • About Ben
  • Archives
  • Colorado Ballot Reviews
    • Colorado Ballot 2008
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    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
  • 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

  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition
  • Sleep Deprivation and Parental Controls: How to Ensure Your Kids are Safe from Media Exposure
  • 8 Original Ways To Leverage Influencer Marketing
  • Why Every Single Business Needs A YouTube Channel

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

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