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Home Archives for Boulder

4/20/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Is Democrat Jack Pommer Just Screwing Up a Lot of Paperwork Again?

Face The State has the details about the Boulder Democrat:On the April 16 report, [state representative Jack] Pommer lists campaign contributions from registered lobbyists and special interest groups made on February 5. The date is significant, as it falls exactly a month into the legislative session. Under Colorado campaign finance law, it is illegal for lobbyists or special interest groups that lobby to give or solicit money for the campaigns of state office-holders while the legislature is in session. "The way the law reads, it says lobbyists shall not give," said Rich Coolidge, spokesman for the Secretary of State. "The burden falls on the lobbyist." Lobbyist contributions came from Jane Urschel of the Colorado Association of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, PPC Tagged With: basic details, bookkeeper, Boulder, Boulder Valley Education Association, burden, campaign contributions, campaign finance law, Colorado Association of School Boards, Colorado Livestock Association, Colorado Professional Firefighters, consultant, delinquent fines, Democrat, details, ethics, extraordinary, Face the State, flagrant violation, Jack Pommer, Jane Urschel, judgment, legislative session, lobbyists, office-holders, problems, qualified, Qwest, Rich Coolidge, Secretary of State, solicit, special interest groups, spokesman, Thomas Shilling

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

2/6/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Unions Lobby State Democrats to Slow Down School Building Inspections

Who's in charge at the Colorado State Capitol these days? Big Labor:A bill whose only aim was to make it easier for local school districts to get their new buildings inspected was blindsided today on the Senate floor by union-led opposition, with all but two of the chamber's Democrats voting to kill the measure. Three of the Democrats who voted with the majority against Senate Bill 64 [PDF]--Sens. Bob Bacon, of Fort Collins, Rollie Heath, of Boulder, and Evie Hudak, of Arvada--had voted in favor of it in the Senate Education Committee only two weeks earlier. What changed their minds? The bill's sponsor, the GOP's Sen. Keith King, of Colorado Springs, says it was the fact that the Journeyman Plumbers and Gas Fitters Union began lobbying … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General, Labor, PPC Tagged With: Arvada, Big Labor, bill, Bob Bacon, Boulder, buildings, California, chamber, clean-up bill, clout, Colorado, Colorado Senate News, Colorado Springs, committee, cool, Democrats, efficient, Evie Hudak, exchange, flabbergasted, flip-flops, Fort Collins, General Assembly, hearing, inspections, Journeyman Plumbers, Keith King, lobbying, Michigan, New Jersey, opposition, Republican, reserved, Rollie Heath, school districts, school inspections, Senate, Senate Bill 64, Senate Education Committee, sponsor, State Capitol, union, union interests, voting, wow

1/28/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Will Democrats Try to Stiff Us with Another Arbitrary, Pointless Tax Hike?

Four years ago, a narrow majority of Coloradans bought the slick advertising of the Referendum C tax hike. Today, statehouse Democrats seem to have forgotten all their grandiose promises. (Or were they not telling us the truth in the first place?) A great catch by Face The State (go and listen to the brief audio clip for yourself):So we were shocked to hear JBC vice-chairman Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, assert during last week's discussion that “Ref C wasn’t designed to fix anything," and that "Ref C was an arbitrary amount of money.” … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC Tagged With: arbitrary, audio clip, Bill Ritter, blank check, Boulder, budget expert, cats and dogs, clarify, Coloradans, Colorado, Democrats, economics, Face the State, Governor, grandiose promises, Jack Pommer, Joint Budget Committee, majority, money, politicians, proposal, rainy day, Referendum C, Rossputin, slick advertising, state government, state legislature, state programs, statehouse, stiffed, surprised, tax hike, times of plenty, truth, vernacular, voters

1/15/2009 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

12/23/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Democrat Rollie Heath Wants to Use Economic Downturn to Kill TABOR

It only took seven weeks after the voters of Colorado said no to a statewide proposal that would have gutted the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) - a proposal pushed by a campaign that heavily outspent the opposition - for the Democrats to be back at it again. From today's Denver Post:Rollie Heath, a Boulder Democrat elected to the Senate, said that as lawmakers grapple in the coming session with cutting as much as $600 million from the budget because of declining revenues, they should also look at TABOR, a revenue-capping provision of the state's constitution. The state is in a timeout from TABOR's tax-revenue limits, but that timeout expires in 2010, when Colorado will have to begin refunding to taxpayers any revenue it collects … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life Tagged With: Amendment 59, Boulder, budget-cutting, campaign, Colorado, Democrats, Denver Post, eventuality, flexibility, foresight, lawmakers, limit, opposition, Referendum C, revenue, Rollie Heath, shortfall, state constitution, state government, state senate, statewide proposal, TABOR, tax limits, taxes, Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, taxpayers, timeout, voters

12/10/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Jared Polis: A Better Idea than the Government Auto Bailout Proposal

Newly-elected Congressman Jared Polis shows he has a lot more sense than your average Democrat - at least on one great issue of importance in our day. From the opinion page of today's Wall Street Journal, Polis writes about the proposed automotive bailouts:Most members of Congress and staffers on the Hill are smart people, but we should not pretend that we are better at what are so clearly other people's jobs. One of the tremendously difficult tasks that we are ill-equipped to successfully orchestrate is restoring these three failing companies to health. As one of the members of Congress with a strong business background, I know what I don't know in business. While I hold my colleagues in great esteem, I doubt their abilities as turnaround … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, National Politics Tagged With: automotive bailouts, average Democrat, Boulder, business background, Congress, Congressman, failing companies, government bailout, insincere rhetoric, issue of importance, Jared Polis, opinion page, smart people, taxpayers, turnaround artists, Wall Street Journal

11/24/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

What I’m Thankful for #17: The Grandest Music and Musical Genius

This is one in a series of daily posts I conceived of writing many weeks ago while the election still raged on, as I looked for something to write about of more lasting value. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Just in case you wondered, the topics introduced are not necessarily in any particular order. I hope the series is of some small encouragement to you, even as my site traffic takes a dive. I have appreciation for many different kinds of music. Today I express my thanks particularly for the grand elevating pieces of music that lift the human heart upward, hopefully in expression of praise to the Creator: from Handel's Messiah to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The chorus at the end of the latter … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, General, My Life Tagged With: Beethoven, Boulder, brief moment, choir, Christmas music, Colorado, composer, Creator, crescendo, Hallelujah Chorus, Handel, heart, household, Messiah, Messiah Singalong, mind, music, musical genius, musical value, Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy, orchestra, Scripture, soul, sounds of heaven, sublime moments, thankfulness, Thanksgiving, tradition

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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

  • 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
  • Sleep Deprivation and Parental Controls: How to Ensure Your Kids are Safe from Media Exposure
  • 8 Original Ways To Leverage Influencer Marketing

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To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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