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Home Archives for debt

2/23/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado Daily Op-Ed Tackles Porkulus Bill and Local Education Reform

For anyone interested, my latest op-ed contribution ran yesterday in the Colorado Daily, which starts as follows:Given the significant debt future generations are now obligated to repay, President Barack Obama's new "stimulus" package could be far better used to promote meaningful education reform in Colorado. Rather than helping, the large amount of free-flowing federal funds may end up undermining efforts to improve educational opportunity in Colorado. It too heavily subsidizes the status quo, while needlessly placing promising innovations at risk. Hopefully it comes off as a little bit irritable and provocative, but ultimately one idea for helping to make the best out of a bad situation. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: Barack Obama, Colorado Daily, debt, education reform, federal funds, innovations, op-ed, stimulus

2/21/2009 By Ben 3 Comments

Poetic License: A Lefty Blogger’s Dilemma, the Week in Review

With too much time on my hands, here's a fun set of rhyming couplets to recapitulate the week just passed from the perspective of a hypothetical Lefty Colorado blogger:Do I write about Marostica, Or the dude with the Swastika? A Republican lawmaker mocking his peers, Or some guy to abuse for a few Josh Penry jeers? I must blog on one or the other, 'Cause what is there really to say about Suthers? Do I write about Marostica, Or the dude with the Swastika? One gives our free-spending values that bipartisan glow, The other had fun stealing Michelle Malkin's show. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Christianity and Faith, clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, My Life, National Politics, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: Barack Obama, Big Government, Bill Ritter, bipartisan glow, Bob Beauprez, debt, dilemma, Don Marostica, elephants, inspiration, John Suthers, Josh Penry, Lefty bloggers, Liberty on the Rocks, Marc Holtzman, Mark Udall, Michael Bennet, Michelle Malkin, mistakes, Nutroots, Obamessiah, pretensions, Progress Now, propaganda machine, rally, Republicans, right-wing, Senate, State Capitol, swastika, tasteless sign

2/16/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Come Roast a Pig – and the Porkulus Bill – Tomorrow at the State Capitol

You don't want to miss this! From a note just sent out by the Independence Institute's Jon Caldara:President Obama is flying his corporate jet to Denver to sign a bill putting my children into debt. I want to give him a proper mile high welcome. The Independence Institute, along with Americans for Prosperity and other groups promoting sanity, are organizing a protest tomorrow, Tuesday, at noon at the west steps of the state capitol, and I hope you'll be there. We'll have over-sized checks you can sign to show your family's $30,000 commitment to the bill. I'll be joined by Michelle Malkin, Mike Coffman, Bob Beauprez, Jim Pfaff from AFP and many others. I'm not usually one for public protests, because like so many on our side, I have a day … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, My Life, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: alternative, Americans for Prosperity, Amy Oliver, Barack Obama, Bob Beauprez, children, comments, commitment, corporate jet, day job, debt, Denver, Family, hell no, huge push, Independence Institute, Jim Pfaff, Jon Caldara, kosher, Michelle Malkin, Mike Coffman, Mile High, Night Twister, on the record, over-sized checks, Peoples Press Collective, pertinent, pork roast, President, protest, sanity, Slapstick Politics, slippery slope, socialism, State Capitol, world

2/13/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

The “Stimulus” Bill is Even Worse? Now is the Time to Speak Up Loud & Clear

Even the Congressional Budget Office recognizes that any small positive effect of the stimulus bill would be erased by long-term economic stagnation and debt. And that was the previous version of the legislation. As Joshua points out from the Wall Street Journal, the "compromise" version the House votes on today is even worse:The latest version of the economic-stimulus package is expected to provide less near-term support for the economy and make it less likely that the economy will pull itself out of recession before late this year. Meanwhile, Karen Hanretty (via Jon Henke) explains why Barack Obama and the Democrats are trying to speed this disaster through:President Obama is in a race against time. Because you don’t build … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: Barac Obama, behemoth, citizens, compromise, conference committee, Congressional Budget Office, Congressman, contact, debt, disaster, economic stagnation, Ed Perlmutter, erased, House, Jon Henke, Joshua Sharf, Karen Hanretty, legislation, long-term, lose support, message, No Stimulus, office, online, petition, pledge, positive effect, previous version, race against time, recession, sausage, serving, stimulus bill, sunshine period, Transparency, votes, Wall Street Journal

2/6/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Arming with Knowledge in Debate for Economic Liberty & America’s Future

A must-read end-of-the-week Linkfest, in the midst of a critical national debate: American Thinker's Randall Hoven strikes again, this time with a less controversial and heavily fact-laden piece - reviewing some of the abundant evidence that economic freedom promotes economic growth and the failed history of massive government so-called "stimulus" projects. It's a worthy read. (If the article above triggers your curiosity and interest, and you live in Colorado, then I also strongly recommend you take a look at signing up for the Free People, Free Markets class.) Along the same lines, the Wall Street Journal has been a great place to stay informed. Earlier this week the Journal featured a terrific, hard-hitting piece by economists … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: American Contrarian, American Thinker, bill, brings attention, Bruce McQuain, Colorado, columnist, Congress, critical, Dan Henninger, debt, Dick Armey, economic growth, economic liberty, economists, excellent, failed history, Free People Free Markets class, Freedom Works, government, Great Depression, Harold Cole, Kevin Williamson, Keynesian, laugh, Lee Ohanian, Linkfest, lost brand, must-read, national debate, National Review, outrageous, pork, pork-laden, Randall Hoven, Reason TV, reminder, Republicans, Rossputin, socialism, Stephen Spruiell, stimulis ad, stimulus, Tom Coburn, U.S. Senator, Wall Street Journal

1/21/2009 By Ben 129 Comments

Sign the “No Stimulus!” Petition

Update, 2/9, Noon MST: Here is a wonderful, brief article by Dr. Paul Prentice explaining the fallacy of the name "stimulus" for this bill and why it's a terrible economic prescription. Update, 2/9, 11:30 AM MST: Many, many visitors report difficulty getting to Americans for Prosperity's No Stimulus petition. Thanks to one commenter for pointing out another No Stimulus petition you can sign (from John McCain's Country First PAC). Keep up the good fight, everyone! Update, 2/2, 2 PM MST: Numerous commenters have pointed out they've had problems getting on the site linked below to sign the No Stimulus petition. Site hosts confirmed to me that a sudden and dramatic increase in traffic occurred after a mention on Rush Limbaugh's show, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life, National Politics, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: Americans, Americans for Prosperity, Barack Obama, debt, Democrats, future, generations, government boondoggles, leap, mortgage, nation, No Stimulus, online petition, pork bill, socialism, vent, voice, waste time

6/5/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Bill Ritter Might Wish $250,000 Had Covered Misspent Campaign Debt

The Denver Post's Politics West today reports about recent corporate contributions to Denver's Democratic National Convention:Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter "wrote a thank-you note to Chicago Democratic donor Fred Eychaner for his $250,000 contribution, and got Safeway and Amgen on board in a trip to Washington." Bill Ritter must be wishing it could be easy to find that much money to cover his campaign - er, inaugural committee - debt. With more than enough money left over to fund an investigation to find the conveniently vanished computer potentially containing key evidence about Ritter's campaign fund scandal. If you were hoping for real analysis of the Democratic National Convention, then stop by Slapstick Politics. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: Amgen, Bill Ritter, campaign finance violation, debt, Democratic National Convention, Denver, disappearing laptop, inaugural committee, Safeway, Slapstick Politics

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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.

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