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Home Archives for fiscal responsibility

4/30/2009 By Ben 3 Comments

GOP Needs Problems Fixed, But Arlen Specter Defection Isn’t One of Them

I will not deny that the Republican Party (nationally and locally) has had its share of problems and dysfunctions in the recent past. My purpose here is not to write an in-depth treatise analyzing the causes, suffice it to say that a gross lack of fiscal responsibility and a glaring absence of fealty to other mainstream conservative ideas played major roles. But let's be honest: the Party deserves little if any of the blame for the Arlen Specter defection. The man is far less principled than the average member of Congress, and that's saying a lot. Specter's party switch (and his ham-handed, self-serving approach in doing so) showed a lack of respect to the voters of Pennsylvania, and to the intelligence of the average American. That … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, liberty, National Politics Tagged With: absence, add people, American, Arlen Specter, average, beating heart, blame, causes, Congress, conservativce base, conservative, defection, deny, dysfunctions, explanations, fealty, fired up, fiscal responsibility, GOP, ham-handed, hands-off, honest, ideas, intelligence, John Hawkins, Joshua Sharf, jump ship, lack, lack of respect, left-wing radical, livelong day, mainstream, major roles, member, moderates, out-of-whack, party leaders, party switch, Pennsylvania, Porkulus, primaried, problems, psychologically, recent past, Republican Party, Right Wing News, self-serving, slack, status, suggestion, Tea Party movement, tolerant, treatise, voters, White House

4/18/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

The Principled Politician Brings True Tale of Colorado Statesmanship to Life

It's been awhile since I've done any sort of book review. But having just completed Adam Schrager's The Principled Politician: The Ralph Carr Story, it seemed an apt time to change that. Those who won't want to miss this book include students of Colorado history, fans of the World War II era (especially the home front), and anyone interested in a sadly forgotten inspirational story that seems foreign in today's all-too-jaded and polarized world of politics. As introduced to readers in The Principled Politician, Ralph Carr (1887-1950) -- Republican governor of Colorado from 1939 to 1943 -- was a rare model of statesmanship. Fittingly, he held deep admiration and adulation for our nation's 16th president Abraham Lincoln. He recognized the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Book Reviews, Christianity and Faith, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, History, Random and Miscellaneous, World Events Tagged With: Abraham Lincoln, absence, absolute, accessible, account, Adam Schrager, administration, admiration, adulation, all-too-jaded, Americans, ant-Japanese, book, book review, burdens, Carr Street, circumstances, citizens, Colorado history, commitment, constitutional rights, cost, demigod, devastating, disagreements, domestic terrorism, elected officials, engaging, era, essential, ethnic origin, ex-governor, exhibits, fans, fiscal responsibility, flawed, forgotten, fresh, frustrations, happen, History, home front, humane, hysteria, inspirational, intimately, invasion, Japanese-born, lessons, liberty, limited government, major theme, marble man, maxim, model, narrative, national origin, nationwide, originally researched, overreaching, paean, passions, Pearl Harbor, poignant, polarized, political career, politics, power, principles, public opinion, question, quirks, Ralph Carr, rare, recognition, refusal, Republican, respectfully, responding, sadly, sense of humor, statesmanship, steadfast, story, students, The Principled Politician, ultimately, vindicated, World War II, written

2/24/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Democrats and Marostica: “Forget the Constitution, California, Here We Come”

When talking politics or economics, it's usually a powerful rhetorical tactic to compare our own Colorado to California - especially these days. In that light, here's a fitting and timely reminder from state senator Ted Harvey:The lesson Colorado’s legislators must learn from this recession is clear: fiscal responsibility works. Even though the legislature collectively fell short of creating a rainy day fund, TABOR and the Arveschoug-Bird 6% spending cap forced Colorado legislators to keep spending low. Had the government enjoyed free rein in ramping up spending – which is a great temptation to many lawmakers tasked with spending other people’s money – Colorado’s budget crisis would be as serious as California’s. [emphasis … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC, transportation Tagged With: 1992, 6 percent cap, Al Jolson, Arveschoug-Bird, best case, budget crisis, California, cap, Colorado, committee, conclude, court, Democrats, Don Marostica, economics, entitlement programs, Face the State, fiscal responsibility, fitting, good idea, government, government growth, legal advisers, legislative prerogative, legislators, lesson, memo, override, politics, recession, reminder, rhetorical tactic, Senate Bill 228, state constitution, state legislature, state senator, TABOR, Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, Ted Harvey, temptation, timely, transportation, voter approval, voters

2/20/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Don Marostica Apologizes – Still Not the Vanguard of a Brave, New GOP Future

State representative Don Marostica reportedly has apologized for yesterday's bizarre comment that Mark Hillman, Jon Caldara, and other fiscally conservative Colorado leaders are "losers" and "has-beens". The apology was a public sign of good behavior and good taste, and perhaps a political necessity. In light of new developments, I conducted a follow-up ad hoc poll: "Are you clamoring to support Republican leaders who want to remove sensible limits on government growth, no matter how apologetic they may be for rudely calling names of those who disagree with them?" Once again, completely silent. One respondent scratched his forehead, but insisted on clarifying he was not raising his hand as a Yes. Don Marostica can go his own way if … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC Tagged With: apologized, bizarre comment, brand, Colorado, complete silence, Don Marostica, fiscal responsibility, fiscally conservative, good behavior, good taste, has-beens, informal poll, Jon Caldara, limited government, losers, Mark Hillman, political necessity, public sign, Republicans, state representative

2/19/2009 By Ben 13 Comments

Obama “Stimulus” Overreaches, But Republicans Still Have Much to Prove

A candid word from liberal Mickey Kaus about a major effect of the Pelosi-Reid-Obama Generational Theft Act:But the reference to liberalism isn't irrelevant, because the now-undermined welfare reform was the key to rebuilding confidence in (liberal) affirmative government. As Bill Clinton recognized, voters may well have been willing to let government spend, but they didn't trust old style liberals not to spend in actively destructive ways, like subsidizing an isolated underclass of non-working single mothers with a no-strings cash dole. It's a 75-25 values issue. Work yes. Welfare no. Even if welfare spending was only a tiny portion of the liberals' spending agenda, it poisoned the rest of it. Only when Clinton's New Democrats put an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: anti-"stimulus", backbone, Barack Obama, beginnings, big plans, Bill Clinton, bloated, candor, chairman, Congress, day care, Denver, dependency, destructive ways, early, Earned Income Tax Credit, federal largesse, fiscal conservatives, fiscal responsibility, fortified pensions, Gateway Pundit, Generational Theft Act, government, governors, hard work, Health Care, liberal, liberty, limited government, major effect, Michael Steele, Mickey Kaus, newfound, political opportunities, positive signs, public confidence, rallies, reform, Republican majority, Republican National Committee, Republicans, restoring trust, rhetoric, right direction, rousing speeches, saying no, serious, Social Security, spend, state legislators, state level, trust, welfare reform, wisely

12/1/2008 By Ben 5 Comments

Finding “Salvation” from Government Debt and Hope for GOP Brand

A good decade ago, in a college political science class, we read this essay penned by Harry Jaffa, with a key memorable passage:The end of the Cold War has also brought an end to the remission of the disease of moral relativism that is corroding the life of western civilization. It would certainly seem that the salvation of the West must come, if it is to come, from the United States. The salvation of the United States, if it is to come, must come from the Republican Party. And the salvation of the Republican Party, if it is to come, must come from the conservative movement within it. And the salvation of the conservative movement, if it is to come, must come from the renewal and reaffirmation of the principles of the American Founding, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, My Life, National Politics Tagged With: Abraham Lincoln, academic debates, alternative, American Founding, Claremont, Cold War, college, Colorado, conservative movement, constrained vision, cost-saving, Declaration of Independence, deficits, economic, environment, fiscal responsibility, fiscally conservative reforms, GOP, government debt, governments, Harry Jaffa, laboratories, mantle, moral relativism, New York Times, opportunities, party leaders, political, political science, Republican brand, Republican Party, Republicans, salvation, services, Soren Dayton, state governments, state level, statehouse, Straussian, The Next Right, tongue-in-cheek, United States, West, Western Civilization

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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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