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Home Archives for John Bodnar

11/4/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

Defeated but Not Down

It's hard to live up to the promise of live-blogging when there isn't much good news to report. This is the Democrats' night. I'll let them enjoy it. May God give them the grace to govern wisely. Somehow I doubt they will, certainly not from the perspective of life, liberty, and limited government. At least the vittles are good here at the John Bodnar party in Westminster. I couldn't bring myself to visit the somber affair down at the Marriott South. Meanwhile, I'll go look for the few bright spots of the night. Some big tax increases on the ballot maybe going down. (This tells me the state isn't lurching Left as much as it's turning Blue.) Other than that, not much. Don't expect to see a lot of politics on this site in the days … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Christianity and Faith, Colorado Politics, General, My Life, National Politics Tagged With: Blue, bright spots, Democrats, essays, giving thanks, good news, introspection, John Bodnar, Left, liberty, life, limited government, live blogging, Marriott South, nation, politics, promise, state GOP, tax increases, vittles, Westminster

10/24/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Buescher “Favored”? Deceptive Attacks on Cancer Survivor Say Maybe Not

Today the Rocky Mountain News highlights the hottest state legislative race on Colorado's Western Slope, as Republican challenger Laura Bradford faces down Democrat incumbent Bernie Buescher in HD55:"I think her chances are great," said Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, who was among Republicans who stopped in Grand Junction while on an RV tour of the state. "One thing she said was, 'Gov. Ritter will not be whispering in my ear what to do.' People loved that." Buescher, however, says he doesn't hew that closely to Gov. Bill Ritter. "They're going after me on some issues, but it seems to me the fundamental attack is that I'm too close to the administration," he said. "The fact is I pushed the administration as much as any Democrat in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Health Care, Labor Tagged With: 527 groups, administration, Alida Messinger, attack ads, Bernie Buescher, Bill Ritter, billionaire, campaign finance reform, cancer screenings, cancer survivor, challenger, Colorado, Colorado Democracy Alliance, Colorado Education Association, Colorado Values, Cory Gardner, Democrat, desperate, Gene Kinsey, Grand Junction, HD55, headline, Health Care, health insurance, incumbent, John Bodnar, John McCain, K-12 employees, Laura Bradford, Mesa County, negative advertising, property tax hike, reports, Republican, Rockefeller heir, Rocky Mountain News, Secretary of State, state legislative races, Tim Gill, union, Western Slope

8/16/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

Sara Gagliardi’s Do-Nothing Record Puts a John Bodnar Sign in my Yard

Michael at Best Destiny points out the inconsequential, do-nothing record of his and my state representative Sara Gagliardi - and the representative for most of Arvada, Colorado:Among things she did NOT sponsor, she did manage to join her party voting to extend unionization into the state government (which had to be vetoed, only to reappear via Executive fiat . . .er, order); she did manage to vote against increasing academic requirements for graduation, but vote to create standards for Sex Education in the schools. So the entire track record of Sara Gagliardi's first year in office as a part of the majority was: --no academic standards --Sex Ed standards --banned smoking in casinos, which encroaches on personal rights and hurt … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor Tagged With: academic requirements, Arvada, Best Destiny, Colorado, do-nothing record, John Bodnar, Michael, Sara Gagliardi, sex education, smoking, state representative, unionization, yard sign

4/17/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Sara Gagliardi’s Bad Mortgage Bill

Rep. Sara Gagliardi, D-Arvada, my state representative, earned the special distinction of having a bad legislative idea dismantled by the fair-minded editors of the Rocky Mountain News:Perhaps the best thing that can be said about the American Dream Protection Act of 2008, due to be introduced in the legislature at any time, is that it's not likely to be as bad as many of its counterparts under consideration in other states - and in Congress. Unlike those other measures, Colorado's bill addressing home foreclosures, by Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, and Sara Gagliardi, D-Arvada, would not require substantial public subsidies. Nor would it place taxpayers on the hook for a massive bailout if the credit crunch intensifies. That said, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: American Dream Protection Act of 2008, bad idea, contracts, fiscal illiteracy, John Bodnar, Mortgage foreclosures, Rep. Mark Ferrandino, Rep. Sara Gagliardi, Rocky Mountain News

3/10/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Jeffco GOP Assembly: Recap & Reflection on Renewed Hopes

At Saturday's Jefferson County Republican Assembly, the person who got the biggest ovation was a self-proclaimed Democrat. A bad sign? Not at all. The Democrat was Rose Moniak, a courageous elderly lady who seconded the nomination of Scott Storey for a second term as District Attorney. The victim of a heinous crime that nearly took her life, Moniak had the highest praise for Storey's personal diligence and compassion as a prosecutor. Storey was emotionally touched by the introduction, and Moniak was emotionally touched by the warm, prolonged standing ovation from the Assembly crowd. Moniak was also one of the personal stories from the crowd that U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer addressed from the podium. Schaffer has really honed the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, My Life Tagged With: 6th Congressional District, Best Destiny, Bob Schaffer, Jeffco GOP Assembly, John Bodnar, Libby Szabo, Mike Coffman, Rep. Jim Kerr, Rep. Ken Summers, Scott Storey, Steve Ward, Ted Harvey, Wil Armstrong

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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
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