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6/4/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Ritter, Kennedy, and Morse Loosening Fiscal Knot for Taxpayers’ Necks

Today's Denver Post news story on Governor Bill Ritter's signing of Senate Bill 228 offers the generous headline: "Colorado's fiscal knot loosens". I've taken the liberty to complete the thought with my own sub-headline: "Noose nearly large enough to fit around taxpayers' necks". The article is correct insofar as it points out that the impact of this bill in repealing limits on the growth of discretionary government spending likely won't be felt for a couple years. But that provides little solace, especially when you listen to the righteous confusion coming from the Democratic cast of characters behind this anti-taxpayer legislation. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, media bias, PPC Tagged With: 10-point margin, 2010, Amendment 59, another dimension, battle plan, Bill Ritter, black, California, Cary Kennedy, caucus, Colorado, complete, conflicting, crystal clear, Democratic, Democrats, Denver Post, disaster, discretionary, down, expounds, Face the State, fight, fiscal knot, fiscal troubles, fitting, generous, Gordian knot, government, government spending, Governor, growth, headline, heaping, heart, increase, John Morse, liberty, limits, majority leader, measures, memo, mess, message, multi-billion dollar, necks, news, noose, November, offers, old-fashioned, prudent, rainy day fund, raise, reasonable, recipe, repeal, repealing, righteous, Rod Serling, sacred, Senate Bill 228, shell game, shooting down, signing, simple, soul, spending, stake, state budget, state senate, state treasurer, step, story, sub-headline, TABOR, tax dollars, tax-and-spend, taxes, taxpayers, thought, trip, up, vote, voters, white, work

6/2/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

One Year Without a Wristwatch

Today is a perfect occasion to show off my predilection for recalling and recounting trivial information. Today is the first anniversary of giving up my wristwatch. Or more appropriately, of my last watch giving up the ghost. From age 7 to age 31 I wore some kind of wristwatch on my left arm. When the last one broke, I decided to see what it would be like to give up the instant time-telling habit cold turkey. The good news is I have gone a whole year without a timepiece on my arm. Of course, having a cell phone that keeps track of time sure helps. But I never would have thought it would be so easy to live life wristwatch-free. Now back to your regularly scheduled broadcasting of truly important news and commentary. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: arm, broadcasting, cell phone helps, cold turkey, commentary, first anniversary, ghost, giving up, good news, habit, important, information, instant, left arm, life, news, occasion, perfect, regularly scheduled, time-telling, today, trivial, truly, wristwatch, wristwatch-free

3/6/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Farewell, Paul Harvey

As the weekend in which the late great news commentator Paul Harvey will be memorialized and laid in his final resting place, I wanted to offer a tiny tribute. Like anyone who turned on an AM radio in recent decades, Paul Harvey's news and "Rest of the Story" segments were almost always irresistible. I didn't get to see him speak in person until he delivered the commencement address at Hillsdale College in 2000, when I watched some of my friends graduate. About that same time, he began singing the praises of my alma mater on his radio program. Subscriptions to Hillsdale's free speech digest Imprimis have soared. Many people I've met in recent years, people of various ages and backgrounds, the only connection they have to Hillsdale … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commemorative, General, Journalism, My Life, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: accounts, alma mater, AM radio, commencement address, condolences, connection, down to earth, example, Family, figures, final resting place, folksy charm, friendly voice, genial, Hillsdale College, Imprimis, influence, irresistible, loved ones, memorialized, microphone, missed, news, news commentator, Paul Harvey, people, praises, public statuture, quintessentially American, radio program, reassuring, rest in peace, rest of the story, subscriptions, tiny tribute, trademark, tremendous reach, vocal delivery, warm personality, weekend, widespread appreciation, work

12/15/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

Blog Silence: RIP, Jim Cannon

I'll be maintaining blog silence for a little while, having received the news earlier today of my friend Jim Cannon's premature passing. His loss is our pain, but his relief from great suffering, at home with the Savior. Speaking personally, my life is richer for having known Jim - one of the founding members of the old Rocky Mountain Alliance. He leaves me with fond memories of his courage, graciousness, and compassion, in the face of extremely trying physical struggles. Please keep Jim's family in your prayers most of all. More to come later. In the meantime, Snaggletooth also has some kind words to share. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, Commemorative, My Life Tagged With: blog silence, compassion, courage, fond memories, founding members, graciousness, Jim Cannon, kind words, news, physical struggles, premature passing, Rocky Mountain Alliance, Snaggletooth

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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

  • AI-Enhanced Cyberbullying: The Dark Side of Teen Innovation
  • My Baker’s Dozen of Top 2023 Reads
  • 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

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Blogs Extraordinaire

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Completing the Blogroll

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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

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To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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