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6/2/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Mystery Tidwell Volunter Steps Over the Line, Hopefully Astroturfing Stops

I am relieved to learn that U.S. Senate candidate Cleve Tidwell was not posting bizarre online comments himself. As Mr. Tidwell joins us for tonight's Blog Talk Radio show, I hope to hear what the campaign learned from this episode. I also hope today's revelation marks the end of the online astroturfing. Inquiring minds will be left to wonder who the campaign volunteer was who had access to Mr. Tidwell's private email address and "might have stepped over the line". … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: astroturfing, bizarre, Blog Talk Radio, campaign, candidate, Cleve Tidwell, comments, episode, online, relieved, revelation, show, U.S. Senate

6/1/2009 By Ben 5 Comments

Say It Ain’t So, Cleve Tidwell

Here's a good bit of important advice to candidates for major political office that apparently isn't self-evident to all -- Don't go posting comments online under a false identity:Cleve Tidwell was posing as someone named "Craig Platon" and posting about how "he gave me and everyone else that waited in line all the time we needed and seemed only interested in what I had to say." He also describes himself as a "warm individual." This is a little narcissistic even for a would-be politician. It is troubling to say the least that a candidate for United States Senate has no apparent ethical qualms with posting as imaginary people supporting himself. Simply posting under a psuedonym [sic] and dropping a comment saying something positive about … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Cultural Conservatism, Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: advice, bit, bizarre, candidate, candidates, Cleve Tidwell, conspiracy theory, Craig Platon, elaborate backstory, email address, ethical qualms, false identity, falsehood, GOP, important, Kattie Botts, major, observation, online, pathetic, political office, private, pseudonym, Rocky Mountain Right, Ryan Frazier, sad, same-sex marriage, smarter, strange, straw poll, U.S. Senate, weird

5/21/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Best Destiny’s Michael Co-Authors Book to Help You Find Your Best Destiny

It's always great to see someone you know hit the market with a book published under their name. In this case, it's Michael Alcorn -- one of Colorado's most veteran conservative bloggers and a charter member of the Rocky Mountain Alliance of Blogs. You may know him better as the man behind Best Destiny. Michael has co-authored Get It: Wake Up NOW(!) to Build Your Perfect Life:Get It is a Book / program designed to help YOU design your perfect life. While this book targets young adults ages 16 - 24, the book and program is helpful to people of all ages who simply want to get it. The way we view things, the world is broken down into those people who "Get It" and those who "Don't Get It". "Get what?" you might ask. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: adults, advice, all ages, Best Destiny, bloggers, book, broken down, charter member, co-authored, Colorado, conservative, copy, Get It, graduation, learned, life lessons, looking for, market, Michael Alcorn, name, online, people, present, published, Rocky Mountain Alliance, solicited, surveyed, thoughts, valuable, veteran, world, years, young adults

4/3/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

What Kind of Online State Spending Database Will Colorado Get?

Update, 4/4: The editors of the Denver Post agree with my commonsense observation, saying "We would prefer to see Ritter's project hew more to the kind of details espoused in the legislative proposal." What kind of online state spending database are Coloradans going to get if they are going to hope to keep an eye on state government and help find cost efficiencies to save us all money? This is the question of the hour, after Governor Bill Ritter's weak executive order came out yesterday. We're also learning that the Governor is working to kill bipartisan House Bill 1288, which would provide the real detail that is lacking from his watered-down order. The highly impressive new State Representative B.J. Nikkel is the sponsor of HB … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, PPC Tagged With: advocates, Americans for Tax Reform, B.J. Nikkel, Bill Ritter, Coloradans, cost efficiencies, credit, current course, database, Democrats, good legislation, Governor, highly impressive, hour, House Bill 1288, interests, issue, keep an eye, kill, lacking, limelight, members, memo, money, National Taxpayers Union, online, opposing party, plaudits, playing games, pointless, protects, question, real detail, Republicans, save, share, state government, state representative, state spending, steal, taxpayers, toothless tiger, Transparency, weak executive order, yesterday

3/27/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Senate Bill 57 School Transparency Defeated But Not Forgotten

It's been a full week since the establishment education lobby and Democrats on the House Education Committee teamed up to kill the spending transparency in Colorado's Senate Bill 57. Amazingly, this little bill that (almost) could in our Colorado state legislature is still making national waves. From an essay written by Paul Miller and published today by American Thinker:This past week in Colorado, Senate Bill 57, also called the Public School Financial Transparency Act, which simply require public school districts to put their spending online, died in committee. How could any responsible public official forbid parents from seeing how their tax-dollars are spent educating their children? The answer to that question is simple: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC Tagged With: accountability, alive, American Thinker, Ben Hummel, brilliant, campaign contributions, cartoon, children, coincidental, Colorado, Colorado Spending Transparency, Democrats, essay, establishment education lobby, favor, fight, House Education Committee, important, kill, lampooning, link, lobbying associations, members, National Education Association, national waves, neutral position, online, opposition, parents, Paul Miller, politicians, provide, public official, Senate Bill 57, spending transparency, state legislature, take a hike, tax dollars, taxpayers, testimony

3/25/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Join Me in Shining Light on Democrat Attempts to Destroy Electoral College

Starting sometime after 2 PM this afternoon (pending a preceding hearing on another bill) I will be keeping tabs on the vital state senate committee testimony on HB 1299 - which statehouse Democrats are proposing to destroy the electoral college and render Colorado politically impotent. You can follow me on Twitter. You also can listen online here (click on Senate Committee Room 353). … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, My Life, PPC Tagged With: afternoon, Colorado, committee, Democrats, destroy, electoral college, follow, keeping tabs, listen, online, politically impotent, proposing, state senate, statehouse, testimony, Twitter

3/18/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Follow Me: You Can Help in Thursday’s Fight for Transparent School Spending

Tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon is the moment of truth at the Colorado state legislature for Senate Bill 57, a measure that would require school districts to open up their financial books online so citizens can search them. It goes before the House Education Committee. Here are things you can do: Starting at sometime shortly after 1:30 PM local Mountain time, listen to the hearing online (House Committee Room 0112) Follow me on Twitter during the proceedings, or join the Tweeting yourself Show up at HCR 0112 and testify yourself, or just pack the room and provide moral support - nothing like an extra concerned citizen or two to remind lawmakers whom they serve Call or email members of the House Education Committee to make your voice … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC Tagged With: accountability, call, citizen, Colorado, Denver Post, email, endorsed, expenses, financial, follow, hearing, House Education Committee, involved, kill the bill, lawmakers, listen, lobbying groups, members, message, moral support, online, pack the room, Peoples Press Collective, proceedings, quietly, revenues, right thing, Rocky Mountain News, salaries, school administrators, school districts, schools, searchable format, Senate Bill 57, serve, Show me the money, small part, taxpayer-funded, terminate, testify, Transparency, Twitter, voice

3/13/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

The Education Empire (Quietly) Strikes Back at SB 57 School Transparency

Senate Bill 57, the school financial transparency bill, has defied anyone's expectation and made it through one-half of the legislature. From the senate, it's now on to the house. Apparently, but not too surprisingly, the lobbyists for the education establishment are looking for a way to kill the bill without looking like they oppose transparency. The COST blog exposes the details. School districts can use low-cost technology to place expenditures and revenues online in a searchable format; that excuse has been worn thin. So I guess it's time to resort to other ineffective arguments, along with procedural tactics and other technicalities. What about the people's lobby? Will they turn out again to speak out for their right to see … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC Tagged With: Colorado, education establishment, excuse, expenditures, financial transparency, House, House Education Committee, ineffective arguments, kill the bill, legislature, lobbyists, low-cost, online, oppose, people's lobby, procedural tactics, revenues, school, searchable format, Senate, Senate Bill 57, speak out, spent, tax dollars, technicalities, technology, turn out

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

1/29/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Colorado Senate Democrats Flee from True School Financial Transparency

Last night I told you about the inspiring testimony of citizens in support of financial transparency for Colorado schools. Today, it was the legislators' turn to do the damage. And damage they did:Senator Bob Bacon introduced an amendment that establishes a “voluntary pilot program” for transparency. It passed and is now on its way to the full floor of the Senate. Senator [Ted] Harvey asked to open up the bill for additional testimony since it had been altered dramatically. Bacon, chair of the committee, said no. Senator Harvey also tried to kill his own bill. Harvey did say he would bring the bill back next year. Bacon, a former educator, used words like “cruel” and “fear” to describe how school districts may respond to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, General, PPC Tagged With: amendment, bill, bill sponsor, Bob Bacon, Chris Romer, citizens, Colorado schools, cruel, damage, Evie Hudak, fear, financial transparency, floor, former educator, grassroots army, hide, inspiring testimony, legislators, obligatory quote, online, passed, Peter Groff, respond, Rollie Heath, school districts, searchable format, senator, students, taxpayers, teaching, Ted Harvey, trend, voluntary pilot program

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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
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