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Home Archives for Political contributions

3/9/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

U.S. Supreme Court’s Ysursa Ruling a Sweet Victory for Clean Government

Update (3/10): Mike Reitz weighs in with an observation some of my readers may have a hard time believing: "Public policy wonks are real people, too." Here's a U.S. Supreme Court decision that may have flown past your radar - Ysursa v Pocatello Education Association. The ruling ensures states (like Idaho and Utah already have done) can regulate the use of government payroll systems to prevent the collection of political contributions. As Mike Reitz from the Evergreen Freedom Foundation explained to me in a new iVoices podcast, it's a victory for clean government, taxpayers and orderly state labor relations: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, General, Judiciary, Labor, My Life, PPC Tagged With: Amendment 49, analogy, clean government, Congress, debate, decision, Employee Free Choice Act, Evergreen Freedom Foundation, fans, government, Idaho, iVoices, job growth, labor relations, Mike Reitz, payroll systems, podcast, Political contributions, poorly-named, resurrecting, ruling, secret ballot, Star Wars, taxpayers, U.S. Supreme Court, Utah

10/27/2008 By Ben 6 Comments

Mark Hillman Cuts Through Deception Used Against Amendments 47, 49, 54

Another prominent, respected Colorado voice joins the chorus of those denouncing the nonsensical attacks against Amendments 47, 49, and 54. Former state treasurer Mark Hillman makes a couple of terrific points in his piece:Amendment 49 (”ethical standards”) prohibits state and local governments from intercepting a worker’s paycheck to collect dues or contributions for unions, lobbyists or any other special interest. It simply requires all interest groups to ask supporters directly for their contribution, rather than use government payroll systems as their collection agency. Groups from the National Rifle Association to the Sierra Club rely on voluntary contributions, so why can’t labor unions and other special … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 47, Amendment 49, Amendment 54, ask directly, attacks, Big Bad Wolf, Coloradans for Middle Class Relief, Colorado, commercial, Denver Post, dishonest, dues, employees, Ethical Standards, firefighter, government payroll system, greedy owners, indentured servants, labor unions, lobbyists, Mark Hillman, membership, National Rifle Association, Political contributions, profit motive, Protect Colorado's Future, respected voice, Sierra Club, special interest groups, state treasurer, voluntary contributions, white noise

9/19/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Teachers Union Spreads Fear and Disinformation about Amendment 47

Michael at Best Destiny, a Jefferson County teacher by day, writes:Yesterday, the union representative at one of my schools came back from a district-wide meeting in breathless distress over this year's ballot. She said that, based on what was told to her in her meeting, there was the potential that the passage of Amendment 47 could mean the "end of teacher representation, and the school district would no longer have to follow any rules about how they ordered you to spend your time." She even went so far as to say that the passage of 47 would be more devastating for schools than the failure of either the Mill Levy increase or of the Bond election. Another anecdote that shows the teachers union - in this case, the Jefferson County … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Education, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 47, Amendment 49, Amendment 54, American Idol, ballot initiative, Best Destiny, Blue Book, deception, Democrat, disinformation, district-wide meeting, Evie Hudak, facts, fear-mongering, hair loss, independent thought, infertility, JCEA leaders, Jefferson County, Jefferson County Education Association, labor organization, Michael, my union said so, National Education Association, nonsense, party platform, Political contributions, Protect Colorado's Future, public educators, right-to-work, sad commentary, school, state senate candidate, teacher, teachers union, think for themselves, union dues, union representative

8/16/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Colorado’s Amendment 49 Better Version of Idaho Clean Government Law

The latest edition of Budget & Tax News highlights an important case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court about a clean elections law from Idaho:In 2003, the Idaho Legislature passed the Voluntary Contributions Act, which banned the collection of political contributions through government payroll systems throughout the state. Nothing in the law prohibits union members from contributing to candidates by choice, and nothing in it prohibits unions from engaging in politics. Policy experts view the law favorably. Noted Ben DeGrow, an education analyst with the Independence Institute, "Governments should be focused on performing vital services for taxpayers, not on acting as a bill collector for private groups--especially groups that are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 49, Ben DeGrow, Budget & Tax News, clean government, Ethical Standards, government, Idaho, Independence Institute, lobbyists, payroll systems, policy experts, political candidates, Political contributions, special interests, U.S. Supreme Court, union members, Voluntary Contributions Act

6/6/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Adams County Officials Take Campaign Cash from No-Bid Contract Holder

Colorado's saga of no-bid contract corruption continues. The Brighton Standard-Blade is reporting that two Adams County Commissioners received campaign contributions from a paving company owner who holds millions of dollars in sole source contracts from the county (H/T Complete Colorado):According to the Colorado Secretary of State’s website, the election committees of Commissioners Alice Nichol and W.R. "Skip" Fischer received $1,000 from Jerry Rhea, president of Quality Paving Co. According to a Channel 7 news investigation last month, Rhea is a friend of Adams County Public Works Director Lee Asay. Asay was placed on administrative leave after the investigation found he awarded $12 million in no-bid contracts to Rhea’s … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: Abel Tapia, Adams County commissioners, Alice Nichol, Brighton Standard-Blade, clean government, Colorado Secretary of State, Complete Colorado, corruption, Denver Post, ethics, government contracting reform, Jerry Rhea, Lee Asay, no-bid contracts, pay-to-play, Political contributions, Quality Paving Company, Skip Fischer, sole source contracts

2/21/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

For Those Still Interested in Donating to Republicans, Announcing…

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has created a new user-friendly Web feature that enables online political contributors to give to any or all of the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate in one stop. It's called Two Seats. For conservative Republicans with limited resources who want to give strategically, I recommend campaign donations not only to Bob Schaffer, of course, but also to incumbent Sen. John Sununu (New Hampshire) and Norm Coleman (Minnesota), and to challenger John Kennedy (Louisiana). … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: Bob Schaffer, John Kennedy, John Sununu, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Norm Coleman, Political contributions, Two Seats

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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

  • 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
  • 8 Original Ways To Leverage Influencer Marketing
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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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