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6/10/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Calling All Colorado Congressmen to Back Federal Reserve Transparency

Update, 6/11, 10:30 AM: Impressively, HR 1207 now has 208 Congressional co-sponsors. But only two from Colorado: Republican Doug Lamborn and Democrat Ed Perlmutter. Open government is an important non-partisan issue. I recently brought readers' attention to the need to persuade Republican Congressman Mike Coffman to sign on in support of transparency for the nation's Federal Reserve bank. It's good to see Face The State join the cause and raise the stakes by urging members of Colorado's delegation across the political spectrum to back HR 1207. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: attention, cause, Colorado, Congressman, delegation, Face the State, Federal Reserve, HR 1207, join, members, Mike Coffman, persuade, political spectrum, raise, readers, Republican, sign on, stakes, support, Transparency, urge

6/8/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Learning from Bill Ritter’s Four Mistakes (so far) in the Senate Bill 180 Veto

I asked before if Bill Ritter called the bluff of Big Labor with his veto of Senate Bill 180. If we're to judge by last Friday's union-organized rally, then Ritter made a mistake. To see what I mean, take a step over to Face The State's slideshow, and see signs like "Why does Ritter hate fire fighters?" and "Ritter lied to my dad" (or just Senator Lois Tochtrop's angry expression). Of course, Ritter didn't make a mistake from the standpoint of choosing good policy over bad policy. But he has made four mistakes surrounding this issue: Don't make promises you don't intend to keep. Backroom campaign promises can come back to burn you. As observed at ColoradoPols and demonstrated by the little girl's "Ritter lied to my dad" sign, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, PPC Tagged With: angry, apparently, astroturfing, backroom, bad policy, Big Labor, Bill Ritter, blogosphere, bluff, bulk, burn, called, campaign, chief executive, ColoradoPols, compared, conveyed, damaging, decision, Democrat, Denver Post, enjoy, expression, Face the State, feet, fire fighters, fires, forced, good policy, harping, hide, intend, judge, keep, kill, labor bills, lied, Lois Tochtrop, media, minor, mistake, news conference, observed, offense, Party, politically, promises, prop, public, rally, Rocky Mountain Right, save, SB 180, Senate Bill 180, senator, show, sign, sit back, slideshow, standpoint, state house, state senate, stoked, support, threefold, traction, union-organized, veto, whoops

5/20/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Look at Both Gallup Polls: Republicans Have an Opportunity, If They’ll Take It

Two Gallup polls, released on the same day: Monday, May 18. Wildly different headlines. Part of a bigger story, but some can only seem to latch on to one or the other. Those who trumpeted the results of the survey showing across-the-board demographic losses for the Republican Party since 2001 (conducted from January to April of this year) might also want to note the results of the survey showing Republican-leaning support matching Democrat-leaning support for the first time in nearly four years. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: across the board, administration, advantage, Barack Obama, Big Government, bigger, blob, brand, business as usual, California, coalition, Congress, dealings, Deep Blue, Democrats, demographic, depth, different, election cycles, election time, fade away, fiscally conservative, gaffes, Gallup, generation, genuine alternative, George Bush, GOP, headlines, hint, interesting times, interpretation, irrelevance, leaning, losses, majority, majority status, Nancy Pelosi, opportunity, overwhelming, policies, politicians, polls, profligate, program, regain, rejection, Republican Party, results, serious, skirts, solutions-oriented, squandering, story, support, survey, tax-and-spend, voters

5/6/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Sine Die

It sounds like a garbled threat, or possibly a song from the High Mass. Sine die means neither, but it is cause for high celebration: The Colorado state legislature is adjourned for 2009, at least for the regular session. (I'm hearing insiders say that the Governor very well may call a special session in the summer.) In one sense, it's a shame to see the legislature walk away from its responsibility: Democrats have kicked the state's fiscal problems a little ways down the road. But then again, the majority Democrats aren't likely to grow a sense of responsibility any time soon. So staunch the bleeding while there's still time. Because, in fact, Democrats are now openly touting a recent state supreme court decision to say they can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Judiciary, liberty, PPC Tagged With: adjourned, approve, bleeding, capital gains, Clear the Bench Colorado, Colorado, decision, Democrats, deserving, down the road, fiscal problems, garbled threat, Governor, havoc, high celebration, high court, High Mass, insiders, majority, plain language, raise, regular session, responsibility, sense, Sine die, song, soon, special session, state constitution, state house, state legislature, state senate, state supreme court, staunch, summer, support, tax hikes, taxes, vote of the people, walk away, wreak

5/2/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Dispelling Facebook Membership as Motive to Scott McInnis Voicemail Story

Can't help but say that I'm a bit disappointed in the Grand Junction Sentinel for the shoddy article and headline erroneously equating the Facebook group membership of my colleagues Todd Shepherd and Justin Longo with support of Josh Penry. On the other hand, the Dead Guvs' complicity in their own headline writing and truly bizarre conspiracy theorizing is downright amusing. It reinforces the case that they're out of touch with local Republican politics and are relying on deductive logic to perpetuate a pre-fabricated narrative. They'll have to do better if they wish to be believable as something other than a fountain of Democrat talking points. When Todd -- a man of journalistic integrity (and amazing vocal impersonation skills) -- … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Journalism, liberty, My Life, PPC Tagged With: amusing, article, bizarre conspiracy, CASE, colleagues, Complete Colorado, complicity, Dead Guvs, deductive logic, Democrat, disappointed, downright, equating, erroneously, Facebook, fountain, Governor, Grand Junction Sentinel, headline, Josh Penry, journalistic integrity, membership, narrative, origin, outof touch, perpetuate, politics, pre-fabricated, Republican, Scott McInnis, serious questions, settles, shoddy, support, talking points, Todd Shepherd, vocal impersonation, voicemail, writing

4/30/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Scott McInnis’ Responses to “Serious Questions” Less Than Satisfactory

Complete Colorado has the scoop on one likely Republican candidate for governor's foot-in-mouth problem when it comes to voice mail messages. Did Scott McInnis' remarks reveal something illegal or unethical? Jessica Fender reports that it's technically not. But McInnis' responses are concerning:McInnis, who verified that he left the message, points out he's not officially announced his candidacy or formed a candidate committee, so the rules do not yet apply. And what he really meant to say was that [Sean] Tonner, president of consulting firm Phase Line Strategies, is a supporter and answering questions about potential future 527s, he said. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, PPC Tagged With: 2010, 527, apply, attribution, ballyhooed, Bill Ritter, candidate, candidate committee, Complete Colorado, decision, Democrat, distasteful, easier, events, foot in mouth, former Congressman, Governor, illegal, jealous, Jessica Fedner, Josh Penry, judgment, leaning, likely, motives, Phase Line Strategies, political, public poll, questions, ranking, remarks, reports, Republican, responses, revelation, Rocky Mountain Right, rules, scoop, Scott McInnis, Sean Tonner, serious questions, support, unethical, voice mail messages

3/20/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Bad Legislation Parade’s SB 180 Would Harm Taxpayers, Employee Rights

Today brings a chance to review another member of the bad legislation parade down at the Colorado State Capitol. Senate Bill 180 (PDF) would override the local will of voters and impose collective bargaining on all local police and fire departments. After making it through the Democrat-controlled State, Military, and Veteran Affairs Committee, the bill is on the slate to be heard by the full senate any day now. From the Denver Daily News:Concerns are being raised that collective bargaining leads to overtaxing government budgets through increased payroll costs, which ends up hitting taxpayers hard. The last time the issue raised so many conservative eyebrows was in 2007 when Gov. Bill Ritter issued an executive order authorizing state … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, PPC Tagged With: automatic, bad legislation parade, bargaining, Bill Ritter, budgets, coercion, Collective Bargaining, Colorado, committee, communities, compensation, concerns, conservative eyebrows, costly, Democrat, Democrat-controlled, Denver Daily News, equipment, fire departments, fire fighters, full senate, gem, hard truth, higher salaries, impose, law enforcement, local will, Lois Tochtrop, member, negotiating, override, overtaxing, paid, payroll costs, police departments, police officers, policy, political activities, political power, procure, public servants, public services, Pueblo, review, SAFE, safety equipment, Senate Bill 180, services, slate, State Capitol, support, taxpayer premium, taxpayers, Thornton, tools, uniform, union dues, union fee, union officials, union representation, Unions, voters

3/16/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Has State Representative Don Marostica Wandered Off the Political Cliff?

Update, 3/17: Link added - check out "Keep The Cap Colorado" Saying state representative Don Marostica is not the future of the Colorado Republican Party was one of the blog understatements of the year. As if latching on to the Democratic caucus to support California-like spendthrift policies wasn't enough by itself, Marostica had to go and try to explain his position. From Don Marostica's hometown, this Loveland Politics report seems to indicate the representative has walked off the political cliff:If the purpose of Saturday's "town hall" meeting was to mend fences within his own party, it failed miserably when the Republican legislator Marostica told those assembled "Now, I know Republicans -- really get nervous about that because … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, PPC Tagged With: abstain, account, Arveschoug-Bird, blog, California, Colorado, coming election, Democratic caucus, Don Marostica, elected, explain, foolhardy strategy, future, higher taxes, hometown, incoherent logic, label, lesson, libertarians, Loveland Politics, mere convenience, overlap, party designations, phony rhetoric, policies, political cliff, reinforced, Republican, Republican Party, spending, spendthrift, state representative, support, talking points, understatements

3/12/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Poor Timing of FasTracks Tax Announcement Only Tip of Iceberg

It's kind of surreal to find these two headlines in the same edition of the Denver Post: Colo. jobless at 21-year high: "The unemployment rate hasn't been this high since April 1988, when it was at 6.7 percent. It is also higher than the 6.3 percent rate reached during the depths of the dot-com bust from 2001 to 2003." Doubling FasTracks sales tax gets nod: "On Wednesday, a majority of the Metro Mayors Caucus tentatively approved a plan to salvage FasTracks by asking voters for another 0.4 percent sales tax. The mayors, hoping to see the entire $6.9 billion expansion finished by 2017, are gambling that voters will maintain support for the project despite higher costs and some of the weakest economic conditions in the past … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Energy, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC, RTD, transportation Tagged With: alternatives, benefits, collision, costs, deceptions, Denver Post, disproven claims, edition, encroachment, expansion, expensive, expert, FasTracks, headlines, higher costs, Independence Institute, inefficient, irony, jobless, land use, laughable timing, light-rail plan, majority, mayors, metro Denver, Metro Mayors Caucus, more, overpriced, Randal O'Toole, report, RTD, sales tax, skeptical, sorry, striking, support, surreal, tip of the iceberg, Titanic, transportation, unclean, unemployment, voters, weak economic conditions

2/19/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Michael Bennet to Colorado Taxpayers: Porkulus is Merely the Beginning

Selected Senator Michael Bennet to Colorado taxpayers: "The beatings will continue until moral improves". So reports the Fort Morgan Times on Bennet's visit yesterday:Government has to find some kind of answer to the economic woes which are besieging the country, he said. The stimulus package is just the beginning, but it can bring some relief, Bennet said. [emphasis added] What's next? The Obama housing plan? You know, rewarding irresponsible behavior, paying your neighbor's mortgage. Does Michael Bennet have a position on the Obama housing plan? Or maybe he just expects Colorado's hard-working taxpayers to assume the position again (you know, hand in wallet).... Is there anything Bennet will support or oppose without the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, National Politics, PPC, property rights Tagged With: beatings, beginning, Colorado, economic woes, Fort Morgan Times, hard-working, irresponsible behavior, Michael Bennet, morale, oppose, permission, position, relief, senator, stimulus package, support, taxpayers, visit, White House

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    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
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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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