Mount Virtus

"Happy to come back to Michigan, but I miss the mountains!"

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    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
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Home About Ben

About Ben

“Rasmussen is a heck of a bigger deal than Ben DeGrow.”
– Scott McInnis for Governor spokesman Sean Duffy

Ben is “one of the most virulent anti-public education individuals in the state.” – Colorado Education Association Journal

I’m a native Michigander (and proud of the politically incorrect designation) who moved to Colorado in 2002 when I married the lovely Mrs. Virtus. Our family lived in the western suburbs just outside Denver for 13 years before the Great Lakes State called me back home. I strive by God’s grace to ensure that the most important things to me are my relationships with Him, with my wife, and with my three children. More about me…

Mackinac Center professional bio

Visit Ben’s Amazon author page

LinkedIn profile

Twitter feed: “Grateful Christian, conservatarian, husband, dad, Mackinac Center education policy director, writer, baseball fan.”

Facebook profile:

“Bought by God’s love, kept by His grace. Growing husband, dad, freedom fighter back home in Michigan.”

Just a sojourner on Earth, a redeemed child of God in a strange land, seeking not to take myself too seriously; a student of history and of human nature; a writer and a chronicler, gifted with a weird imagination and a compassionate heart; compulsively unable to ignore any and all spelling errors; phlegmatic, dry-witted, and all too often forgetful (huh?) …

Some original sources where you may find my writings:

  • Mackinac Center for Public Policy writings
  • Independence Institute’s Education Policy Center (senior policy analyst to 2015)
  • Complete Colorado – Page Two (content contributor, 2013-2015)
  • Watchdog Wire Colorado (state co-editor, 2013-2014)
  • Heartland Institute, School Reform News (contributing editor, 2005-2013)
  • Colorado Peak Politics (contributing writer, 2012-2013)
  • Colorado Observer (contributing writer, 2012-2013)

As for understanding the content original to this site….

I am an evangelical Christian by faith and confession (a Baptist in doctrine and polity), a limited-government “conservatarian” by carefully-grounded conviction, a formerly registered Republican whose party left him in the lurch. This blog is a collection of my writings, and mainly about what I know: from public policy areas that reflect my professional expertise (education and labor) to the stuff that political junkies crave, with a strong Colorado flavor. That will continue to change as life circumstances unfold.

Having graduated from Hillsdale College and having worked more than a decade for two different but highly effective State Policy Network organizations, I am a certified (and some would tell you certifiable) member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. Yet while I have been shaped to some extent by these affiliations, all views and opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of any institution.

Unless specifically stipulated otherwise, I am personally responsible for the thoughts presented in each and every entry I write on this blog. (Guest-bloggers are accountable for their own views expressed.) Facts are sourced and linked whenever possible, and all ideas open for debate.

I welcome all reader comments that can appropriately be viewed by younger eyes, regardless of whether the commenter agrees with me. Arguments are welcome and are open to be freely judged according to their substance and logic (logos), as well as the personal credibility of the commenter (ethos). If you comment anonymously, don’t expect yourself to be taken as seriously.

Please note that your comment will not appear straightway when you submit it, as I practice careful moderation to weed out spam and the occasional profane remark.

A final thought: I am human and make mistakes, and will correct them when I can. Whether it’s an error of fact or punctuation, or you believe I am falling short of the standards I strive to achieve, please indicate in a comment or by sending an email to the address listed. I hope to receive the criticism in the spirit it was intended.

Inside

  • About Ben
  • Archives
  • Colorado Ballot Reviews
    • Colorado Ballot 2008
    • Colorado Ballot 2010
    • Colorado Ballot 2012
    • Colorado Ballot 2014
  • Mary and Jacob: From the Forgotten Dust
  • Mount Virtus?
  • Passion and Purpose:
    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
  • What I’m Thankful For
  • Writer / Editor For Hire

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
  • Why Every Single Business Needs A YouTube Channel

Colorado News

  • Colorado Senate News
  • Complete Colorado
  • Independence Institute
  • Loveland Politics
  • The Colorado Observer

National News and Politics

  • Drudge Report
  • Hot Air
  • National Review
  • Politico
  • Real Clear Politics
  • Reason
  • The Washington Times
  • TownHall
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Weekly Standard
  • World Magazine

Blogs Extraordinaire

  • American Thinker
  • David Harsanyi’s Blog
  • E!! The True Conservative Story
  • EIA Intercepts
  • Evangelical Outpost
  • Hugh Hewitt
  • Instapundit
  • LaShawn Barber
  • Lileks
  • Little Green Footballs
  • Michelle Malkin
  • NRO's The Corner
  • Power Line
  • Red State

Completing the Blogroll

  • Alarming News
  • Black Five
  • Blogs of War
  • Eduwonk
  • Flypaper
  • Fraters Libertas
  • Historical Conversations
  • IMAO
  • Jay P. Greene
  • Mike Anderson
  • Mullings
  • Professor Bainbridge
  • Right Thinking
  • Right Wing News
  • Right Wing Nuthouse
  • Shot in the Dark
  • Talking Points Memo
  • Virginia Postrel
  • Volokh Conspiracy

Christian Commentary et al.

  • Kevin Pierpont
  • Sharper Iron

Conservative and GOP Sites

  • Backbone America
  • Cal Thomas
  • Colorado Republican Party
  • Colorado Republican Study Committee
  • Dennis Prager
  • Denver Metro Young Republicans
  • Free Republic
  • Heritage Foundation
  • Jefferson County Republican Party
  • Mackinac Center for Public Policy
  • Mark Steyn
  • Michael Medved
  • Rush Limbaugh

Colorado Blogs

  • American Kestrel
  • Bob Agard
  • Colorado Charter Schools
  • Colorado Peak Politics
  • Colorado Pols
  • Colorado Right
  • Conservative Libertarian Outpost
  • Coyote Gulch
  • Ed Is Watching
  • Free Colorado
  • Jeff Crank Show
  • Mark Hillman
  • Patient Power
  • PirateBallerina
  • Protein Wisdom
  • Reagan Girl
  • Rocky Mountain Alliance 1.0 (Archive)
  • Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0 (Archive)
  • Rossputin
  • Stop the ACLU Blog
  • The Spot (Denver Post)
  • We Stand Firm

Other Sites

  • Technorati
  • Word Press

Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

  • Reclaim the Blue
  • The Business Word
  • The Daily Blogster
  • View from a Height

To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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