Richard J Grant

Published in The Tennessean , March 28, 2010 Government hand crafts progressive fairy tales by Richard J. Grant In a world where the word "diversity" is uttered in tones normally reserved for worship, we might wonder why all truly meaningful signs of diversity are in retreat. We are told that we are to be color blind in our social relations, yet we are reminded in the new census forms, and in the plethora of affirmative action programs, of our government's obsession with race and gender. But shouldn't our government be less interested in race and gender than any one of us as an individual would be? There was a time when diversity was more valued in human ideas and achievements, rather than in terms of those characteristics, such as gender and race, that are givens and that we would not likely change even if we could. Although many would object that we do indeed value new ideas and great achievements, the real trend of recent times is toward centralization of standards...

Published in The Tennessean , March 21, 2010 Constitution was intended to protect citizens from harmful change by Richard J. Grant The exceptional nature of the United States in world history is a reflection of the values and conservatism (in the sense of caution, not ideology) that were embedded by the framers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The intent, and for much of US history the result, was to protect Americans from a constitutional anarchy in which an individual's liberty is largely dependent on the arbitrary (and sometimes ephemeral) preferences of rulers, politicians, or even a voting majority. In the Federalist No. 51, James Madison offered an explanation of the reasons for, and methods by which the Constitution would partition power and place the several constituent parts of the government in relation to each other such that they would be most likely to keep each other "in their proper places." Madison clearly states that the importance...

Published in The Tennessean , March 14, 2010 A health-care reform honeymoon won't last long by Richard J. Grant We're about to get a health-care wedgie. But at least we see the perpetrators coming; and most Americans don't like what they see. As Democrats stalk us with the thin end of another wedge to drive more government interference into our health-care system, a majority of Americans remain firmly opposed. They know that wedges always get wider at the other end. All government programs have a tendency to expand. Governments already control more than half the dollars spent on US medical care. Government regulations already restrict most of what doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies can do. Apparently this is not working out well. But instead of reducing the dose, Democrats want to increase the level of government control and interference. Those with socialist eyes cannot see. Those with socialist hearts do not care. Whether or not it is recognized, the biggest sing...

Published in The Tennessean , March 7, 2010 The marketplace relies on profit to reduce costs by Richard J. Grant There is a moral asymmetry between the two main visions of the role of government in our lives. Those who favor the minimization of the state would not interfere with those who choose voluntarily to join a communal society within the larger society. But those who favor the maximization of the state would not reciprocate: They would not permit a free society within their larger society. Statists just can't leave people to get on with their lives. They can't imagine civil society existing and prospering without extensive government control. This is what the rhetoric and policy proposals of the Obama administration are clearly telling us. We learned early that the president does not understand the roles of profit and loss in our economic affairs. He seems to believe that profit is a burden that is best removed so that costs might be lower. He either doesn't understa...