Opinion

How did it come to pass that public employee unions, which scarcely existed 60 years ago, have come to run public schools and myriad state and local government agencies? Answers to this question, which few people think about these days, come from Philip K. Howard’s latest book, “Not Accountable,” accompanied as in his earlier books (“The Rule of Nobody,” “Try Common Sense”) by outspoken outrage and generous dollops of common sense.

When the Massachusetts Ratification Convention was debating whether to approve the U.S. Constitution in January 1788, Dr. John Taylor, a delegate from Worcester County, asked a pointed question about the language in the draft that called for creating a new and independent city to house the federal government.

Dear Annie: I am writing in response to “Helpless,” the man who moved his family out of state and is now upset that his cheating ex has a close relationship to his relatives back home. I think you’re off base with your advice to move home.

In late 2011, John Oliver and his “Daily Show” cameraman made a trek to my office, then in Providence, Rhode Island, to take me to task. I had recently referred to the Tea Partiers who had pushed America to the brink of a disastrous default as “economic terrorists.”

Today is the 26th day of 2023 and the 37th day of winter. T ODAY’S HISTORY: In 1837, Michigan was admitted as the 26th U.S.

Dear Annie: My husband confided to me that his mother had an eating disorder in the past, and there are possible signs she may have relapsed. When she visits us, she will exercise for hours daily, regularly disparage her physical appearance and skip meals claiming that she is “too bloated” to eat. I’m never sure what is the best way to respond to her selfcriticism or behaviors. My husband states that she saw a therapist years ago for this problem but has not received any treatment since. He thinks she would be resistant to any further treatment, but I can’t figure out why.

Facing History and Ourselves has a mission statement that seems not just sensible but indisputable. “To build a more just and equitable future,” it posits, “we must face our history in all its complexity.”

As tensions about raising the nation’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling build, the headline that should be flashing in front of every American is that our country is not working. Nothing is going to get fixed -- really fixed -- until we come clean about this basic, sad and distressing fact.

Dear Annie: After dating a guy who turned out to be a narcissist, my question is, how can I heal? I’ve tried everything, and I’ve even felt like I’m over it and I’m OK, but then I have my days. It’s like grieving.

There are moderates in the suburbs -- Democrats, Republicans and Independents -- who want Washington spending kept in check. They tend to be liberal on social issues but pained over the extremes of the woke. They have respect for various sexual identities but little interest in learning new pronouns. And they overwhelmingly want some access to abortion.