Opinion

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman observed in a column he wrote in 1996 that “no two countries that both have a McDonald’s have ever fought a war against each other.” Some have looked into how ironclad this rule is. But, in general, the point is pretty powerful.

Dear Annie: My husband and I are 77 years old. Our lake home has four bedrooms and plenty of space for family visits. During the summer, the family knows they have to make “reservations” to visit. Sometimes, we will have seven immediate family members here, and once we had 18 nephews and nieces and their families. They have use of our boats and always replace the gas they used. We feel fortunate that we can allow them to have a family vacation that is relatively inexpensive for them. Many have thanked us for the memories they have made over the past 20 years.

After the 2008 economic collapse, the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations launched a series of inquiries aimed at exposing the rot underlying the financial services industry. During one memorable hearing, then-Sen. Carl Levin grilled Goldman Sachs executives on their sale of investment products they knew to be dubious in order to increase their already eye-popping compensation. An exchange in which Levin used internal emails to show how Goldman Sachs officials sold products they knew to be “s---ty deals” went viral.

“There is no... sound reason for the United States to continue sacrificing precious lives and treasure in a conflict not directly connected to our safety or other vital national interests.” So said William Ruger about Afghanistan, our longest war.

Dear Annie: I had two brothers die within a year of each other. One was 53, and the other was 62. They were my only remaining siblings. They resided in Ohio, and I live in Arizona. I had to plan both funerals by myself and clean out and sell whatever I could of their homes and possessions.

As a Trump supporter, I don’t casually dismiss the polls that consistently show he’s behind. But I am cautiously optimistic he’s going to win, for many reasons.

With the release of liberal journalist Bob Woodward’s taped private conversations with the president -- suspiciously released just weeks before the upcoming election -- Democrats are now attacking Donald Trump for downplaying the pandemic publicly while conveniently ignoring their role in diminishing the public health threat.

Today is Saturday, Sept. 12, the 256th day of 2020.

Dear Annie: I was a high school teacher for nearly 40 years, and, before I landed a full-time public school job, spent a year or two as a substitute. I know the frustrations of students who assume you don’t matter because you’re not “our real teacher.” It can be even more annoying when the students are teenagers. Yes, parents should teach their children to respect the temporary teacher as they respect the regular one.

The presidential campaign is at knife’s edge. Both parties’ campaigns assume that patterns of support will closely resemble those in 2016. And both are making surprisingly little effort, considering how close that contest turned out to be, with the 46 crucial electoral votes decided by just 77,744 votes, to increase their levels of support.