Opinion

© 2023 Creators Syndicate Tips on Filing for Social Security Benefits There probably is nothing I’m asked more often than some version of this question: “When should I take my Social Security?” So today, I’m going to write yet another column about that topic and the related issue of how to file for Social Security benefits. But first, let me clarify the “when to file” part.

Dear Annie: I always enjoy sharing my baked goods and also my soups with my neighbors. Some will return the favor by making items for me. I never expect them to reciprocate, though I know I always try to reciprocate when people do things for me.

Dear Editor, We need to support Israel and not listen to all the negative things being said. We need to pray for Israel and call our congressmen to do what is best for Israel.

It’s been called the population weapon, and it’s an effective way to blackmail Europe. The late Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi used it.

Rep. Jared Golden’s aboutface on gun laws is not surprising. He is a Democrat representing Lewiston, Maine, still convulsed by a mass shooting that took 18 lives. Formerly against tightening the laws, Golden now wants a ban on semiautomatic weapons.

Dear Annie: My husband and I grew up in large extended families, and we are delighted that our son’s daughter gets to do that too, on her mother’s side. That we don’t see her much on the holidays isn’t important. What’s important is that she is surrounded by a loving family of many aunts, uncles, cousins and second cousins. When “Soon-To-Be-Grandma’s” grandchild is born, there will be lots of opportunities to help out. You were spot on to tell her that the question isn’t how can her son pay more attention to her, but how can she be helpful to her son. I wish her all joy during the times she is with her son and her future grandchild and hope she doesn’t have resentment during the times she is not with them. -- Grandma Already Dear Grandma: You are very kind to wish her all the joy that she will experience as a grandmother.

The good news for Republicans is they finally elected a new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. The bad news for Republicans is the “objective” media exist to create bad news for Republicans.

While I was familiarizing myself with Mike Johnson of Louisiana, our new speaker of the House, news arrived of a uniquely American event, another mass shooting, this time in a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine.

Dear Annie: I am in my mid-30s and have never married or been engaged. I’m feeling frustrated, hopeless and depressed most of the time because of this. Is there really hope? -- Depressed Help-Seeker Dear Help-Seeker: Of course there’s hope. I imagine it can be difficult to see your friends and loved ones hit life milestones you feel quite far away from achieving yourself. Remember, there is no exact timeline for when you should be in a serious romantic relationship.

After a little more than three weeks, House Republicans have finally elected a speaker. He’s Mike Johnson, first elected to the House in 2016 from a district in northwest Louisiana. He’s almost unknown to the public, has a right-wing voting record, and has been a supporter of Donald Trump. He grills witnesses effectively but calmly, with no visible anger.