Congress has a plan, or at least has arranged the steps, for dealing with the country’s deficit and debt problems. Come the end of the year, lawmakers will send all of us over a “fiscal cliff.”

The drought hitting parts of North America illustrates why it’s never a good idea for any region to become dependent on a hundred-mile diet — or protectionist trade policy.

Yes, the latest Gallup poll numbers showing the public’s lack of confidence in some of our country’s major institutions are distressing. A nation needs to believe that its political and economic leaders have the character and vision to lead the country forward.