For many Americans, what grates most about bans is the government deciding it knows better than we do what is good for us. But maybe it does.

In the past six months, the country has seemed stricken with a fever of anti-establishment thrill-seeking. But in Massachusetts, where turnout broke records, voters recognized the gravity of what’s at stake.

Countless Americans are living on virtually no income. The shocking fact of these families and the complex strategies they use to survive is a national disgrace.

If this respectful, honest tribute can restore some of the shine to a struggling profession and remind the public why quality journalism is worth paying for, it’s a start.

Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate was a meaty, high-minded affair.

Do we want diversity in the name of simple equity? Or do we want women to bring a different perspective and promote a different agenda?

Teachers have a job with the highest stakes, and the lowest prestige. When they aren’t paid well, our children — and our nation — become a little poorer.

Up until now, it’s been tempting to dismiss Trump as harmless entertainment on the long dull road to the presidential nomination. But his campaign has become more dangerous than that.

Most Americans recoil from the socialist label. And yet, most of what Sanders touts on the campaign trail was just boiler-plate Democratic party doctrine not long ago.

Presidential candidate Rand Paul’s decision to accept bitcoin speaks to his hip, edgy, libertarian side — but it also raises important concerns because the virtual currency is untraceable.

The new governor has made bold, even brash choices that reflect his freewheeling style, but his unconventional moves also signal some peril ahead.

If the state really wants to discourage its residents from gambling away their paychecks and attract high-rolling outsiders instead, it might take a lesson from Singapore.

Unregulated outside spending propelled the Republican gubernatorial candidate and three out of four ballot initiatives to victory.

Whether we saw each other weekly or after an absence of six months, nearly his first words of greeting were invariably about the tree. How’s that tree doin’? Tree good? How’s the tree?

The idea of Boston hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics is a stretch, but boosters still have the gleam of Olympic gold in their eyes.

As Tuesday’s vote against the Suffolk Downs casino indicates, East Boston is still very much a hotbed of community activism.

This isn’t the first time a documentary about Hillary Clinton has faced accusations of being a campaign advertisement in disguise.

Turnout in Tuesday’s special senate primary will probably be low — almost no one is used to voting in April. But by rights this election should be a door-buster.

Most of our so-called ‘natural’ disasters are at least partly man made: Sandy is just the most recent example. Architects, engineers, and designers are often ahead of the curve, but we’ve got miles to go to prepare for future ‘acts of God.’

The crucible of the presidency in times of war and economic hardship has tempered Barack Obama and according to commentator Renée Loth it’s also made him stronger and wiser.

Historic Boston was built of brick, a legacy that gave way in the ’60s to the so-called Brutalist style – and now to big, boring boxes. But, Renee Loth wonders, is there a better way?