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Balancing needs, limitations

Dear Annie: My older brother is disabled. He was quite functional after he first had a stroke, but did not take care of himself. He wouldn’t take his medications, ate unhealthy food, drank too much and watched TV all day. As a result, he is now very disabled. Has difficulty walking, talking, falls a lot and cannot control his bodily functions. On top of that, he is stubborn and lies constantly. His kids and grandchild moved out because they were tired of dealing with him. He is my brother and I am doing what I can to keep him out of a nursing home — paying for a caregiver, ...

The Constitution, the census and citizenship

Late last month, the Supreme Court ruled on a challenge to a question that the Commerce Department announced it would add to the 2020 census. The census itself has been mandated by the Constitution to be taken every 10 years so that representation in the House of Representatives could be fairly apportioned to reflect population changes. Over the years, the folks who prepare the census developed an appetite for peering into the personal lives of everyone living in America, and Congress — which has the same mentality as the Census bureaucrats — permitted this. So, the Census Bureau ...

Should we go the distance?

Dear Annie: I will be moving soon — several states away — and I’m torn about the state of my relationship. I’ve been with my significant other for five years. That’s not something I can easily let go of. But we have been growing apart for some time now, and we’ve discussed that we both feel we’ll break up eventually. Our communication is second to none. He’s game to make the move with me, but I worry that it wouldn’t be good for him — or for me — in the long run, considering we agree we don’t want to stay together all that much longer. Of course, he could move ...

Government bullies

The city of Dunedin, Florida, wants Jim Ficken’s home. Ficken’s mom died, so he went to South Carolina to take care of her estate. He asked a friend to look after his house. But then the friend died, and no one cut Ficken’s grass. When it grew to 10 inches, Dunedin officials started fining him $500 a day. The fine is now about $30,000. “I was shocked,” Ficken says in my latest video. City officials say they will foreclose on his home if he doesn’t pay the fine, and Ficken doesn’t have that much money. “Do you have $30,000 lying around?!” he asked me. ...

Wanted: real customer service

Dear Annie: Am I the only one who feels that life is too complicated these days and that I feel absolutely powerless when it comes to calling a big company to get service? I am old enough to remember the days when we bought a television, put it in the car, drove home, plugged it in, played with the “rabbit ears” for a minute and then were able to watch TV. Today, when you buy a television, it is a major project. If it’s a big-screen TV, someone usually has to deliver it, and then you need to make an appointment with an installer. It always takes much longer for them to install ...

Not a ‘total loser’

PLYMOUTH NOTCH, Vermont — Rep. Justin Amash has left the Republican Party and will now represent Michigan’s third congressional district as an Independent. In a Washington Post op-ed, he wrote: “I’ve become disenchanted with party politics and frightened by what I see from it. The two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions.” Responding to Amash’s announcement, President Trump called him “a total loser” who was unlikely to win a primary election next year against a Republican challenger. No one is a total loser and ...