Dear Annie: I live in a nice neighborhood in a modest-sized city. This is a dog-rich environment, with most of my neighbors owning and frequently walking their dogs. I have two, which flourish in my yard, and we rarely walk.

Facing your debts can be depressing for several reasons. First, all the stuff that caused the debt is not so wonderful and new as it used to be. And the interest rates ... Yikes! But the worst, the all-time most horrible thing about facing debt is the realization that given the present rate of repayment, that monster is going to hang around and invade your life like a huge family of freeloading relatives, for a very long time. That’s the bad news.

So much for the radical Supreme Court. A 6-3 majority on Tuesday rejected the argument advanced by some conservatives that the U.S. Constitution bars state courts from reviewing Congressional maps and voting laws. The result isn’t the runaway victory that progressives claim, but it will lead to more election-law controversies.