TOM KEANE
Is the auto franchise system a lemon?
Unlike other products, consumers cannot buy cars directly from the manufacturers or online because every state requires auto sales be handled by independently owned auto dealers.

City officials and business leaders visited facilities in Bremerhaven, a place that has reduced its unemployment rate of 25 percent to 12 after it welcomed the offshore wind industry. By Derrick Z. Jackson
TOM KEANE
Unlike other products, consumers cannot buy cars directly from the manufacturers or online because every state requires auto sales be handled by independently owned auto dealers.
JEFF JACOBY
The lieutenant governor in Massachusetts is paid a salary of $125,000 and provided with a staff and a State House office as well as the perks of a lofty political title — all for doing nothing.
JOAN VENNOCHI
The first wave of analysis about the mayor’s race relies on the theory of a showdown between whites and non-whites, but does anyone really want the campaign to be cast in such retro terms?
JOANNA WEISS
Mass. is considering taking part in a controversial new project designed to make it easier for schools to use educational software, possibly creating a modern twist on the “permanent record.”
Character sketch
The nation’s go-to grief assessor has described his job as “trying to fill the hole in a family’s life with money,” and he knows any system he sets up will fail to replace what was lost.
Editorial
The report on immigration reform is a sad milestone in the organization’s decline, a disturbing trend for the country that would benefit from the serious work the foundation once produced.
Editorial
It’s not clear HUD officials understood just how much it could be worth to a local authority to perform well on the mandated inspections. What is clear is that greater security is needed.
A look at the most recent illustrated viewpoints from Globe editorial cartoonist Dan Wasserman.
“These nurses have done more to counter violence and terrorism than all the courts in the country could ever do.” — Karen Shiebler
The excessive weight of privacy rules placed on health care providers and public officials makes it difficult for the administrator of the One Fund Boston to do his job.
It is not too late for the United States to lead the world in developing universally accepted rules and standards to which we can eventually hold our adversaries accountable.
Transit-friendly areas like Somerville’s Davis Square allow for the emergence of reasonably priced housing, something that’s vital for the growth of Eastern Mass.