RALEIGH — As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, here is a question worth pondering: was the event it sought to explain and justify, the American War of Independence, fated to succeed?

RALEIGH — Do you or someone you know suffer from mental illness? I suspect most readers will say yes. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, behavioral-health disorders affect a fifth of adults and a sixth of school-aged children in North Carolina. One in 18 of us lives with a “severe mental illness,” defined as “a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that results in serious impairment and interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.”

RALEIGH — By Monday, June 15, the academic year will be over for colleges, universities, and most grade schools. Family trips and summertime sojourns will commence. Tourist venues and recreational attractions will be bustling.

RALEIGH — When the U.S. Supreme Court announced its 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, placing stringent limitations on the use of race in drawing electoral districts, some friends and acquaintances of mine were shocked and outraged. The court has essentially repealed the 1964 Voting Rights Act, they alleged, forecasting grave consequences for non-white candidates running for future office.

RALEIGH — If Speaker Destin Hall and other leaders of the House of Representatives get their way — and I strongly suspect they will — voters will decide this fall whether to amend the state constitution to limit the growth of property-tax burdens across North Carolina.

RALEIGH — Although we’re already a quarter of the way through the 21st century, much of our pop culture bears the unmistakable imprint of the previous century. You can see it in fashion, architecture, and entertainment. Check out the music even young people today are consuming. Most of the songs aren’t new, and indeed a sizable share of streamed content and movie soundtracks draw from the Great American Songbook (jazz standards and show tunes from the 1920s to the 1950s) or rock, soul, and pop songs from the 60s and 70s.

RALEIGH — All 50 states offer unemployment-insurance benefits to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. Because states fund these benefits with payroll taxes, however, and must replenish exhausted UI trust funds with interest-bearing loans from the federal government, UI benefits vary according to how state legislatures weigh the resulting tradeoffs.

RALEIGH — Over the past year, North Carolina has posted one of the largest employment gains in the country. Alas, that’s not saying much.

RALEIGH — Most federal, state, and local policymakers are saying the right things about housing. Our leaders say they want to make it easier for young people to purchase homes and older people to keep them. But are they doing enough to turn their words into deeds?

RALEIGH — For all the satisfied smiles among school-choice supporters, and the gnashing of teeth among its opponents, North Carolina is not one of the top-ranked states for educational freedom.

RALEIGH — On April 12, a large crowd of North Carolinians will gather in the town of Halifax to commemorate the 250th anniversary of a pivotal historical event.

RALEIGH — Who is to blame for North Carolina losing its industrial base over the past two decades? Misguided federal lawmakers who passed free-trade agreements? Foolish state policymakers who refused to invest in new infrastructure? Overzealous local regulators?

RALEIGH — Among the worst features of today’s politics is its pervasive crudity. Democrats and Republicans don’t just compete for electoral power and disagree on policy. They question motives, hurl insults, and seek not just victory but utter domination. They exude mutual contempt.

RALEIGH — When Congress passed its budget-reconciliation bill last summer, it created a bunch of problems for North Carolina policymakers — thank goodness!

RALEIGH — The Triangle and Charlotte regions are among the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. But they are hardly the only North Carolina communities with expanding economies. Indeed, a new study from the state Department of Commerce shows that over the past decade and a half, 90 of our 100 counties have outperformed the national average.

RALEIGH — A couple of weeks ago, I was privileged to speak at a ceremony honoring those who fought at the first major southern engagement in the American War of Independence. Our commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge on February 27 was part of a broader First in Freedom Festival, which I’m pleased to report attracted thousands of people to tours, presentations, reenactments, and other events throughout the greater Wilmington area.

RALEIGH — I have a large and loving family, many cherished friends and colleagues, daily opportunities for meaningful work and enjoyable play, and countless other blessings. Still, on occasion, I feel lonely and disconnected.

RALEIGH — During the just-completed primary campaigns for North Carolina General Assembly, you may have heard one or more candidates say that state government is currently operating without a budget. That is not, strictly speaking, true.