The story goes that a woman posed a question to Benjamin Franklin after he left the Constitutional Convention of 1787. “Well, Doctor," she asked, "what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" Franklin's response has become famous: “A republic, if you can keep it."
Franklin's words are worth remembering at a time of year when many of us have made New Year's resolutions and are struggling to maintain the habits we started on January 1.
