Starbucks, which has long made its bathrooms available to the public, earlier this month announced that it might soon insist, however gently, that you would have to purchase something for this privilege. A latte for the loo, as the Britons might say.
This is unfortunate. Most of us — unlike Russian President Vladimir Putin — cannot take our toilets with us; we have to depend on private establishments.
All this begs a larger question: Why are so few public restrooms readily available?
The answer requires going back to the 19th century. Our potty shortage is nothing new. Consider, for example, this long-winded,