Letters

It’s impossible to wrap up an entire year of reader correspondence in a single page -- so we won’t even try. Consider this compendium of letters to the editor a sampler, rather than a summation, of the mail we received in 2008.

Over the last 12 months, readers have sounded off on scores of subjects, including the Beijing Olympics; continued unrest in Mexico, Africa and the Middle East; the Metrolink crash in Chatsworth; wildfires; cutbacks at The Times; California’s still-not-balanced budget; America’s struggling economy; the wisdom of forcing eighth-graders to take algebra, and bicycle etiquette.

As judged by our mail, the year may be best remembered for its elections. Last Friday, we devoted the letters page to Proposition 8, the story that attracted more reader mail than any other last year. Today, we’ll take up less space commemorating the candidacies of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sarah Palin and -- of course -- Barack Obama, whose campaign drew some criticism but far more appreciation from our readers.

Don’t let our brevity fool you: We, like the thousands of readers who wrote to us about these trailblazers, know that last year we were privileged to witness history. May 2009 be similarly inspiring.

Eryn Brown

Letters Editor