Opinion: For almost half the country, 2016 was the best year in a long time

To the editor: Ann Friedman is wrong on so many levels. The year 2016 was not close to this country’s or the world’s worst. (“2016 is not done with us,” Opinion, Dec. 30)

In 1863, there were more than 100,000 casualties in Civil War battles. Did Friedman read stories of soldiers in the Western Front trenches in 1915-17 or of the Chinese who lived through the Nanking massacre? What about the Holocaust survivors, the Great Depression or the horrors of communism?

Compared to the countless worse years, 2016 was a breeze. In the minds of close to half of America it was the best year in a long time (certainly in the last eight) and for these optimistic folks the future looks as bright as it ever has.

The year 2016 will forever hold a soft spot in my heart, just as it would for the likes of the Friedmans of the world if only they could staunch the bleeding in that vital organ.

Stephen Beck, Glendora

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To the editor: I almost didn’t read Friedman’s thoughts on 2017, as the headline was just too depressing. But I did, and hers was a worthy opinion that powered me into the new year.

Friedman states, “If we want 2017 to be better, we have to work to make it so.” So here are my personal resolutions:

I’m going to participate in the upcoming women’s march in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 21. I will volunteer at my local library to teach literacy skills to children and adults (solid reasoning skills encourage more interest in facts). I will listen and positively interact with my fellow neighbors (even those who are tolerant of racism, misogyny, fake news and so on). I will report hate directed at fellow citizens.

Thank you, Ms. Friedman, for helping me to steer my moral compass forward for the new year.

Susan Kogan, Oceanside

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