To the editor: Congratulations to George Skelton on a fantastic 50 years as a reporter. My problem is with the headline printed below the photo of his talk with President Reagan on Air Force One.
Reagan was not exciting for many of us. Take the excitement when, as president, he made major tax cuts to benefit the wealthy. I am still waiting for that wealth to “trickle down” to us, the less lazy ones.
Michael Gross, Woodland Hills
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To the editor: Thanks to Skelton for his column about his 50 years as a journalist covering politics for The Times.
What I found extremely gratifying is how much more inclusive we, as a society, are of different genders, races and ethnicities than we were 50 years ago.
The only omission in Skelton's accounting was how many LGBTQ+ people are now in the Legislature. I'm pretty sure it was zero, at least openly, when Skelton started his career decades ago. And while I don't currently know the actual number, I assume it's more representative of LGBTQ+ prevalence in the general population.
But I don't want to detract from Skelton's overall message about the way our legislative representation has changed over the last half century. It's easy to forget how much progress we've made over those 50 years, and it was good to remember.
David Pilón, San Pedro
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To the editor: Skelton and I share many commonalities.
When he came to The Times in 1974, I was beginning to find my voice as a writer. They say practice makes perfect, so imagine my surprise when Skelton quoted me in one of his columns years ago.
Today, the legendary Times columnist and I are in the fourth quarter of our lives. Despite our age, I have to believe that our days as writers are far from over.
I hope to read many more of Skelton's columns, especially those in which he addresses “the political bull.”
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
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To the editor: Congratulations to Skelton on 50 years of reporting for The Times from our state and nation's capitals. His column is essential reading for anyone who values a broad perspective on California politics, along with his no-nonsense style and skeptical view of both sides of the political spectrum.
He's that rare journalist whose opinions I can't predict based on the headline or his previous writing, and The Times needs more like him. May he continue to animate his pages for many more years.
Kathy Barreto, Culver City
