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Allen Johnson writes eloquently today about the retirement of Becky Layton and the departure of Elma Sabo.

When I was in the editorial department, Becky taught me as much about reader response as anyone in the news business. We would get angry, personal letters in response to an editorial or a column or a point of view. As part of her job, Becky would open the letters, log them in and pass them to me for a decision on whether to publish. When I would remark on the viciousness of the sentiments, she would say, "You can't make everyone happy. Just let it roll right off your back."

Her lesson: In this job, if you aren't making some people mad, then you're not doing your job.

Alan Mutter of Newsosaur writes about the newest endangered species in the newspaper trade -- the editorial cartoonist. At least 16 have departed the biz this year. One of those is my friend Dwane Powell of the N&O.

In a interview this weekend with Lee Judge, who recently was laid off at the Kansas City Star, NPR reported that there had been as many as 300 editorial cartoonists in the 1980s. "It's pretty hard to find a new job when your resume says you are a professional smart ass," says Lee in the interview.

Fortunately, we one of our professional smart asses is artist Tim Rickard, who has been practicing his bad attitude on the Sunday editorial page for two months. His cartoons are less biting political commentary and more humorous observations on the human condition. We're glad to have him and give him a platform to further develop his voice.

Allen Johnson announced yesterday that you can now comment on newspaper editorials. It is worth repeating here.

While I'm not part of the editorial board, I know its process and people well enough to know that there are two parts to this. One is reactive: The editorial board writes and people respond. The other is proactive: Your responses are read and, when it comes time to revisit the editorial topic, considered. A well-reasoned response is helpful.

There are six sides to every argument. Voice yours.

Allen Johnson talks with Poynter Institute about why the paper does and doesn't endorse.

Perhaps one way to make endorsements more effective is to change the way they are presented. "Editorial pages are trying to get away from the voice of God and not sound so pompous and self important. Endorsements can be funny, creative, and I think they can be informative," Johnson said. "They don't always have to be done by the same strict template."