You are mad.

You dislike something you read in the paper.

But do you know what? That’s just fine. We have broad shoulders, and we can accept criticism. But we also defend our actions because they are reasoned, not flippant.

It is actually healthy for you and for the community as a whole to disagree with what is read.

Say you are on the fence about something. Suddenly you dislike what you read, and now you know where you stand. You resolve to take action. This is how change starts.

Newspapering is a business where we can’t please everyone. Sometimes, we will do things one set of people appreciate and another set of people loathe. Would you prefer a mediocre, sugar-coated Tribune? Some readers might, but we suspect most feel it is better for the community for the Tribune to do its best as journalists to bring you the news. If we don’t, who will? The rumor mill? A weekly? A radio station? No, the Tribune is far and away the leader in gathering local news.

So if you are mad over one aspect — such as when we printed once or twice last year some comments online readers were making or some column we let an opponent of the school levy write — don’t let such matters overshadow your view of the entire newspaper. It’s not a cafeteria where you pick what you like. You get the entire restaurant, likes and dislikes.

Consider the scholarships, honor rolls, fishing pictures, comics, crosswords, coupons, columnists, classifieds, City Hall coverage, stories on police and courts, breaking local news, local photos, letters to the editor, Summer Times, local sports, Prairie Profiles, savings fliers, Progress edition, in-depth reporting of things such as “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Republican National Convention and AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project and so on and so on and so on.

When you think about it, you get a lot. We welcome feedback. It continues to make a difference. Still, any paper likes to let readers who call know reasons for what they print. We do, too.

And thanks for reading.