I am saddened that 60 percent of your online poll respondents wish to censor letters to the editor. Your opinion section of the paper is the most exciting I’ve read in any paper. The Times’ letters to the editor section is lively, provocative and thought-provoking.

But even more important, I know that I’m not reading letters that were edited or chosen to reflect the editor’s political bias, like I’ve seen in other papers.

I love the ongoing debates on politics and religion. I don’t mind that a wife and husband both submit letters. They’re both individuals with their own opinions.

In fact, there is one couple that I currently disagree with. Every time I see their name, I look forward to see how wrongheaded they are in their opinions. But guess what? Sometimes they open my eyes and change my mind about something.

That’s the beauty of free speech. Exchange of ideas, even heated exchanges, ultimately educates us and broadens our outlook. For those who don’t like the heated letters or husband and wife letters, skip them. Just like I skip over all the thank you letters.

We don’t all think alike and we don’t all like to read the same things. To change The Times letter policy will take away something that’s vital and alive. So Times, please don’t change your policy. It’s perfect as it is.