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How did they do it?

I went to St. Louis Public Schools in the '40s and '50s, graduating from high school in 1954. We didn't think about class size or teacher strikes, being bused from our neighborhood to a faraway school. We didn't have free breakfast or free lunch or a long spring break. And for sure, we didn't have an air-conditioned classroom. Gee, how did we ever survive?

Animal abusers deserve punishment

Regarding elephant tears: No, you are not the only one to get upset after reading the article from Dr. Fox. It breaks my heart to hear animal abuse stories. People who abuse animals deserve the same punishment. Abusers should remember they will have to face their Maker one day and explain their actions.

Thanks for the treat

On my birthday Feb. 1, I treated myself to lunch at the local Bandana's barbecue, and I was so surprised when I got ready to pay my bill to find that the two young ladies in the booth next to me had paid my bill for me. When my waiter told me that, I ran out to the parking lot to thank them, but they were long gone. So this is a huge "thank you" to the two ladies who treated me so special on my birthday.

Mayor Slay: Make a sacrifice

You firemen, don't give in to Slay. The aldermen created this mess with the pensions and so forth. Slay, you also as an aldermen, and president of the Board of Aldermen, and even as mayor, you voted in favor for this. Why don't you and your chief of staff take a cut? Why don't you buy a car and drive yourself? Free the officers up to be out on the street. The city's broke; do your part.

Grateful reader

I want to thank the South Side Journal for publishing the picture of our family of four generations and for returning the photo to me.

Put countdown numbers on cameras

I would like to know why red-light cameras aren't equipped with countdown numbers on them so you don't have to speed up to make it through the light.

Buy a subscription

I can't believe that anyone is not subscribing to the South edition of the Suburban Journal. Twenty dollars a year and they're just too tight to buy it? It's a marvelous paper. I'm a subscriber and I'm very happy about it. Jim Fox writes a great column. How can they miss reading all of these wonderful articles? I'm glad to read the good news about the schools and the neighborhoods and good old south St. Louis. If you don't know what to give your neighbors, give them a subscription. We're very proud of you. Keep up the good work, and God bless.

City needs family restaurant

The city needs a nice family-style restaurant that is affordable. There's nothing but bar-and-grill, fast-food or Italian on The Hill. My husband and I love Bob Evans, but we have to travel all the way to South County and deal with the Lindbergh traffic. Why can't we have a place like that in the city, with variety on the menu? We want to patronize places in the city, but there's nowhere worth going to. Does anyone else agree with me?

If you can't play, don't

If you're signing your kids up for baseball or softball, just remember if the kid's not athletic and he can't play, let him play the piano or something else because you're wasting everybody else's time, We play to win; we've got our best players out there. It's embarrassing for the kid. So get him something that he likes to do. Don't make him play a sport that he doesn't like.

There's plenty of food for kids

With all the food programs, no child should be hungry. Food stamps are available, though unfortunately, they may be used for junk or expensive food. The Women Infants Children's vouchers can only be used for nutritious food. Food banks provide additional food. Children can receive free lunches and breakfasts at school, and summer recreation programs provide free meals. Many day care and after-school programs send weekend food home with the children. With all these sources, plenty of food is available. Are parents eating more than their share, or not buying wisely, or selling the food and using the money for things the parents covet?

Cut food, buses, not teachers

As a parent and ex-teacher, I am dismayed how complacent other parents seem to be with Parkway's budget cuts. The Parkway School Board is like our U.S. Congress, taking the easy way out by cutting staff. Why not cut two choices of the five or six lunch offers at the high school? Why not condense some of the half-empty school buses? Instead, there will not be a specialist for every school next year — just schools with the greatest needs. They plan to establish instructional coach positions to replace specialists. Their plan to eliminate class-size limits is frightening. I believe parents should have a right to contribute to these discussions. We may not be in the meeting room; however, we can call, we can write, we can help find better solutions other than cutting our educators. That will only hurt our children.