Thanks for your great story "The eyes have it," Aug. 19. It's important that parents know what your subtitle stated: "Many children are hindered in school because of vision problems." However, the new state law in your subtitle doesn't require early screening, it requires an early exam.

Readers respond to White Sox fan Barack Obama's jokes about Cubs fans. "You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there," he said. "People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball. South Side."

More people vote for "American Idol" than for president, so I think we should combine the two. We will call it, "Survive Like the Rest of Us." The candidates will have a 9 to 5 job they have to attend. They will have to pay for everything out of this money (housing, gas, utilities, save for retirement, health care). We'll tune in each week to see if they'll eat that week or buy their prescriptions. Watch the look on their faces as they pull up to the pump because the taxpayers aren't footing the bill now.

I have read many opinions on the difference between suburban schools and Chicago Public Schools. I am a parent who has experienced both. My oldest child attended Chicago Public Schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. My youngest attended suburban schools from fourth through high school. Both are successful adults; the difference is I had to pay hundreds of dollars for the youngest to get a public school education in the suburbs and very little for the oldest to get a CPS education.

In the past few days, reports about a petition to discuss lowering the national minimum legal drinking age from 21 to 18 have flooded the media.

From the family of Police Detective Robert Soto: The French ecclesiastic Jean Baptiste Massieu once said, "Gratitude is the memory of the heart." Following that, we would like to say that our family is truly grateful to a great many that have shown their love and support during this tragic and trying time.