Maybe Things Are Still Better Here

My son, Dave, just returned from the old country, and said he saw $8 gas over there. This, along with the subject of this writing, explains the title.

In our family records, we recently found the following letter written by my mother's brother, dated 5/28/1959. Uncle Stanley said this:  "Dear Annie, I enclose a letter from Barbara Rodina, Chanovice 36 u Horazdovic, Czechoslavakia, our second cousin, daughter of Albert Netusil, with whom Dad was staying when he died. My Bohemian is not so good anymore, but as near as I can make out, both her parents are dead, and she wants some help from us to keep up Dad's grave. It seems the monument is leaning over and needs straightening up. I'd suggest that you have Elmer contact Joe and Al, and maybe Bud and Gladys Weil, and get $10 and send it to her by cashier's check, payable to her. That will mean about 140 Kronen in Bohemia and right now that is a good month's wages over there.

I talked the other day with Mr. Jedlich, a lady's tailor who just returned to the States and he says conditions under the Communists are very bad. All property, homes and all, belong to the State and everybody must work at whatever job and whatever wage, the State assigns him."

I will not get into the rest, but that certainly shows how things were 52 years ago, but maybe we are just catching up. 

That is for readers to decide. Thanks for reading!