America Goes Postal

Today’s the day that the U.S. Postal Service was established.

The year was 1775-and the first Postmaster General was none other than Benjamin Franklin himself. Franklin sympathized with printers like William Goddard, who was frustrated that the royal postal delivery service was unreliable in its delivery of his Pennsylvania Chronicle to his readers.

Franklin promoted Goddard’s plan for an organized and efficient way to deliver the mail.

The Postal Service always comes under fire for mistakes, delays, mutilated mail and a host of other shortcomings, but the fact remains that sending a letter is still the best bargain there is. Think about it: 44 CENTS to send a letter to anywhere in the United States! Just 28 cents for a postcard!

With the Postal Service hemorrhaging cash and considering ending Saturday delivery and/or raising prices, it is time to stop and think of what an INCREDIBLE job overall the U.S. Postal Service does.

There is never a day off, never really a slow period—and don’t even get me started on the holidays! Millions of cards, letters, packages---each urgent to the sender and recipient—are flowing through the Postal System DAILY.

Here’s a quick video of some of the aspects of the process of what happens after you drop that letter in the mailbox:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYFtalTNzKk


Incredible, no?

So, nobody wants to pay more, but when a cup of coffee can set you back five bucks, paying under a half dollar to send your letter across the country to a specific person seems to me like a real deal.

E-mail has lessened the burden on letters, but the junk mail, catalogs and credit card offers alone would cripple many other businesses if charged with the task of sorting and delivering.

I, too, will complain from time to time—and join most of America in poking fun at the USPS, but dammit, you have to admit that they do an amazing job overall—day in and day out…

Postal employees, there are folks who appreciate the work you do! It should be everyone who receives mail…i.e…..everyone.

If you’d like my blog in your email box daily (no stamp!), just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com