Pick up a Pen and Write!!!!!

Alright everyone, it's time to take action.  No this is not a campaign to get you to write to your congressperson although if that's what strikes your fancy go ahead and do it.  What this IS about is the post office, that wonderful institution that is willing to pick up a few sheets of paper at the end of my driveway and take them to California or wherever for a mere 42 cents.  You can't get a kid to go down to the corner to pick you up a newspaper for that price these days.  In case you missed the story on page three of said newspaper, the post office is going bankrupt.  Yes bankrupt!  Why? Because we are all far too busy with virtual lives on the internet to pick up a pen and paper and write a simple letter (or even a post card) any more.  I would love to relay the whole story here but it would be much more expedient for you to read the Washington Post story for yourselves.

In short it says that with the upcoming cutbacks about 30,000 jobs will disappear along with services like next day mail etc. This is bad but I'd like for you all to look at some of the deeper implications of what's to come.

If w e keep letting the USPS fall off the edge more is going to change than rates and transit time for letters.  Think about all of the businesses that are completely dependent on the Postal Service.  Granted many of these are terribly annoying to us because they provide us with an overburden of junk mail, but they also provide jobs.  Hundreds of mailing houses across the country would close if the USPS went totally belly up flooding our already swollen to the seams unemployment roles.

Think also of how we locate ourselves on the planet.  It is because of the Postal Service that we even have addresses. If there is no postal service and a new house is built. does it have an address?  How will you then look it up on Mapquest if it doesn't?  These are just a couple of the problems that come to mind when I think of the possibility of USPS closure.

So what I propose is:  Write a letter . . . write one every week.  Not only will it help to burgeon up a valuable institution, but when you receive a return letter it will warm your heart!  

YOU CAN DO IT!!!