Classic Rant #197 (February 18, 2010): I Need My Mail!

In today's world, email has seemingly taken over from old fashioned snail mail as the easiest way to communicate one's feelings. And unlike a standard letter, the writer can write this up and send it out and have it received almost instantly.

The same goes for paying bills. One push of a button, and payment is made. It certainly is quicker than mailing out your payment.

And it doesn't cost the price of a stamp to send out these things, either.

But wait! There is a certain charm in using regular postal mail as opposed to electronic mail that needs to be addressed.

Certainly, now that the post office is pushing to cut standard mail delivery by one day per week, the public must speak up against such mail malice.

The postal service's take on this is that they are continuing to cut annual losses that they trace to the increased use of electronic mail by the general public. For instance, their first quarter loss was $297 million, and since it reports a loss each quarter, if you add everything up, they are losing money hand over fist.

And people are losing patience with regular mail, as evidenced by the 8.9 percent drop in mail volume.

I like getting mail. I hate getting bills, but I like getting mail. I like reaching into my mailbox and pulling out envelopes filled with offers, announcements, garbage, and, of course, correspondence.

My grandfather worked for the post office during the Depression. He was a postal inspector, looking for who knows what, and he packed a gun.

The post office has changed greatly since those years. Customer service is poor, and how many times have you stood on a line in a post office to get stamps and there is just one attendant handling a line that goes out the door?

But I like standard mail, and I like getting it six days a week.

To take away one day of service will not save scads of money, but it will even further lessen the need for standard mail.

I hope this proposal is shot down.

Of course, if it is, stamps will probably approach 50 cents apiece, but I guess I would be willing to pay it if it kept mail coming to my home Monday through Saturday.