Causes 3: Postal Patriotism
If you haven’t heard the news, the United States Postal Service is in deep, deep trouble.
Does this worry anybody else? We’re talking about the Post Office here. Every town has one, each outfitted with a small fleet of miniature, mail-dipensing ice cream trucks. They bring you your mail—all of it. Your packages may come from FedEx or UPS, but your mail—the good, the bills, and the junk—comes through the Post Office.
And it’s reasonable beyond belief. I can drop an envelope in my mailbox, and it will be mysteriously transported in two or three business days from here to…I don’t know…California. Washington. Wyoming. Maine. Wherever. I don’t have to travel. I don’t have to do anything. There are untold numbers of people and processes and mini-trucks and airplanes that envelope goes through. Then it lands in my friend’s equally magical mailbox.
That costs 44 cents.
Really? Is that it? That should probably cost…dollars. Not cents. No wonder they’re no longer financially viable. It’s a steal.
But there’s more to the problem than too-cheap postage. Emails, electronic bills, and instant messages have flattened the Earth and crushed the Post Office. Why compose a letter when you can shoot an email? Why send an invoice when you automatically debit an account? Who needs Pen Pals when you’ve got IM Buddies?
Technology has lapped the postal service, and it’s sad.
What happens if it goes away? Would you miss it? I would. What happens to the surprise of letter from a long-distance friend? What happens to the coupons? What happens to Harriet Carter?
I’m not a big “support-the-government-‘cause-I’m-a-patriot-God-bless-America” kind of guy. But the thought of a world without mail is downright depressing.
I propose a letter-writing campaign.
We’re not writing letters to the President. We’re not petitioning our congressmen and congresswomen. We’re not flooding some hipster social activism organization.
We’re going to write to each other.
44 cents and a little effort could save this ship bit by bit.
If you want to receive a letter—a real letter—from me, drop your address in an email (necessary hypocrisy!) or the comments section (if you’re exceedingly open with your info). Every single person who does so will receive a for-real letter in a timely fashion.
Here are the official rules:
- All addresses given to me (through email or comment) will not be shared, sold, or otherwise abused.
- All letters must be handwritten, personal, and unique.
- Any mail sent from or received by me must not contain any commercial offers or solicitations.
- ALL LETTERS MUST RECEIVE AN OFFICIAL REPLY AS PRESCRIBED BY THESE RULES.
Did you catch #4? You’re on the hook for this, too, but only after I send you a letter. If money is an issue, I’ll send you a stamp.
It’s time for some Postal Patriotism.
Tyler
*Stamp offer subject to change without notice, as I may be broke.
**Envelope may or may not be pink, depending on my mood.
***Check this out:
