Long before the Internet, I began working as an automotive technical writer, using the United States Postal Service to mail hard copy, floppy disks, and photos to my respective publishers each month. Today, I’m ordering small parts online for my retirement hobby of repairing collector cars.
For the record, the USPS remains my carrier of choice. Looking back, Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster General by the Second Continental Congress in 1775, After the ratification of our Constitution in 1788, our new Congress passed the Postal Service Act of 1792, which expanded the purview of the Postal Service by turning it into a self-sufficient federal agency capable of managing its own affairs.
It’s hard to believe that, despite 230 years of service ranging from the first Pony Express mail in 1860 to the first air mail delivery flown in 1918 by aviation pioneers like Charles A. Lindbergh, a few lesser-minded politicians have spent the past 30 years working to privatize mail delivery by methodically handicapping and dismantling our Postal Service.
The result has been financial chaos, causing a major increase in Post Office box rents along with reduced service and operating hours. Although these issues are now being addressed by Congress, our Post Office is also fighting a workforce shortage brought about by the Pandemic and by spiraling real estate prices, both of which have devastated our local workforce economy.
Our Post Office will return to its better days, but only if we treat our current mail handling problems with the patience and understanding they deserve. In the meantime, remember that elections have consequences and the current condition of our Postal Service is but one of them.
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