The current U.S. Postmaster General, Patrick R. Donahoe announced he plans to eliminate Saturday delivery of the mail in order to save about 2 billion dollars a year. This, in a service that lost 16 billion the year before.
I personally don't use the mail much anymore. A few bills still go out by mail. And, as I've said before, if you really want to write a letter to someone, nothing holds your love or caring as well as an envelope. Holding a personal letter in your hand and sitting down to read is a special private luxury that I hope can always be available in some manner.
In all of this the fascinating part is the push back, especially from some members of congress. Congressional members who can't raise their voices loudly enough in the call to cut waste and reduce expenses seem to be pretty quick to decry the loss of Saturday mail. Personally, I'm thinking it must have something to do with distributing newsletters and campaign material that never get read more so than any detrimental impact on the U.S. economy. I have to say, I am somewhat shocked the response from the elected members of congress hasn't been to say it's not enough. With stiff competition for the package business from private carriers, a severely contracted volume of personal mail, and a swelling volume of junk, I would think the case could be made for Monday, Wednesday, Friday delivery as a starting point to get control of costs.
With Valentine's Day just a week away, maybe we should take this opportunity to use the services of the good ol' U.S. Postal Service one more time. Buy a card, write a note, send a letter to someone you love. Who knows how many more times you'll have the opportunity to write, S.W.A.K. on the back of an envelope.
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