The Los Angeles Times ran a couple letters defending the Postal Service today in response to last week’s piece on nearly 50 years of intentional mail slowdowns.
I was especially hurt by the statement that I had “maligned” the Postal Service. Geez, I bend over backward to give the government a break and I still get my chops busted. Pulling punches just doesn’t pay.
The first letter claims that our mail service is far better than that in any foreign country. I suggest that gentleman spend some time in Germany. Their service is faster and far more reliable than what is offered by the U.S. Postal Service.
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Los Angeles Times December 20, 2011 Tuesday
SECTION: MAIN NEWS; Letters Desk; Part A; Pg. 20
Some stamps of approval
Re “U.S. mail: Slow and slower,” Opinion, Dec. 16
James Bovard maligns a venerable American institution and the thousands of its hard-working employees.
I’ve used U.S. mail for many years, from writing and receiving V-Mail in the South Pacific during World War II, to buying and selling on EBay today. The service has been excellent. Any traveler to another country will discover how efficient, fast and reliable our postal system is compared to others.
Our government should completely subsidize the U.S. Postal Service and quiet its haters, who want to privatize mail delivery.
The U.S. Postal Service is the best deal in town. Try sending a letter or package with any private delivery service and find out for yourself.
Larry Macaray
Fullerton
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Bovard’s attack on the U.S. Postal Service has some great lines, notably, “The Postal Service has often acted as if mail delivery was a mere nuisance distracting from the gainful pursuit of pensions.” But his piece in no way reflects the service I use and enjoy six days a week.
Are postal workers overpaid? I wouldn’t know, but I do know they are overworked and understaffed and do a fine job of delivering the packages from which I make my living faster and cheaper than other carriers.
I have yet to encounter a postal employee who wasn’t devoted to his or her job.
Jim Washburn
Costa Mesa
I’m wondering what Larry Macaray has in mind to quiet the haters of the USPS. Is he proposing Postal Police that would shut people up by busting a few knee-caps or would he have the government buy the hater’s silence?
It is likely that the Postal Police would deliver their packages of quietness to the wrong address, so that might not be such a good idea.
I’m guessing that Jim Washburn hasn’t heard about UPS. Thirty years ago when I ran the mailroom for the Virginia Dept. of Accounts, I was able to save taxpayers about $20,000 a month by switching from USPS to UPS. In addition to saving money, this also resulted in fewer lost parcels. This was back in the day when boxes of accounting work in the form of hard copy computer printouts were mailed out to every state agency and university.
I hope they are sending this data in a digital format by e-mail now, but they may have reverted back to the USPS. That’s just how government works sometimes.
A quibble-putter AND a maligner. Makes me wonder why I bother to visit this site…. 😀