Senator Claire McCaskill, Missouri - USPS Letter Writing Campaign Queen

That was the headline recently in The Daily, the first online news product from the Murdoch family of ‘news’ vehicles.  Actually, I added the ‘?’ at the end, because they didn’t.  Their proposal was that it was time to end the postal service as we know it, not whether we should or not.  I know things have gotten a little heated lately, but I think they have gotten a little ahead of themselves. Some of our professional governing class in Washington are also starting to take notice of the issue and have some answers of their own to the revenue shortage and lack of personal mail that is so nice to recieve…especially since it is so infrequent today. Senator McCaskill of Missouri, I love this lady, and would love to have her as my Grandma if I weren’t so old.  In a recent Senate hearing on the USPS she said.  “I really think that there isa longing out there right now, especially in these uncertain times, for some of the things that have provided stability over the years.”  She wanted to have the USPS mount a campaign to send more cards and letters to friends.  Patrick Donahoe, Postmaster General, said he thought that was a good idea and they had plans for an advertising campaign due to hit soon. My other ‘favorite’ Senator Joe Lieberman also voiced his support suggesting, “We should be writing more passionate letters to those we love.”  Wow, no wonder I hold him in such high esteem. There are already TV campaigns running, paid for by the Postal Unions, I think, since they feature so many smiling postal workers…none of which work at my local post office across from the University of California.  I’m an ad guy, and I don’t think they will have everyone rush out for a couple of new roles of ‘forever stamps.’ However, I did search my office, and my secret hiding place for all things paper and found my old stash of engraved note cards and envelopes my LHRG bought for me a long time ago.  The box is nearly full still.  They look great, but the zip code has changed – our fourth in 29 years.  I think I will use them to join the great crusade of Senator McCaskill.  Heck, I’ll even send one for Senator Joe – perhaps even to his office  so he can see that his words actually do have some effect. We have a lot of issues with our postal service.  In the past I have railed against their armed investigation of a local mail processor as being a ‘little over the top’, but these issues are real and letter writing campaigns will not solve them.  We have to define what we want our postal service to do for us, and how much we are willing to pay for it.  Either postal rates should reflect the whole burden of the operational and pension costs, or it should be subsidized, much like we do with nearly every other function of government. We have to choose…I think I’ll write to my Congressman, I think that he can read.  That should be fun since he lives in my zip code and will wonder where the hell it’s coming from with the old zip cade engraved on the back.  That should drive him crazy.  My intentions will be satisfied.