[Source: Michael Ramirez – GoComics]
I really don’t want to be one to pile on the Post Office. I know some people that work for the Post Office, and the ones I know are good people. And, at the Post Offices nearest where I work — the one in downtown Columbus and the one just across the river in Phenix City — the people there seem to be good folks. Of course, those have jobs where they deal with the public on a regular basis, so you’d think they’d be good at that kind of stuff. The ones I encounter are.
However, the people that I know well, that work the grunt positions behind the scenes, tell the story you’d expect. It’s a government bureaucracy that fails to reward good work and fails to punish bad work. Everybody gets a participation trophy.
Now, these aren’t people telling stories of how they, themselves, were passed over for promotion or recognition. Rather, they speak of others with whom they work that do great work, but are overlooked. They also speak of the stereotypical lazy government worker that others have to cover for, not to keep the other worker out of trouble, but so that Jane and John Public gets their mail.
I suppose they could let the job go undone, but they aren’t that kind of person. They care about their job, and care that the customer get the best service possible.
Only, it’s not always possible. Mail gets delivered late, workers work overtime, all because the system won’t get rid of sorry people. Add that to the typical government mindset that the job doesn’t matter as long as all the forms are filled out, and you have a very inefficient system.
I don’t think what we have is what Benjamin Franklin envisioned.
Obama and Congress should be real happy to fund the Post Office’s deficits for as long as the giant U.S. Government Check-Writing Machine dictates. Those checks have to be delivered or their game is over.
5 registered letters letters going about 2 miles: $19.60 Delivered in 7days!
Camera ordered from Amazon from NJ: $25 Delivered in less than 24 hours by UPS, who are also union just not one funded by the government.
Hmmm, I wonder what the problem is?
USPO could scan all incoming at local PO, e-mail to receiving PO, print and deliver.
An extremely inefficient system. The most painful part of my day is when I have to go to the post office and go through the slow line while 1 clerk listlessly does his job, while the rest of the clerks are on their breaks. Unfortunately, the unions make sure that union-dependent politicians won’t reform the system; and the fact that the constitution mandates a post office means we can’t shut it down (without an amendment or convention).
I’m really surprised their efforts to repeatedly increase cost while worsening service hasn’t paid off. Folks in the government are usually so right on about the best way to make companies successful.
Their policy of delivering mail from the next block over randomly has vastly improved my knowledge of my neighbors’ financial and health situations.
The Post Office suffers from the typical problems associated with too much government interference and unions mixed together.
Son of Bob is right.
Up 700% in forty years.
I’d have been happy just to keep up with inflation.