the cost of a stamp

From my resistance to technology upgrades, to the way I drive, to the way I talk, in a lot of ways I am old-fashioned. One way I am old fashioned is I appreciate the long lost art of the letter. This is why I was frustrated reading the latest Newsweek's article about the decline of the U.S. Post Office. Despite a variety of changes, and likely cutting Saturday delivery, the USPS is on pace to lose $23 billion in the next ten years. According to the writer of the article, Matthew Phillip, if the USPS goes under, it is because of years of poor management, and a union that is out of control. Why they are losing money is quite simple. Fewer companies, catalogs, and people are using mail - instead switching to the cheaper online delivery options. The Post Office has rewarded its customers by hiking up the cost of stamps to 44 cents (it was 32 cents when I was in high school) to now likely cutting Saturday delivery. The problem is that, according to the Newsweek article, this will likely only save them a billion dollars a year. What about the rest of the money. Here are the real problems: The average postal service delivery person makes a whopping $83,000 a year. Yes, you read that correct. Plus, don't forget the incredible pension and health benefits that federal government workers make. Oh by the way, 80% of the Postal Service's costs are labor related. There are also 34,000 branches around the country. That is more than every single Starbucks, McDonald's, and Walmart's... combined!! Unfortunately due to political and archaic contract reasons, it is almost impossible to close an office. The answer is simple. Postal workers need to take a 25% pay-cut, they need to have realistic retirement benefits, and at least 10% of the branches need to be closed. The Post Office does not need to go away. It just needs to be better managed.


1. There is a sitcom on TBS called My Boys. It is about a female sportswriter in Chicago. I have only seen a few episodes, but I think it is really funny. One episode came to mind last night while I was enjoying the 70 degree weather. The episode shows how the city changes and comes alive during the first real warm day of the year. Someone gets married, someone buys a house, and wackiness ensues. That was kind of what it was like yesterday. Living in Wrigleyville and working in Boystown, I could not believe how loud, and active, and fun the city was last night. Summer is coming. I'm excited.

2. Of all the good stuff to come out of the Health Care bill, I am most excited that the nation now has to follow New York City's law of requiring restaurant chains that have more than 20 restaurants to require calorie content on their menus. I think this has to start by 2014. In addition, every chain has to have available other nutrition information including fiber, carbohydrates, protein, and sodium. I love the idea. My whole point is there are times when I am going to eat unhealthy and I am fine with that. If I go into Applebee's and I want to eat unhealthy, I can order the bacon cheeseburger and fries for 1100 calories. That's okay; sometimes I crave a burger. But what if I go in there wanting to be healthy and I order the Oriental Chicken Salad? That salad actually has 1300 calories!! I just do not want to be tricked. I applaud President Obama, congress, and the National Restaurant Association for acknowledging that this is good for business and good for the health of the country.

3. Yikes! Did anyone read the new reports in the latest Esquire magazine about Tiger Woods? Paying for sex, paying a mistress $10 million to keep quiet, having sex in public places including a golf cart(???), gambling huge amounts of money with Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan, all the personal problems his father had, and more. Yeah, he definitely needs the Masters so people can get back to talking about his golf game, and not his infidelities.

4. Obama's approval rating is up seven points in the past month. Interesting.