The
Post Office Made Me Do It
Should I start off a perfectly good year
with complaining? Thirteen days have
gone by and I haven’t written a word about things that have been bugging the
heck out of me. But the U.S. Post
Office, that bastion of reliability and good old American know how, has
provided the spur that has goaded my angry horse to a stampede of vitriol. How’s that for a metaphor?
One week ago I went to the post office
with a package that I wanted to send fairly quickly to my sister up in the
North Country. So I paid the big bucks,
twenty one of them, to get what is called on the receipt, 2-day Priority
Service. Today, seven days later, the
package – according to the young postal clerk who had the misfortune to say “May
I help the next person in line?” when I was next up – might get delivered. This young lady told me that the “2-day” part
of the deal was just a goal, something the folks at the post office strive for,
not a guaranteed reality. So I let go
with a little rant about service and cost and government subsidies to a failed
quasi-business. The poor little clerk
stood there and took all that unnecessary anger, apologizing whenever she could
get a word in, and smiling through the whole oration. My fellow postal customers, about fifteen or
twenty of them, applauded at the end. I
think they were applauding either the young lady’s tact or the fact that I was
finished. They couldn't have been
applauding my rude and boorish outburst.
But then why shouldn't we have rude and
boorish outbursts once in a while? We
pay for service at the post office. We
pay, as taxpayers, to keep the institution going even though it constantly
fails in its mission. They spend
millions of dollars every year telling us how much better they’re doing and how
our satisfaction is their main concern.
But they still can’t deliver on their promises. Which brings to mind that whole issue of
promises broken and lies told by folks who work in the government, particularly
those elected to high office. The ones
elected to lower office are probably a little less susceptible to the lying and
deceiving malady since they live closer to their constituencies. Well maybe not, if we look at the boneheads
we elect in Delaware.
Friends you know I’m not the brightest
fellow in the blogosphere. And the
intricacies of complex legislation are often beyond my simple
understanding. Some of my less
conservative friends point out the errors in my reasoning process on a regular
basis. Some of them even use charts and
statistics provided by very reputable agencies and organizations to prove their
points. I, on the other hand, have only
my ability to read and to make judgments based on common sense and gut feelings. Of course there is a wide gap between what my
friends hold to be the best way to make progress in the world and what I
believe to be true. We will never fully
agree. I try to understand their
viewpoints but I must admit that I struggle.
For instance I've looked at statistics
regarding the new Affordable Health Care Act.
The proponents of this ambitious program cite numbers supporting early
successes. Other people cite a different
set of statistics that demonstrate the high costs and early failure of the new
system. What is a simple mind supposed
to do when faced with these contradictions, both made in good faith? Or are they?
I’m afraid I looked at a whole lot of the promises made by the Proponent
in Chief as he pushed, prodded, promised, promoted and badgered this program
into existence. But friends, the guy
lied. I've heard the lies. I've heard the excuses for the lies, I've heard the backpedaling and prevarications about the lies. I've heard the man’s minions go out and lie
for him. If we can’t believe the person
most responsible for this mess then why would I believe the statistics that his
side puts forth in support of his lies?
Or are both sides lying? In that
case I've got to look elsewhere for information.
Yep, I had to find some anecdotal
evidence of my own. So I listened to
what my cousin’s son said about his costs going up under the new program. Then I talked to my neighbor about how his
workplace insurance is now gone and an equal replacement policy will cost him
nearly four times as much this year.
Next I talked to a person I know who works for the federal government
and he isn't seeing any change at all.
Then I talked to some folks who got insurance through a trade
organization but the carrier is cancelling all of their policies and they've
got to go to the “marketplace” to get replacements. Every one of them will be paying much more
for their policies. In truth, I have not
yet found a single instance of someone who is satisfied with the changes they've
had to go through to get health insurance under this new program. Maybe there are thousands of previously
uninsured folks who now have insurance and who also get government subsidies
for the premiums. I haven’t met
any. And honestly, I’m not all that
thrilled to be subsidizing, via taxes, insurance premiums for some folks while
others are being treated so shabbily by this program.
Well, you all get my drift. I won’t even go into the lies about the NSA
and Benghazi and the IRS issues. Nor
will I discuss the hypocrisy of elected officials who still can’t seem to live
under the laws that they write or who complain about the pain of poor people
and the middle class as they enjoy government subsidized vacations around the
world. Nope. Won’t go into all that. And I certainly won’t point any fingers at
those wealthy entertainment types that love to tell us how we need to help the
downtrodden as they’re getting fitted for clothes they wear once that cost more
than an average teacher’s monthly salary.
And it would never be fitting for me to complain about a Congress that completely
ignores past promises to military members and cuts veterans’ benefits while
giving themselves annual pay raises.
There’s so much I can’t talk about, isn't there?
Okay liberal friends, have at me. I’m sure you’ll find much to disagree with
and your arguments will be deeply rooted in esoteric philosophical ideas and
ideals. That’s good. But honestly friends, shouldn't we start
looking for people to put in office who can actually tell the truth, all the
time, about everything? I for one
believe that we can handle the truth.
Sorry for this rant. You can blame the post office. Now have a fine day.
