Counter-Productive

I heard today that there’s a postal strike scheduled for next week.

Errrr, guys? I think that this could be the most counter-productive thing you’ve ever done.

I hate to be the ones to break this to you, but you’re part of a completely obsolete industry. If it wasn’t for taxpayer subsidies, the Post Office would have gone belly up around ten years ago.

In 2011, the average person has a choice. They can write an email, which is completely free, can get anywhere in the world so close it instantly that it makes no difference, and if it does get lost en route (which is incredibly rare), it’s a couple of mouse clicks to send it again.

Or…they can pay for paper and an envelope, write out their message which takes a hundred times longer and then pay someone to get it to its destination which takes anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. If it gets lost (which is relatively common), you don’t get your money back and it’s just tough shit.

…as I’ve said before, when you pay someone to deliver a letter and they ask you for extra money to make sure it gets there, or so they’ll reimburse you if they fuck up…something is completely wrong.

The worst part is that the only thing keeping the post office alive today is junk mail…which makes up around 80% of all traditional mail.

Think about what a complete and total waste that is:

First of all, someone destroys a fuck ton of trees to make all that paper…then someone else wastes a ton of energy and resources printing all this junk mail…then the post office burns a ton of fuel and creates a ton of pollution to deliver it to people who immediately drop it into the trash without a glance…and from there it’s straight to the landfill.

Of course, this is where someone points out that email is impersonal and sometimes it’s oh so very nice to receive an actual, real letter…something that someone has held in their hands.

My answer to that is: Fedex, UPS or some other package delivery company. They have a small advantage in that they’re far more reliable, faster and don’t require a constant influc of taxpayer cash to keep the lights on.

Basically, guys, what I’m saying is that when you go on strike, you’re not denying the country an essential service to show just how valuable you are and how lost we’d be without you… you’re showing the country just how superfluous you are. In 2011, no one needs to receive a paper bill or mail a check, we can do all that immediately, for free, online.

I, for one, am looking forward to the postal strike…a day without having to chuck out a pile of junk mail sounds like a real positive to me.