"We are mothers and fathers. And sons and daughters. Who every day go about our lives with duty, honor and pride. And neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, nor the winds of change, nor a nation challenged, will stay us from the swift completion of our appointed rounds. Ever." Lifted from advert for USPS used after September 11.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States. It is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution. Within the United States, it is commonly referred to as the "Post Office", "Postal Service", or "U.S. Mail".
Though postal services have existed on American territory before the United States' establishment, the USPS's first incarnation was established by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia in 1775 by decree of the Second Continental Congress. The Post Office Department was created from this in 1792 as part of the United States Cabinet, its current form in 1983 under the Postal Reorganization Act.
Since its reorganization into an independent organization, the USPS has become self-sufficient and has not directly received taxpayer-dollars since the early 1980s. The decline of mail volume due to increased usage of e-mail has forced the postal service to look to other sources of revenue while cutting costs to maintain this financial balance.
Employing 656,000 workers and 260,000 vehicles, it is the second-largest civilian employer in the United States (after Wal-Mart) and the operator of the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world. The USPS is obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality. Conversely, it has exclusive access to U.S. mail boxes and non-urgent letters. It receives competition from email and package delivery services.
Duplicity might spring to mind of the reader with the use of the 'creed' and facts about the USPS used in the opening of this post. My dears, you being 'au fait' with MOI will know that there be a hidden meaning behind the delivery...
Mind, will fess up that the post box featured as battered does no reside on Park Avenue, but bear with, and all will be revealed.
Gone are the days when the posty actually walked a route in Linda, the arrival of the post is by van. The posty pulls up or into complex and srts out the bits of mail into the boxes and drives off. Save for rare meetings it is common for folks to not even know who the post be. Not exactly big on 'customer relations' they be.
A lovely new tenant moved into the Park complex, sister property to Linda Villa, was given a key for the post box and found that it did not open the box assigned to. Turned out to open quite a different box, but that is a whole different tale to tell at a different time. Bringing to my attention, made it clear that the post box on the road was controlled by USPS and they would have to provide a key to.
The lovely lady journed to the Post Office ad was told that in order for her to get a working key, it would require a payment of $35.00. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS, YOU WILL PAY OR NOT HAVE A POST BOX. So told was the lovely lady.
The lovely lady gets by on a social security check, takes care of her minor child with it and pays rent and all of the bills with. It is no much to begin with and finding an extra $35.00 can be rather hard.
Supervisor Andy Vasquez, known to be a champion of the USPS, he leads the fight local to save the sorting station, and is great pals with the local posties. Who better to ring up and query as to what to do. Since the post box is the property of USPS can not take a drill to and change out the lock, do not want to wind up in the nick.
Supervisor Vasquez came up with a novel solution to the problem. "Rather than make a mountain out of a molehill, let us just sort out the problem quickly for the dear lady." Springing into action, "Andy" sped over to the Linda Villa and taking a $20.00 from own pocket, added to sum from Kay Properties, to make sure that the lovely lady got her lock sorted out. My dears, post is very important to get, and the lovely lady was beside self with worry about.
Right, there be shaking of heads and tongues clucking round now. Careful, this old geezer writes as he sees it from view in front of. It is my blog and do as I please. Too oft, we fail to note the small kindnesses done by elected officials for community. This old geezer be not one to do so. What was done to solve the problem for the lovely lady was quite grand. Andy Vasquez did not need to do that and he will be quite mad with for my having told the whole world of. He will get over it. Along with giving elected officials much of my mind about horrid thing, it is only fair to note what brilliant things are done by.
The real villain of this post be the folks at USPS. They do not treat all equal. Know for a fact that another tenant went about post box and he got box sorted out without charge. Someone at the USPS must be having a 'bad hair' day. Regardless, the box should have been sorted out as the lady in question is a new tenant and not responsible for the box being without a key.
As for the snap of the wicked post box on road.... A bit of theatre on my part to draw attention to fact that without a proper key, it may as well be without proper door, the posty will not make post available for lady.
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