On http://deadtreeedition.blogspot.com:... I read that the U.S. Postal Service declined The White House’s suggestion that it conduct a pilot test of five-day delivery, according to a document made public this week.
The pressure is coming from --surprise!--Dr. Lawrence Summers, Director of the White House National Economic Council.
An excerpt from the Postmaster General Jack Potter's letter to Summers:
"The five-day delivery proposal anticipates the reduction of approximately 25,000 full-time City Carrier assignments and $2.2 billion in annual savings in City Carrier operations...regular Carriers assigned to a single route would have Saturday and Sunday off, eliminating the need for the Carrier Technician and Relief Carrier assignments. We plan to transition full-time Carrier Technician assignments into Carrier positions that become available through attrition."
My translation: more job loss, more loss of fulltime unionized middle-class employment opportunities!
and a blow to shut-ins and the elderly, and people like me who cherish Saturday mail service...there are so many reasons to oppose this insanity, but I'll spell the first one out: military spending. Cut one week of carnage in Iraqistan and keep our Saturday mail service.
How do Kossacks think we can save Saturday mail (and all other vestiges of civilized life and decent jobs)?