Lately, there's been some national discussion about shutting down the postal service. 5.5 billion dollars in the red as of this November, the USPS faces massive legacy costs, declining usage, and competition from private carriers like FedEx and UPS. Both legislators and private bloviators think that the agency is a bloated, inefficient bureaucracy. In keeping with the conservative desire to privatize everything (including wars), many argue that the private sector can deliver mail and packages faster and cheaper.
I spent a lot of time in post offices this winter mailing packages for my Etsy store. Anachronistic as this may seem, I also use the mail to pay some of my bills, send personal thank-you notes, and mail portfolios to certain firms. The retail postal locations I have been to in Chicago have been terrible. Just the other day, on a random Tuesday morning, the wait was over a half-hour for no reason other than understaffing. Only two people were serving a counter that had six registers. The transactions take awhile, because the computers look to be fifteen years old, and several of the debit-swipe stations were covered in tape, out-of-order. Tape, in general, is a recurring theme all over, holding together countertops, cabinets, cubicles, and trashcans. Light bulbs are out, floors filthy, carpets torn (and taped), and location after location is out of basics, like stamps and boxes.
