Greetings From Planet Paula: FOREVER?

Greetings From Planet Paula: FOREVER?: (Still with the U.S. Postal Service)...about that 'FOREVER' printed so boldly on the last few years' rate increased stamps? According to S...

FOREVER?

(Still with the U.S. Postal Service)...about that 'FOREVER' printed so boldly on the last few years' rate increased stamps?

According to Stamps.com:

What Are Forever Stamps?

Forever Stamps were created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) in 2007. They are non-denominational First Class postage, which means that they can be used to mail First Class letters no matter what the postal rate. For example, in 2008 it cost $0.42 to mail a normal-sized letter weighing one ounce or less to an address within the United States. In 2009, the rate increased to $0.44. Customers who purchased Forever Stamps in 2008 at the rate of $0.42 each may still use those stamps to mail their First Class letters today without adding an additional $0.02 stamp to the envelope.

So, according to the above, that's a pretty good deal...if you happen to be Warren Buffett and can buy $5 million worth of 'FOREVER' stamps.

But what about the rest of us? The 99% who are lucky if we can pay the rent/mortgage, some bills, and food and still have a dime left by the end of one financial cycle? We're the ones who get stuck with every new increase 'request' by the USPS, which lately have been the equivalent of a grand slam every time they get up to bat?

Patently unfair, and in a way, false advertising too...unless they want to include the explanation provided by Stamps.com on each and every stamp. That should keep them busy for a while.

But I still think my Pony Express idea is the best way to go. Benjamin Franklin would be proud.

Greetings From Planet Paula: BRING BACK PONY EXPRESS

Greetings From Planet Paula: BRING BACK PONY EXPRESS: We all know that our beloved U.S. Postal Service has one foot in the grave and the other on a BP oil spill, slowly being sucked into yet ano...

BRING BACK PONY EXPRESS

We all know that our beloved U.S. Postal Service has one foot in the grave and the other on a BP oil spill, slowly being sucked into yet another black hole created by technology.

And, according to CNN Money: The troubles at the Postal Service have been chronic. Back in 2002, President George W. Bush appointed a commission to study the USPS and recommend reforms. The commission did not recommend privatization, but four years later, Congress passed the biggest changes to the USPS in three decades with legislation that capped postage-rate increases at the rate of inflation and called for the Postal Service to cut its infrastructure. This was before the recession hit, though, and the downturn has only accelerated the changes that need to happen.

Okay, that ain't gonna work (not that I'd trust anything being "privatized" these inept greedy days) and we are now faced with the very real dilemma of an American institution going belly-up for the first time in the more than two centuries since Benjamin Franklin was appointed our first Postmaster General in 1775.

Well, the solution is obvious, isn't it? Bring back the old Pony Express and be done with it. It's not as silly as it may sound. Consider the following natural order of what will follow:

• Enormous new job opportunities ~ all those riders going off in S0 many directions, now THAT'S job creation! Not to mention all those new dirt roads that will have to replace our crumbling 'infrastructure.'
• A plethora of new businesses ~ diners, pubs, boarding houses, stables for the horses, etc. = jobs. The list is endless.
• Economically and ecologically terrific ~ no oil, less pollution, and horse manure is good for growing crops, so it's a win-win...waste not, want not!
• And, best of all, we'd be saving a magnificent animal from being destroyed because they are "no longer relevant" (except for uber-congested New York City's tacky 18th Century 'carriage rides' and the very latest unspeakable idea, being served up as dinner. "HORSE MEAT: IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER!" Not in my home, thank you very much.)
• Oh, and then there's also the animal lovers ~ we get to pet and give treats to our sweet four-legged postal worker on a regular basis.

Now what could be better than that...?

Greetings From Planet Paula: Stupid Time Change

Greetings From Planet Paula: Stupid Time Change: See that clock? For the next three weeks, that is how I will be feeling every time I check the time. (What time is it?? Doesn't quite matc...

Stupid Time Change

See that clock? For the next three weeks, that is how I will be feeling every time I check the time. (What time is it?? Doesn't quite match what I'm seeing outside ~ bare trees, chilly winds, maybe even snow.) But it's still light at 7:00PM, so I guess it must be spring...good grief, this is confusing!

Does Congress have nothing better to do than mess with the cycles of not only our lives, but that of animals and nature? One week early was bad enough, but when they backed it up to three weeks, that's pushing it. Some states were smart enough to say "no thanks" and stayed with the REAL time.

Unfortunately, the state I live in embraced the law and so, once again, the next three weeks will be filled with problems sleeping and an exhausting feeling of jet lag until our bodies adjust.

I can think of a few things to say to Congress about adjusting, but I'm too exhausted from not sleeping last night...