27 Minutes in the Post Office: Can’t Wait for ObamaCare
by Robert J. Avrech
I have to go to the post office.
Last week, In New York, we dropped by my Aunt Ethel’s apartment in Long Beach where I saw an old family photo of my paternal grandmother, Miriam, with my father and his brother, my Uncle Chaim.
“Aunt Ethel, I never saw this photo. It’s amazing.”
“Yes, I love it.”
“Can I borrow it?”
“Robert, that’s my only copy.”
“I’ll be careful, but please let me scan the picture into my computer so it’s protected.”
So: I lovingly carry the photo back to Los Angeles, scan it, and now:
I have to go to the post office to send it to New York.
Or face: The Wrath of Ethel.
Minute 1:
Step into the post office.
Oy-vey, there are, lemme count, 19 people ahead of yours truly.
There are seven stations for the postal workers, but only three windows are open.
I slip into line behind an old hippie with shoulder length white hair. He’s listening to an iPod, and the volume is set at maximum so I can actually hear the music.
Hmm, not bad. Richard and Linda Thompson’s Shoot Out the Lights. One of my absolute favs.
Okay, it’s a long line, but at least I have some music.
Minute 6:
No movement.
Nothing.
One of the postal workers has drifted away and the other two are involved in the extremely complex business of—as far as I can tell—calculating costs of postage.
Oh, wait, a customer is finished and the postal worker signals for the next on line.
We exchange smiles—we’re in this together—and everyone takes one baby-step forward.
Minute 11:
A few paces behind me a flamboyant gay guy is on his cell phone yammering away to a, presumably, gay friend about, well, the fabulosity of gayness.
Gay guy is talking really loud and saying stuff like:
“It was sooo gay…”
“He was totally gay, he just didn’t realize it…”
“I used to be a clueless gay, but no more, darling…”
In-ter-esting: gayness, for some, is not just sexual orientation, not just a life style, but a religion.
I mention this because right behind Loud and Proud Gay Guy is a tiny, shriveled, ancient black lady who looks, I swear, like she’s about to have a coronary. Listening to gay guy is having a visible effect on her blood pressure. She closes her eyes, mumbles to herself, then turns and gazes pleadingly at an ENORMOUS black guy standing right behind her.
Enormous Black Guy looks like a gang-banger. He’s got the backwards baseball cap, the blinding bling around his neck, and masses of tattoos on his arms which are impossible to decipher because his skin is so black. It’s like one of those Malevich Black Square paintings.
Enormous Black Guy steps past Tiny Black Lady, gets right into the face of Loud and Proud Gay Guy.
Oh goody: conflict, drama.
“Yo, dude. Mah Aun-tie.”
Loud and Proud Gay Guy—thin as a stalk of wheat—finds himself face to face with a scary black guy who is, I do not exaggerate, the size of Rhode Island.
Loud and Proud Gay Guy into his phone:
“Sweetie, call you back.”
Enormous Black Guy nods, gets back in line behind his Aun-tie.
Minute 18:
Still, only two postal workers behind the bullet proof glass.
Good idea that glass because we, on line, are on the verge of going postal.
I’m counting the people in front of me, including the old hippie still grooving away: nine customers/consumers/victims/whatever.
Maybe I should drop out of line and head on over to UPS or Fed Ex.
But that would be like going AWOL.
I gotta stick with my squad here in the foxhole.
Minute 22:
Oh.
My.
Gosh.
One of the postal workers has drifted away from his window.
Only one worker left.
Collective groan from we-on-the-line.
Oh, yeah, here’s a scan of the picture I’m sending back to Aunt Ethel:
My father is to the right of grandmother Miriam. Hey, dad’s got Dr. Spock ears. My Uncle Chaim fought in the Pacific campaign. He contracted malaria and all sorts of tropical diseases. Never said one word to me about his service, but according to my father, it was horrific and Uncle Chaim never recovered from his combat experiences. Photo, 1924, Poland.
Minute 26:
The old Hippie buys—get this—one single stamp.
I’m on deck.
The postal worker, a black lady with hair like a porcupine, barks:
“Next!”
Nervous, intimidated, I step up. Slide the package forward.
“First class?”
“Please.”
“Registered?”
“Please.”
She punches in the order.
“Anything else, sir?”
“Um, I was wondering, how come you’re the only one working and there are so many people in line?”
Postal Lady narrows here eyes at me:
“What you axing?”
“I’m just curious how come you don’t have more help?”
“Next!”
Minute 37:
Step outside, take a deep breath.
Can’t wait for Obamacare.
It’s gonna be so much fun standing in line, making new and diverse friends, and then kibitzing with all the gracious health care workers.
Anyhoo: Let’s listen to Richard Thompson and Christine Collister, sing Wall of Death—appropriate title, huh?—from the Shoot Out the Lights album. Linda and Richard are divorced, so this is the 1985 touring band, different than the original album, but still great.
Copyright © Robert J. Avrech
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128 Comments
Bob – fantastic post!!! I am glad to see you are a Richard Thompson fan. I just caught his solo concert here in Knoxville earlier this year. Maybe you should also have mentioned "Beat the Retreat." I live in a small town in Tennessee, so although we only have one guy behind the counter 1) there is no line 2) he is friendly. Great picture BTW!
Robert, great articel/story…….
That picture is great your Uncle and Dad have there whole life ahead of them, it is a moving picture…..
The POST OFFICE.. MY O' MY…. I have to stop at the post office by Grand Central Station and WOW…. it takes minimum 20minutes + every time I am in there…. WOW, I guess I will get to wait like this if I have a sniffle or something… thanks Messiah and his minions… at the very least I did not vote for him!!!
My local PO has actually gotten better and it's probably all due to a lovely Chinese woman who actually WORKS. She's fast, friendly, and a joy to see. This seems to have upped the pride in the other workers…not much…but enough.
Speaking of controlling costs. Again, the Post Office. It's running ads that it's so much better than those other, non-government carriers. You don't have to worry about nagging things like shipping weights and destinations: if it fits in the box, it's one low rate.
So not only doesn't the PO not have to make money (it can't), but it ensures that no one in the private sector can either. Sorry UPS and FedEx.
I was third in line at the PO two weeks ago and I had to wait 20 minutes. I am stating to worry; as bad as you say USPS is Canada Post is worse it seems.
Of course our (Main) post office only allows for 2 servers at the best of times but one is all I have ever seen.
BTW loved the photo. It is such an evocative image.
Sounds just like my local post office!
We have SEVERAL HUGE post offices all around the valley here in Phx and EVERY single one of them ALWAYS has a line a mile long. I wouldn't mind so much if they at least had FRIENDLY people working at them. I actually would avoid going to the closest one to where I live because I didn't want to risk getting in this one assholes line. He always acted like YOU were inconveniencing HIM. He was NEVER nice and he was only about 35 years old so it's not like he was some old cranky fart. He was finally transfered or something because he's no longer there, thank goodness.
I've never had a problem at my post office either, but I've only been three times. Usually I just pick up stamps at work (we have a cash box and the honor system). For anything more complex than buying stamps, I use FedEx. That way, I know it'll get where it's supposed to go, but if the plane crashes, I'll get my money back, and reimbursed for my stuff.
Great post! I had to go to the post office last week to send a check to my son…..around 10 min in line, 9 people in front of me, one worker, lots of people milling around at the back. Overcharged for it and I didn't notice til later. Fortunately, he got the letter. I always take a book with me.
LMAO. I live in Chicago and this reminds me exactly of my life when I have to goto the Post Office.
What movie is that still from at the top? I'd like to see it. That picture of your Aunt's is nice also thanks for sharing it and your PO story, sounds about right. I don't see why anyone would want to be a part of a Gov run health system but I guess I think different than most people because I have been in or around the military for so long, and know what kind of care I'm going to get (hint: it's not very good).
Robert may have hit upon a good strategy: even scary, thuggish gangbangers love their moms, gramms and aunties; convince them Obamacare will put in place measures that might deny them needed medical care and I think said scary gangbangers might be convinced to oppose Obamacare.
last christmas, i was forced to go to the post office. pure torture. and cranky staff. the line snaked out the door. when a woman took her place at the back of the line, she asked how long the wait was. i said: see that young woman with the baby? she was pregnant when i got here.
ohhoho, i amuse myself. in all fairness to the post office it didn't take nine months to get to the front of the line, it only felt like it..
Those boys are adorable! I love the photo, I can understand why you wanted a copy.
I guess my post office is just really efficient or something, because there's a self-serve station that's open a good 18 hours of the day, and we always have at least two people at the front desks, more if there's a line.
You should check out the Irish postal system. Their entire country is barely larger than my state, and when I was going to send some postcards home to my family while I was living there, I had no less than three different people tell me to just slap some stamps on it, cross my fingers, and then pray to God that it would reach its destination sometime in the next six months. Not only that, but they're only open a few hours a day, a few days a week, so if you have a job and you need to step inside the post office for any reason, you're just out of luck.
You can use their service, but I think the USPS still uses '70s era punchcards for package tracking. And that 3 day priority, well it may take 5 days. Give me FED EX or UPS any day..
This post is full of lies about Obamacare. How is what you are describing any different than the status quo?!?
The bullet proof glass is not to protect the postal workers Robert, it is used to protect the citizens from workers who go "postal" See, it's all how you look at it, the Government does care about you. Next….
Wait … we haven't found out yet whether or not Dad and Uncle Chaim made it home safely to Aunt Ethel. Did the PO "deliver"? Or did the angry counter agent make Bob pay for his impertinence? Does the government work for us? Care for us? Or do we suffer their capriciousness in desperate silence?
I dunno where you live, Chris, but when I go to my doc it's never more than a 5 minute wait followed by a pleasant and attentive visit.
But let's say it wasn't that way — and probably isn't for everyone anyway — your solution to the status quo is to give us even more of what makes it the status quo. Doesn't compute.
This lovely Chinese worker sounds like a troublemaker.
I'm sure her union bretheren will set her straight.
37 minutes. No! How did you survive that wait? I'll bet your family put out an APB on you. And they had a gay there and an enormous black guy? How you weren't reduced to a slobbering ball of tears, I'll never know.
When I usually go to the doc, if the wait is more than 5 minutes they'll offer me a wine spritzer and massage. Plus, the blacks there are of normal size and they gays are kept far away, less I be tempted.
Dr. Spock ears? Could you be mixing him up with Mr. Spock?
Personally, I'd rather deal with the scary mailroom guys at the college I'm working at than the PO.
You waited over a half hour in the post office for a service you could have done on a home computer in five minutes. I also waited half an hour in line at Target during the holiday rush and spent an hour in traffic on the way home.
See? The evidence is mounting.
Superb.
LOL! You got that right!
Ex-Union member
The next time I have a gay dude talking loudly on the phone near me, I hope I have a huge black nephew with me to get him to stop!
Brings to mind this satire entitled "Obama 'Goes Postal' on Health Care Plan; Appoints 'Strong-Willed' Former Mail Worker to Head Health Services Panel": http://optoons.blogspot.com/2009/08/obama-goes-po...
Very good anecdotal story, Mr. Avrech, consider the subject was misapplied by our Dear Leader recently. I just have a few perturbances to bring up – for your benefit and Dear Leader's.
1) The Post Office has been private corporation since 1971, and receives no tax dollars, thanks to Richard Nixon(R). It is gub'mint regulated, though, and infected with union bloat & headaches.
2) Instead of cross country airline transport of a simple task, go to the local Kinkos, do your business, and avoid the wrath of Aunt Ethel (which happens to be my Mother's name).
3) I've never heard of Richard & Linda. Delaney & Bonnie, maybe, but not Richard & Linda. Or Christine.
4)Great photo. God bless your family.
I prefer to do business with a business that looks to make a profit. They put me first, they keep themselves operational. I like that.
That said, my local post office, maybe a minute from my home, is only business during the holidays. Year-round, they're fast and personable.
Kudos to my post office.
“Yo, dude. Mah Aun-tie.”
I LOVE it! LOL I could just see it…
The still is from a silent film. Not sure of the title. Not even sure the film exists.
Obamacare is a plan to place the health of all Americans under government control. To quote Caroline Baum in todays' Bloomberg Report:
“[Obama] has failed repeatedly to explain how the government will provide more (health care) for less (money). He has failed to explain why increased demand for medical services without a concomitant increase in supply won’t lead to rationing by government bureaucrats as opposed to the market. And he has failed to explain why a Medicare-like model is desirable when Medicare itself is going broke.
“The public is left with one of two unsettling conclusions: Either the president doesn’t understand the health-insurance reform plans working their way through Congress, or he understands both the plans and the implications and is being untruthful about the impact.”
Full story here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&a...
Still waiting to hear from Aunt Ethel if the package arrived.
Biting nails.
Brain hiccup. Mr. Spock, of course. Thanks for the correction.
I live in a town of 5,000 in Florida, and it always takes at least 20 minutes here as well. No doubt a union rule, no one served in less than a third of an hour.
Funny how you never mention that you didn't HAVE to go to the Post Office – you chose to. You could've also gone to the UPS store. Or the local Fed/Ex. Hell, you can even print lables out from a home PC and send it out yourself!
But of course, mentioning these things wouldn't support your thesis: that any sort of public health-care option would immediately result in waiting until death.
Oh, and your contempt for African Americans shows. The lady was black so she pronounced asking as "axing."
Love it how you Republicans blatatantly show you're racists while at the same time claiming not to be. Bravo for untruthfulness, racism, and hatred.
Aunt Ethel does not use a computer. Should have used Fed Ex. My bad.
I touched up the photo a bit in Photoshop – removing some scratches, sharpening, etc. Link: http://tinyurl.com/mls9c7
Vik:
Thanks sooooo much.
Now I have to send this version to Aunt Ethel.
Fed Ex, definitely.
"Dr."
yeah it is called protocol….
I can relate to this story twice within the last month. Both of my recent visits to the US Post Office consisted of spending a minimum of 30 -35 minutes just to mail packages and pick up some stamps. Both visits consisted of one postal worker per 4 available stations. The lines consisted of 15 to 20 people ahead of me. On one occassions the lady in front of me who I reconized as a retired school crossing guard told me on one of her recent visits she experienced a man jumping ahead of the line and immediately received service. After seeing what this man did she yelled out to the postal worker "why did you help this man after cutting in front of everyone else." the postal worker response was, "this man was here earlier and had waited a long time so I told him to come back and he would receive immediate service. Can you imagine how a typical docter visit would be if Obama Health Care is run down our throats.
I know a couple of post offices around town that have few customers. They seem to be off the memory grid as far as the public is concerned. Still, to paraphrase Lily Tomlin as Ernestine the phone operator in the old show Laugh In:
"We're the post office; we don't have to care!"
Now I have to mail something to my cousin in Vero Beach.
If all you old coots didn't go at lunch time when we working people are compelled to go (if we must) the lines would be much shorter for everyone. But, no. You grave grabbers hobble your ancient asses in there to buy "penny postcards" and bore the crap out of the clerks with your stories of what piece of cheese you are sending out (by the cheapest means possible) and who you are sending it to. If you went there 'late at night' aka 4 pm, you'd get faster, better service. And if you are dumb enough to still be living in New York, then you get what you have earned.
Well played Robert, you show a hell of a lot more composure and patience than I do, I see a line out of the door I’m gone, brother. Great photo.
The main post office downtown in our large town/small city is, as most PO's, busiest on April 15 and at the holidays. During those times, they have a numbered ticket dispenser….just like you have at the deli inside your local grocery store. That allows you to browse the PO, I guess. And they do have a little store area with specialty stamps and such. Can be slightly entertaining for about 2 minutes. Okay maybe 5. Regardless, you have to keep your eye on the number "clock" to see what number is being served. If you don't hop right on in when your number flashes on the screen, they go to the next number. And depending on who is behind the counter, you *may* have to go get another number and keep waiting. Some of the nicer ones will serve you anyone if you notice your number just got surpassed. Can't wait until this is our health care system (she said sarcastically).
But how do you really feel? You seem ambivalent towards the issue
Yes, I do have an issue commitment problem:-)
Last week I got to the post office and there were 2 people in front of me and there were 3 cashiers stations open and there was one visible roving management type walking around to help the cashiers. It still took me 30 minutes to get out of there in order to send a single package. Shame on us if we turn our health care over to the federal government. I don't want to have to wait in a Soviet bread line in order to get medical care.
I am not sure you understand the use of the computer. You could print out and pay for the mailing right from your computer and have the PO come and pick up the package at home. Pretty simple. Never deal with the office.
Delightful! I was right there with you. One of our PO locations has recently removed the self-service island; it had been in service for years. Don't know what's up with that.
I misunderstood your comment. Right. Got it. I'll give it a try.
Or not.
Maybe just stick with UPS or Fed Ex. They pick up too and the drivers are fun to talk to. They're always telling me about the movies they saw and hated and how come Hollywood doesn't make movies that are, y'know, fun.
So you're saying that the private insurance companies have nothing to worry about when a government health option is introduced. I agree. Fed-ex did it better than the post office and when government health care comes out, blue cross etc. will ALSO finally buckle down and compete – just like fed ex did.
BTW, VA vets don't wait very long and get excellent care for their health care (and that's government-run shhhhh don't tell anyone).
I I don't have to stay on hold with a managed care insurance company (and they are private not goverment) while a secretary gives me a prior-approval authorization for one of my patients, I will be happy not postal.
Go back to the post office : )
OMG OMG 27 minutes How inefficient to handle 19 people….why that's a rate of 1 person being taken care of in less than 2 minutes each…..such horror….and, why, yes you could have gone to FEDEX or use the post offie self service kiosk….so why didn't you? Guess you wouldn't have been afforded the opportunity to act like an impatient blowhard. Actually with both a public and a private choice you chose public. Now HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOUR CASE AGAINST A PUBLIC HEALTH OPTION?
Really, you right wingers have gone over the edge, And we're letting you. Have a nice flight.
Freudian typo:
"Postal Lady narrows here eyes at me:"
This is one of the most humorous pieces I have read in weeks. Thanks.
[...] He writes for Big Hollywood: [...]
I take it, you've never been to a VA run hospital.
Maybe he wrote "axing" because that's what he heard and it provided a touch of realism to the narrative. Come on, you've never heard a black (or white) person say that? I'm from Texas, and I hear white people say "fixin' to". Are you inferring that I'm racist because I hear mangled English? BTW, I know it's "implying" and not "inferring". Just a nod to all who never paid attention in English.
27 minutes?! LOOOOOOL. Wait until it's 13 HOURS in a typical emergency room. [Trapped in Toronto's "free" healthcare system]
The problem was the worker's were each trying to slow down to time it so they didn't have to help the pole smoker or the chocolates My doctor does exactly the same thing..
Don't know if it's Freudian, but it is a typo. I'm a lazy proof reader.
You will not have to stay on the phone line at all, they will just send you in advance a stamp that says "Denied" saves lots of time and you will be able to take on 46 million new patients.
I love this story. I esp. enjoy the color you injected into an "everyday".
I especially adore the picture, I bet the little guy on the left has at least 2 frogs in his pocket!
At DMV I had an appt. for 10:30. After waiting in line, in the car, on a HOT and sunny day for most of the time there, finally got to test after 12.
Government-run sux.
LB1901: The USPS is not a private corporation, it is an independent agency of the United States government. It is wholly owned by the government and controlled by Presidential appointees. In 1971 it wasn't privatized. Its status was changed so that it was no longer a member of the Cabinet.
Of course the USPS uses tax dollars. From bloomberg .com today:
"The only way the post office can stay in business is its government subsidy. The USPS lost $2.4 billion in the quarter ended in June and projects a net loss of $7 billion in fiscal 2009, outstanding debt of more than $10 billion and a cash shortfall of $1 billion." Caroline Baum, bloomberg.com
I always disliked going to the base hospital for anything other than an emergency. It was usually a visit with a "physician's assistant" (somewhere between a nurse practitioner and an intern) that would last all of 3 minutes and ended with a prescription for motrin or the anti-biotic-of-the-day.
Well, guess I'm getting censored again so let's try one more time. Are you making a case for or against a public option? Seems like they handled each customer in under 2 minutes. Wonder if the gay guy was talking about the fat old jew kvetching to everyone and acting like a bad human to the "help." Wow, what a guy. So next time take your own advice and go to Fedex.
Heheheheheh!
"…untruthfulness, racism, and hatred. "
I know, I should have turned the loud and proud gay guy into a loud and proud Mormon.
The decent and loving gang banger should have morphed into a Aryan Nation thug.
And the nasty black postal worked who said "axed" should have been designated a well-spoken debutante.
But you see, I am not paternalistic to any ethnic group, for this is the height of racism.
Yes, I made a mistake going to the U.S. post office.
But at least I got a good post out of it.
And best of all, I caused another, ahem, progressive, to reveal the depths of his intolerance.
No, he meant me, 'Pop'.
Here – lemme help you down the stairs….hahahaha.
And my great satire get a minus 1 rating! Coots! hahahaha
I think it’s Freudian because, as you were writing, you knew the very next sentence you were about to construct was an example of unexaggerated, racially stereotypical grammar. I have no doubt it went down exactly as described and the postal worker spoke to you in Ebonics.
I actually hate lines, but I was there and as I said, I feared the Wrath of Aunt Ethel. She's close to 80, but she is ferocious.
My post office is generally good….and with good people working there…all friendly and only one friendy/brusque, so I simply try and avoid her window (no glass/no bars/no dogs) and let some widow lady or someone go. One time she askedme – "Any stamps today?" and I replied, "No…and no bonds either". She was clueless and wondered why some old timers in the line were laughing.
When the line is slow, there may be a sweet assed cutie to scope out or make small talk with.
If the line is unreasonably slow, I generally will start to sing outloud. I warn them firsst that if it doesn't speed up, I will begin to sing…also let;s the other people in line know that I am not crazy…then I will sing some old tune that people know -like IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMER TIME – or some TV theme. Sometimes they join in, but it irks the clerks – ("Irk-a-Clerk" – copyright 2009 by LBOM Productions)) – into speedier movement b/c they know they are now OUR tools and are being mocked.
My postal worker lady needed subtitles. But then I have been told that so do I due to my tragic Brooklyn accent.
Yeah – it is contemptable and pathetic when some cannot pronounce a simple word like "ask" or "asking".
Glad we have you, Mark, the noble white boy, to point out who be a racist. You perform an invaluable service.of some sort.
Over 45,000 NHS staff call in sick every day, which is lowering standards of patient care, according to the first national NHS Health and Wellbeing Review into staff habits.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6049...
Thousands of surgeries may be cut in Metro Vancouver due to government underfunding, leaked paper
http://www.vancouversun.com/story_print.html?id=1...
Looks like Atlas Shrugged in Great Britian and Canada.
The American people are going to get a lot of practice standing in lines, if Obama gets all his wishes. The Russians had central planning and state enterprises, and socialized medicine, and they stood in line for everything, from medical care to food.
I can relate. I went to our local PO and just needed a stamp to mail a letter. The first PO I went to had at least 20 people in line (it was between 4 and 5 pm) and few clerks. I had intended to use the stamp machine, but much to my disappointment, it had been removed. I decided to go to another PO and they had also removed the self-serve option, but I only had three people in front of me and two clerks. I still ended up waiting 20 minutes for one freakin' stamp. I asked why they removed the self-serve machines and they told me that the machines were old and had to be repaired too often so they just go rid of them. I then tried to send an email to complain about the removal of the self-serve machines but I never could get the letter to send via email because something was messed up on their server. I purchased a book of stamps at the grocery store the next day and I just hope I don't have to go to the PO anytime soon.
Which VA hospital are you going to? Check this out if you think that our Vets get excellent care in today's WSJ:
The Death Book for Veterans
Ex-soldiers don't need to be told they're a burden to society.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204...
The more I think about your statement the angrier I get!
>>
But at least I got a good post out of it.
<<
Matter of opinion. I just seen misguided information and fud. Like I just said in another post, what do you offer instead of Obama's plan? You think having 47 million people without healthcare is ok in country that is supposed to care about human life? How does that differ from your so called "death panels"? I for one think it is a disgrace that we can have that many people without any healthcare. You should be ashamed for not feeling the same way. I guess you have healthcare so what do you care?
Wow another waste of a post. Funny you assume he is white too. I cannot see anything in his post that says he is white or any other race for that matter.
If we get universal health care, won't that make health workers federal employees? And as federal employees wouldn't they be eligible to join federal employee unions like SEIU?? That would make them as worthless as other federal employees. Scary thought.
They are deleting comments that make good points.People like Robert do not know how to debate with people that are smarter than them. Which is about 75% of the population.
Nah, they probably just promoted him. He's probably a manager now. Having first hand experience with USPS, it seems that's how they work. If you're terrible at your job (as a clerk, not a letter carrier) you get promoted. If they catch too much flack because of your performance/attitude, they just shuffle you around to another PO. It's worse than dirty priests… (no offense, I myself am Catholic, just a little cynical).
I have relatives who retired from the USPS back in the early and mid-90's, and they've said that the postal service had gotten worse over the years while they worked there. My dad took the voluntary retirement in '92 and he thought the USPS was going to privatize, at least that's what he had heard. I don't think any of them were ever in the union, since they were carriers and the ones who sorted the mail or put those yellow change of address stickers on the mail.
Anyway, I feel like I've stepped off of the information superhighway and back into the horse and buggy days every time I go into the post office.
You need to get a clue, your honor. "Mark" with a "k" is always a white boy's name.
Years ago, when I lived in another town, USPS "clients" could see the "workers". Usually there were one or two
"stations" open and always long lines. Meanwhile, we "clients" could see the "workers" in the back sitting around.
One day, during a long wait, someone in line said, "I hear the Post Office is going out on strike". Some wag behind piped up "how could you tell?" Within a few months, a wall went up between the "clients" and the "workers".
I moved to a new city. We have a lovely new post office bldg. (built during Clinton's administration). I've noticed that whenever the line gets too long, someone wanders out from behind the wall and opens up a new station. When it gets too short, one of the "workers" will close his/her station and wander off into the back. One can NEVER go there with no line, but then one can never go there and have the line out the door and around the corner.
My PO in a Boston suburb is generally pretty good, but one drone in a branch office stands out for her sheer contempt for customers.
Once she berated me for showing up "only" fifteen minutes before closing — seems I'm supposed to take her desire to stop working EXACTLY at 5PM into account, and arrive accordingly.
With the talk about closing branch offices she's become a bit subdued. Funny how a little competition can scare the bejeebers out of some people!!!
You got me in a Richard Thompson frame of mind; a great guitarist, so here is another example (p.s. folks should understand "The Wall of Death" is a roller coater):
<a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGhHbJo7PCE&fe…” target=”_blank”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGhHbJo7PCE&fe…
A friend recently was going through boot camp in San Antonio and my mom wrote him a letter. Two weeks later the letter was returned stamped with a "Not enough postage for a foreign country." We were wondering if Texas had seceded and we didn't get the memo.
And these are the same people that want to take over health care. Nuh uh!
So you gonna pay for my aunt's health insurance? She's 45 with Type II diabetes and she's got $70K in the bank?
Come on. It would be a disgrace for you not to.
We have all heard the term "Going Postal" What will be the term for the medical profession when they are over worked and decide they are not going to take it anymore?
And yet you trusted them with an irreplaceable photograph. Odd.
Don't mess with your Aunt Ethel, I can dig that.
What HMO are you with, I may have to switch? Wine and massage, all I get is a magazine with germs on it.
Hey Robert, Dyn-o-mite! I laffed myself into pain! Also, Thanks for the great Thompson 'Wall of Death' rendition. You get 5 Gold Stars on this one!
My local PO opened maybe 15 years ago – nice new building – I don't know what happened at the Grand Opening, but some hippy with very bad BO must have stopped by to party because ever since, the lobby has smelled strongly of BO – it's like the smell got completely absorbed into the walls or something. Every time I go in I smell the same thing. And it always has an eternally long line.
I bum my stamps off friends whenever possible – and use online bill pay a lot. That has helped me avoid the PO (not to mention the BO).
Time for the Pony Express to make its last ride!
27 minutes, big deal. Try waiting 2 HOURS at the DMV just to get a driver's license renewed as I recently did.
"Going Scalpel"
Let me enlighten you then since you seem to lack all intelligence. Mark Dean
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Dean_%28compute...
Not only is he black he is a computer scientist, I am sure with your narrow mind you can not imagine a black guy could be a computer scientist. Now get an education moron.
With a national healthcare plan in place and no one that can be denied because of pre-existing conditions, my taxes would go to pay for it for her and I would be completely happy with that. No one should be denied coverage in this country nor should anyone suffer because they cannot afford it.
"It's about as comprehensive a tangle of our current political dynamic as we've seen: a middle-aged white woman who seems to believe that Jews are good to the extent that Israel is good because Israel kills Arabs but bad to the extent t…hat one of them supports socialized medicine shouts "Heil Hitler" at an Israeli because Hitler was bad to the extent that he was like Obama but was also good to the extent that he was against Communist Jews. It's taxing to remember where the political lines are drawn when the only thing you care about is hating the president."
pretty hilarious. read the full article here:
http://gawker.com/5340220/town-hall-crazies-go-th...
Mr. Avrech wrote the words the way the people at the post office spoke them. Some black people say "aks"/"ax" instead of "ask." So do some white people, actually. People of all races have accents and pronounce some words incorrectly. Writing the way people actually speak makes stories more realistic, because they reflect reality!
Aw, the government's gonna take care of us! Nevermind that Medicare's in trouble – let's trust Congress with everyone's health care!
Yes, we need health care reform. But why do we need to make it worse? There are other ideas out there – just look for them. Here's an article to get you started: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204...
What's a "post office"?
Seriously. Haven't gone into one of those since, literally, the turn of this century. UPS for packages, e-mail for personal communication and online bill-paying have rendered the whole enterprise utterly obsolete.
There is an APU (Automated Postal Unit) at a nearby post office. It is like an ATM, just for mail. You can weight and buy postage for anything that will fit through the door of the thing, which is quite large. I use it whenever I can, and it allows me to avoid the lines and dealing with the clerks.
Oh, that reminds me of a post office story that happened to me once. I got to the counter, credit card in hand, and before I had a chance to say much, the clerk whipped the card out of my hand and stuck it halfway in his credit card machine. He didn't swipe it, he just wanted to warm up my card for the big event. From that day on, I hold my card close to my side so that the clerks can't reach for it before I am ready. I have a term for a clerk who thinks they know how to swipe your card better than you do: Bully Swiper.
Nice comments LB, particularly about union bloat. Richard Thompson is an Englisman who first gained notoriety as a guitarist with the British Folk Rock Group Fairport Convention. In the early 1970's he broke off in order to compose more of his own material. He is a connoiseur's guitarist with an original and unmistakable style. If you listen to him play solo, you will swear there are two guitars playing. Not that it means all that much, but he was voted #19 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest list. Linda is a folk singer whom he married in the 1970's. Their son, Teddy Thompson is a great Americana/alt.country pop singer whom I highly recommend as well.
p.s. Richard has collaborated with classical musician Philip Pickett, one of the top proponents of playing old classical music on original period instruments. He did much of the soundtrack for the movie "Elizabeth" but together the two produce a great fusion of classic and rock titled "The Bones of All Men."
LOL LOL This is sooo true!! My husband and I were just commenting the other day that if the government can't get letters, trains and clunkers right how in the world are they EVER going to get healthcare right!! I want less government in my life!!!Our post office in our little town is always screwing things up and only one person at three windows!! Never friendly and are always taking "breaks"!! Thanks for the article..Just say NO to Obamacare it will only make our lives more frustrating!
I am thrilled that someone can at least give a civilized and intelligent reply here. I was beginning to think it was not possible here. Very refreshing. I am definitely going to read it over and see if there is anything of interest. Unlike the people against reform, my mind is wide open and I am capable of learning and understanding more about an already overly complex situation. What I am sick of is all the socialism and nazi talk. Plenty of non-socialist countries have health systems in place to take care of their citizens. Unfortunately most of the people against it could not identify a socialist country even if it was in the name of the country lol.
I hate to tell you this, but i DO have health insurance and I have waited for over 2 hours to see my doctor and that is with an appointment. I am sick of ignorant people trying to cite the post office and other government run agencies as a reason to not reform healthcare. Robert my friend, you are a true class a jackass.
Let me clarify one thing, Obama's plan may not be the silver bullet, but I see no one else trying and something needs to be done. How about you stop bitching about the solution and try to provide one if you are such a mastermind?
This is why I feel the education system in this country needs to be abolished. It is failing and it is articles like this that confirm that.
Waiting in a government clinic to see a doctor will make your 26-minute wait at the Post Office look like heaven.
People smart enough to not know that Intense Debate has a few issues with comments vanishing.
Hint: comments that are actually deleted tend to have "deleted by administrator" replacing whatever text was originally posted. I'm surprised a smart person like yourself never knew that.
The post office is a poor analogy, really. There are genuinely socialised services in the US that would serve as better examples. To pick one at random: the fire service. Imagine if something were to happen that caused those guys to get off their fat asses! No chance of help from that crowd.
You're truly an idiot if you went looking for that,
Actually didn't need to go looking. Unlike you I have an education and happen to work in the computer industry. Therefore the only thing I had to do is go to Wikipedia and type in his name. I know for the lesser among us such as yourself, it is hard to imagine anyone would just know something without having to go look for it. So feel free to go enroll in some sort of class and try to get a little educated and a little less racist.
At my local post office, the postal workers got so many complaints about long wait time in line — they took the clock off the wall and out sight permanently!
20 minutes? I've yet to see my (private sector) doctor without having to wait a lot longer than 20 minutes past the scheduled appointment time.
BUT SHE CAN AFFORD IT NOW AND WON"T PAY FOR IT. Maybe you missed my point. That's the problem with the uninsured in America. Medicaid ALREADY covers those who really can't afford it. The rest are: "invincible" young people, the self employed (who generally make more than enough $$ but gamble with their life so they can have luxuries), people in between jobs, and others like my aunt.
Thanks for the tip I just signed up.
If he did it that way he would not be able to find a way to bitch about something not even related to healthcare. Ignorance is bliss they say.
Which is why people need to be forced into it. The alternative is to say ok if you opt out don't bother going for care when you need it we will let you die. That is not exactly a very good method so I say force a health plan on everyone so my costs do not go up because of idiots like your aunt.
>>
The rest are: "invincible" young people, the self employed (who generally make more than enough $$ but gamble with their life so they can have luxuries),
<<
Unfortunately, they are gambling with other peoples money because I have to pay more for my insurance because of these types of people. Therefore, force them all into a plan.
Not much of a gamble when in the end if they end up in the hospital with life threatening issues, they WILL get care and the cost WILL be passed on to us normal people.
So much is wrong with this post that there just isn't time to deal with it all. I really like Mr. Avech’s writing but this is neither fair-minded nor reasoned through.
How's this for an exercise to alleviate the boredom of waiting in line: Try to justify to a total stranger that you do anything productive enough to be worth your income. Do the twenty people standing around watching you work think you move fast enough, or are you merely "milling around?" Think of witty, cheerful ways to deal with a customer who attempts to engage you in conversation by being sarcastic about the wait time; then how you will deal the irate customer following who abuses you for the delay caused by customer number one's attempt at paying you back for everyone ahead of him who was not prepared, had to write a check, had to decide the level of service they wanted, etc., then multiply that by a hundred, keeping in mind that you do this day in and day out for years. Some fun. I know I would be perky to the point of giggles all day. One sign you will never see in a Post Office, “We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone.”
Why are Americans so eager to think the worst of their fellow citizens, specifically postal workers and government employees? They are no more lazy, shiftless, stupid, or uncaring than anyone else with a job, generally speaking. They are no more responsible for the ills of any given system than the rest of the citizenry. So why are they less deserving of civility or decent behavior than anyone else? Identity politics may be a preferred tactic of the left, but the right does not hesitate to buy in with their own two cents.
A comparison of the Post Office to government health care is a diversion. It is a false comparison, introduced by The Obama, designed to send opponents down a dead-end logic street. The Post Office does not make life or death decisions. Whether it functions perfectly or not does not determine whether someone is crippled for life. It does not make sweeping decisions about new communications technologies, what will be developed, what will be utilized (approved), what will be forbidden. It does not require everyone participate, think of being legally obligated to buy a book of stamps everyday. It does not directly control or influence virtually everything in society down to and including elementary education (socialism requires a moral paradigm shift that quantifies human life rather than qualifying it). The only thing more fundamental is complete control of energy resources, development, and allocation. The wait time is merely the tip of the iceberg. A Post Office is required by the U.S. Constitution as an effective, uniform, means of communication to aid commerce, socialized medicine is compelled only by a desire for control. Not the market, not security, not as an aid to anything, only the desire to control.
But enough of this blather. The point is that socialized medicine, and socialized everything else, will come sooner rather than later as proven by Mr. Avech’s post and 99% of the comments. The American creed has become: ME, ME, ME!!! NOW, NOW, NOW!!! ME, ME, ME!!! NOW, NOW, NOW!!!
It is perfectly reasonable that a nation of spoiled four-year olds would require a nanny.
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