USBS

This blog is a little different than my norm. Be forewarned.

I think it's time to eliminate the United States Postal Service. I have a number of reasons for this, some personal, some practical. So rather than take the time to create transitions and such, I'm relying, once again, on a list.

1. My main personal gripe with the Postal Service is nothing like Kramer's from Seinfeld. I don't even have a Newman-like postman. My gripe is a little more basic than that.
   I don't like envelopes.
   When I get email (the base-level reason for eliminating the USPS), I can usually tell what each missive is about through the title or fairly simply read the contents through Microsoft Outlook. But when I get snail mail (an appropriately derogatory nickname), I can't always determine what's inside the generic looking envelopes.
   So what happens is that I pile up envelopes on my desk (and other places) that I can't quickly and efficiently deal with without (re)examining the contents of each one. The result is that I forget to pay my cable bill for three months. [Dramatization]
   Ostensibly, one of the issues here is that I have no other point of contact with envelopes, no other purpose to interact with that medium, whereas I have about a billion or so other reasons to interact with computers, where my more preferred mail arrives (or even my phone where some of my preferred mail arrives).
   
2. And about the email thing: there are very few mailable items that can't be sent through some sort of electronic channel nowadays. As much as possible, I try to receive my important information through one of my four email accounts or some other internet repository. Fortunately, outside of Scranton, PA, much of the world is moving towards paperless modes of communication.
   In fact, much of what I receive in my real-life mailbox would be considered spam if sent online. I wouldn't really be upset if I didn't receive my weekly mailer telling me how awesomely priced canned yams and tire changes are this week. On top of that, a lot of the mail my mailbox accrues isn't even addressed to me but, rather, former inhabitants of my lovely home.
   
3. Of course, one of the arguments for maintaining the USPS is that some documents just can't be sent electronically because they need to be signed or in some other way "official." This argument applies, as well, to material items, like CDs, Snuggies, or ray guns.
   I have two gripes with this line of reasoning:
   
   1. Handwritten signatures and other bodily mediated forms of making documents official are antiquated procedures, considering the average American probably has 13 different online passwords and password certifications to guarantee that he is who he says he is. And if a signature is required, scanners, fax machines, or touch screens are all at least as reliable and honest as a handwritten signature and, of course, much quicker.
      
   2. The USPS isn't necessary to send packages or the official document and, in many instances, isn't even preferred. Compared to companies like FedEx and UPS, the USPS seems an underachieving and bloated iteration of an increasingly unnecessary service. In other words, privatize.
      
4. But Brett, some might say, if we privatize and eliminate the USPS, millions of postal workers will be out of jobs and really sweet government benefits. I agree that's problematic, particularly now, but it isn't the sort of long-term excuse that should (or should have) maintain(ed) the USPS for any extended amount of time.
   

Time to check my email.

(It turns out I had pretty useful transitions anyway, but at this point, I like the list.)

Question of the Week:

Now that UNC is pretty firmly out of the NCAA tournament – particularly after the news about Ed Davis missing six weeks, I have a rare opportunity to hope for a different national champion. Even though the tournament is still about five weeks away, I think I might start my (mostly silent) cheering now. So, what is the Question? (Not that.)

Who do you want to win the NCAA men's basketball championship?

My take: Villanova. I like Jay Wright and his Wildcats. Wright's style of coaching is very guard-centric, which is both valuable come tournament time and entertaining to watch. I think it's also hard to root against a Jay Wright team because he clearly belongs in "the bubble."