Saturday, August 23, 2008

Close Enough For Government Work

There is a new law in the illustrious State of California ... you cannot talk on a cell phone while driving (you can however text on a cell phone while driving which makes perfect sense ... NOT!). I think the United States government employees feel they are exempt from this new law because for the second time in 7 days our mail was delivered by a postal worker holding a cell phone to his/her ear. Today's said Postal Guy went one step further ... he was holding the phone to his left ear, driving with his knee, and popping the mail into the boxes with his right hand. Talk about multi-talented!! Maybe they could move him up a pay level just for creativity while completing his job duties. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on the camera fast enough to snap his picture.

This was just another of those examples of our crappy mail service. In addition to about 1/2 of my mail taking 4 weeks to arrive anywhere east of the Colorado River over the past 4 1/2 years (when we moved to this house), I've also received "notes" written to me by my Mail Carrier ON MY MAIL. One example was: "Your car is blocking the mail box ... move it." First, it wasn't MY car ... it was the car of a friend of my daughters who was just released from the Marine Corps and who was spending the night to rest up for a cross-country drive to Florida to meet up with his parents who he hadn't seen in 4 years. Second, it is against the law to tamper with the mail. My mail carrier should be arrested. Third, OH HEAVEN FORBID A MAIL CARRIER WOULD HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE DAMNED VEHICLE AND ACTUALLY WALK TO THE MAIL BOX!!! Whatever happened to "neither rain nor sleet nor dark of night will stop the post office from deliverying the mail"? I guess they figure that doesn't include parked cars so they are safe. Speaking of walking to the mail box, I am a member of a book club. Each time I receive one of these boxes, the mail carrier berates my rear for not having a mailbox with a slot large enough to accept boxes ... it makes him get out and walk up to the door. Oh boo hoo. If I were him I'd considering walking off the 50 extra pounds he looks like he's carrying around his middle a "perk" ... free fitness center membership!

... and people wonder why the general public has such low respect for government services provided and the people working for them. *sigh*

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