November 22, 2010
Speaking of snail mail….
“For six consecutive years, the U.S. Postal Service has been rated as the most trusted agency of the federal government by the Ponemon Institute”. Basically, it all comes down to “Mailman Bruce”– that trusted letter carrier who gives your dog a biscuit and takes packages to the back door if no one is home. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro said letter carriers are “the eyes and ears of the neighborhood.”
That snail mail guardian goes to every door 6 days per week. If mail accumulates in the box of an elderly customer or if the TV is not blasting as usual, the carrier knows something’s wrong. Tom Nehlen, a letter carrier from Youngstown, Ohio noticed smoke billowing from a house on his route. He enlisted a neighbor. Together they entered the house to rescue the occupants who were clustered in a smoke-filled kitchen. Later that same day, Tom saw a 12 year old boy crash his bike into a van. He called 911 then rushed to the youth’s side till the emergency vehicle arrived. All in a day’s work! I’ve heard stories of letter carriers who have thwarted burglars, rescued children and pets in trouble, performed CPR before the first responders arrived and have actually saved lives …Good Samaritan stuff, human stuff. AND, on top of all that , he/she brings your “virus free” old-fashioned, private correspondence directly to your door. WOW!
By the way, the price for a U.S. Postage stamp is NOT increasing in January. Write more snail mail letters.
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References:
National Association of Letter Carriers, Postal Record, Nov.2010, Vol. 123/No.10
United States Postal Inspection Service brochure: Deliveringtrust.com