Why do Republicans hate the Post Office? And Amtrak? Getting mail is a pretty cool thing, and it seems like a real public good. It seems to be like something the government just ought to ensure gets done for its citizens. Like roads, and airfields, and other public infrastructure. Why do Republicans object to it so?
Especially in a state like Idaho that has folks living remote areas, it seems like subsidizing mail pickup and delivery is just a good use of taxpayer money. I mean, really, does it seem right that people living in Murphy or Grasmere ought to have to bear the full cost of their mail delivery, as if they were to get a FedEx package 5 days a week?
Yes, it does cost taxpayer money, yes it does subsidize rural folks, and yes, increasingly electronics are doing away with the need for mail pickup and delivery. But in the past mail was the only means to exchange documents, and for many people in many places it still is. Hating on the Post Office seems so, petty, and chintzy.
Kinda the same with Amtrak. Why do Republicans think it must stand on its own with no taxpayer help? Again, it is a public infrastructure good. Why can't we help it out?
2 comments:
We recently were able to contact the Gold Star Mother of a soldier that had been killed in A'stan after being unable to contact her via mail or phone for several months. We learned that the post office in her small town of 300 people in Northern Idaho had closed and the Post Office set up PO Boxes for them 25 miles away in Bonners Ferry. The kicker is that mail with their old addresses on them was returned to sender 60 days after the change, so most of our correspondence to her was sent back to us. She had no phone service in the town either.
An excellent, and sad, example of why the Postal Service is important to us, and worth paying for.
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