At the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee meeting two weeks ago, there were plenty of suggestions about how to get us back on good financial footing.
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) suggested that we mount a national advertising campaign promoting letter writing.
In order to make us $1 billion, American's would have to write about 2.2 billion letters -- that's 8 for each and every man, woman and child.
To pay all of our obligations, it would take about 70 additional letters per person a year.
Is her suggestion and a campaign worth pursuing?
Comment here.
Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) suggested that we mount a national advertising campaign promoting letter writing.
In order to make us $1 billion, American's would have to write about 2.2 billion letters -- that's 8 for each and every man, woman and child.
To pay all of our obligations, it would take about 70 additional letters per person a year.
Is her suggestion and a campaign worth pursuing?
Comment here.
20 comments:
Start with educating children in the classroom. I've had several young adults that don't even know how to address an envelope/package properly. Even the school system is going electronic. Very sad.
I agree with the first poster...I get young people in my post office quite often who need help preparing a package to be mailed because they've "never mailed anything before"!! Do they even teach letter writing in schools anymore??
Writing more letters would help....but would it be enough? The main thing that is savings us thus far....is the online ID theft problems. If they ever get that secure....it will be over. Many people, myself included, are concerned with everything you do online is visable. You think those emails you are sending are private?? Make a threat against the president.....and see how long it takes the SS to show up at your door. :)
At the most it will help for a short period of time. I can see people writing a letter or two as a novelty, but it won't change behavior long term.
Well, I am a mail artist and I already sent at many more than 80 pieces of mail a year -- we all do. They don't teach cursive writing in most schools now because kids use use keyboards -- of course they don't teach them to write letters. people could certainly send out mail if they made the effort -- birthday greetings, get well cards, invitations, thank you cards...
Aint gonna happen.
People aren't going to write letters as long as they have texting and FaceBook. It's just not important to them. It's sad, but this generation is going to be the first of many, I'm afraid, that will have no written history like our ancestors have left in the pages of their letters.
I am all for writing letters (I do it now) but what about the cost of the campaign and how the heck are you going to get people to do it? Offer them free stamps or reduced stamps for every so many letters they bring into the post office? That idea is as dumb as the person suggesting the campaign. We need to start kids doing this when they are very young but since all they teach now is how to use the internet and everything has to be typed not hand written, I don't see it changing. My kids grew up writing thankyou cards and letters but as adults, they don't do it now. It is a phone call or an email. Maybe we should start the campaign by having each congressional leader "write" a letter to no less than 1/3 of the people in their precint telling them what they are doing for them and instead of using political mail postage, stick a forever stamp on each piece. Of course the postage needs to come out of their own pockets. There goes the campaign.....
INCREASE YOUR CHRISTMAS CARD LIST BY 70 addresses times the number of people in your family. THAT would be a simple solution that people could understand and it prompts those who receive a card from you, to send one back and possibly on to others as well. ALSO...it's a MERRY and CHEERFUL way to generate revenue for the USPS :) HO HO HO......WATCH THE REVENUE GROW GROW GROW! :)
Wanda Frasier, PM Burr Oak KS 66936
Although I treasure those videos of my grandson, sent via my phone; I will always cherish the post cards, greeting cards and hopefully some day, the letters he sends. I can touch and feel the love attached to those items. Electronic messages are copy/paste/forward bits of unoriginal data. Mailed pieces are the antiques of the future. Send more love!
At this point, there is no single solution that will restore USPS to solid financial footing, but -- rather -- a number of smaller pieces that need to be combined. Writing more letters would help. When sales items are on the counter at the Post Office -- CD's, etc. -- they quickly sell out. Put some of the notecards we sell out there and see what happens.
Is that 8 letters per person per year?
Getting businesses to advertise by mail is the answer.
Makes about as much sense as buying more food so we'll have more trash to keep sanitation companies in business 6 days a week.
USPS has already taken a good step forward in partnering with Hallmark cards for the prepaid envelope; I think an advertising campaign of getting people to send even 8 cards (more) a year would be successful, especially if Hallmark or American Greetings helped with the advertising. Personally, I send out at least 8 cards a month to friends & family; there is absolutely nothing like getting a real card in the mail to bring a smile to one's face!
AGAIN, the usps "management", and unwittingly, the well meaning Represetitive, are trying to distract us from the serious business of getting the CONGRESS to fix the mess they've made.
1 - Give the USPS back ALL the money that they've overpaid because of crimminally poor management.
2 - Stop requiring pre-funding of estimated retiree healthcare costs.
well, I personnally have met the quotea stated--I send cards to my friends for bdays, holidays, Christmas, and then I just like to drop a line or two. I use email, texting, phone calls, too, but I like the mixture of it all. And I pay my bills by mail for a little control and discipline on my side. :0)
Just shows that even a congressman, who has no idea what they are talking about, thinks they know how to save us. Thanks to PMG everyone on the street knows how to save us. Asking everyone to write letters won't save us, and besides we have already had several such campaigns. Does she really think this was an original idea??
So I am from Missouri, and I just want to appologize for her right here and now. We arent all idiots in this state. The only ones that know what is wrong with the post office are those of us that run the offices every day. We see day after day all the wasted money on computer programs, PFP (really, what a joke) and BC advertising materials, that usually goes in the trash,and of course I could go on and on, but you all know what I am saying. Get rid of the red tape people and those that continue to come up with new programs just to justify their jobs and we might just see a difference.
It's really sad to know that the younger generations don't care about the pen and paper (letter-writing) anymore. With texts and emails around, I guess they wont even bother. For me, I'd still go with letter-writing to preserve my privacy and of course to preserve my culture.
-admin
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