United States Postal Service

I have been working with the U.S. Postal Service for the past year and a half.  You've probably read and heard all about USPS' financial woes, Congressional roadblocks, and institutional challenges.  In working with the organization at their DC headquarters, I've learned a lot about the Postal Service - how it has evolved in recent years, how it got to be where it is today, its original founding principles, and and its service to America.

The Postal Service is a unique organization.  Though it is self-funded by its own sales and operations, it is bound to government regulation and oversight.  It is required to pre-fund retirement for its employees, though no other organization in the world does so.  The Postal Service must deliver mail six days a week to every address in the nation, including some which are only accessible by helicopter or mule.  It is the only representative of the government (despite not being funded by the government) that reaches every U.S. town, village, and dwelling with an address on a regular basis.

Originally created first by a British grant and then by the Second Continental Congress, the Postal Service was established to enable early American colonists to communicate and connect with one another in a geographically disparate region. Nominated as the first Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin implemented many policies and procedures that are still in use today.

The Postal Service's mandate is humbling, and its supporting infrastructure is astounding.  However, with the growth of electronic mail and package delivery, and the decrease of traditional mail, the Postal Service is working to realign its physical assets to better serve current demand.  In the meantime, USPS must continue to serve its paper-based business customers while becoming even more creative in its product and service development in the electronic sphere.  Amongst all this, USPS still must present any major changes to current offerings and services and potential new offerings to Congress for approval, as USPS is beholden to Congressional oversight even though they do not receive Congressional funding.

Given these challenges, it is not surprising that the Postal Service is struggling.  Nor is it surprising that USPS's role in and interaction with government is not well understood - many people (incorrectly) assume the Postal Service receives government funding and is still somehow billions of dollars in debt. USPS is working on making changes to remain viable to the American people while still upholding their original mandate of connecting the country.  Unfortunately, Congress has rejected most, if not all of the Postal Service's proposals. 

The Postal Service has a long history of innovation and early adoption of new technology.  In recent years, though, its enormous physical infrastructure and Congressional gridlock have crippled this trait.  The mandate to connect the country and allow nation-wide communication is still a vital, valid one - online connectivity notwithstanding.  Though sending physical mail and packages around the country is the stated responsibility of USPS, the outreach our mail carriers provide to the most remote corners of the nation, to the most isolated citizens, may be the most valuable activity the Postal Service has to offer. 

USPS is always the first agency back on the ground after natural disasters, the first representation of authority to reconnect people to a sense of normalcy.  Their physical and technological infrastructure allows them to make adjustments to delivery in the face of those disasters so that vital medications and the like are still delivered to the intended recipients in a timely manner.  USPS is the only organization in the mailing industry that can and does achieve all this, both because of and thanks to its constitutional mandate.  The U.S. Postal Service is a model for other posts around the globe.  Its role in our lives is essential.  USPS can evolve to meet the digital age, if we let it - and we must.

2013 Tea Party

With the upcoming Virginia gubernatorial elections, Virginia will serve as a signpost for the current status and popularity and perceived chances of longevity for the tea party.  The Republican ticket includes current Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, who believes that the University of Virginia somehow fraudulently funded research into global warming and that women's rights should be more reminiscent of the 1850s, and E.W. Jackson who compared Planned Parenthood to the KKK.  For a state that has been described as going purple, this is a fairly extreme party ticket.

Contrasted with this is the news that Michelle Bachman is not seeking reelection to her U.S. House of Representatives seat. As a (formerly?) prominent advocate of Tea Party beliefs, this news is not entirely surprising in light of the fact that tea party popularity seems to be waning.  Some say her decision is due to lack of confidence in her ability to be reelected - perhaps the tea party is weakening in Minnesota more quickly in Virginia.

Third parties are potentially a valuable shot in the arm for the two party system.  Libertarian and Green parties have straggled along as minority parties for years now, but have not gained mainstream traction. Perhaps the reason so much attention has been paid to the Tea Party is because it is potentially the first alternative party to garner nation-wide attention since the Republicans overtook the Whigs in the 1850s-1860s.  Virginia's November election results may determine the course of the party going forward.