My mailbox needs painting. In fact it probably should be replaced. Is it really worth spending money on something which I'm told will soon be obsolete? It has even been suggested that encouraging mail delivery is bad for the environment. All that junk mail , bills from creditors and the occasional personal letter use paper. Paper comes from trees. Deforestation is causing climate change. Go paperless and save the world! Go paperless and watch postal service grind to a halt. Its inevitable. We innovate and some service becomes obsolete.
The horseless carriage brought an end to blacksmith shops. The iron horse brought an end to the stage coach. The airplane brought an end to train service. The first two instances brought new jobs. The last one screwed the consumer. I guess two out three isn't bad.
Fast forward to the age of the computer and Internet and we see the groundwork being laid to make mail service obsolete. E-mail, on line banking, Facebook, Twitter and smart phones are changing the way we communicate and conduct our financial affairs. The United States Postal Service is left sucking hind tit. Of course the USPS has a response - raise postal rates, cut service and close facilities. That's what the railroads did when they raised the white flag to airliners. Now we have an abundance of freight trains, gas guzzlers on the road and guess what - a struggling airline industry. Soon we'll have FedEx, UPS and a struggling USPS delivering packages - no mail. The consumer is left hanging once again. Become computer and Internet savvy or become obsolete along with postal service.
One bright spot in all of this. I can save a buck by forgetting about the condition of my mailbox.
Come to think of it maybe I should refurbish it - I'm sure it will soon be an antique which can turn a buck on e-Bay.
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