The United States government finally listened to what I had to say.

Effective 10 April 2016, the Post Office reduced its rate on first class mail from 49 cents to 47 cents. This was the first time they lowered the cost of a stamp in 100 years. Why? I have no clue. Seems stupid to me considering their financial condition. But hey, I’ll take a 4% cut in any of our expenses.

My Conversations With The Green Hills Post Office

I have a lot of interaction with the Post Office. I have a P.O. Box there to collect mail for Southeast Business Forums and Yooper Publications. One at a time and when requested, I mail my books to Amazon from the Green Hills post office (presumably someone has put an order in for a book). After Amazon conducts their quarterly inventory count and finds too many of my books are taking up shelf space, I receive the extra ones back. Happy Face!! Oh, I also buy my stamps from the nice folks behind the counter.

Freedom Stamp $5 - 1923. Photo by U.S. Post Office (2011). Smithsonian National Postal Museum. PD-USGOV. Wikimedia Commons. — Freedom Stamp $5 – 1923. Photo by U.S. Post Office (2011). Smithsonian National Postal Museum. PD-USGOV. Wikimedia Commons.

Another factoid in this story is that I’ve refused to use the Internet as a vehicle for automatic debits. You know, in order to save the electric company money processing my monthly payment. I enjoy sitting at my desk and stuffing envelopes with my checks and then slapping a stamp on the front. It gives me the opportunity to get in the car and visit the post office again (after having our mail stolen, I don’t put outgoing mail in our mail box any longer).

David M. Key, Tennessee Senator and U.S. Postmaster under President Hayes. Photo by Matthew Brady (c. 1870-80). Library of Congress. PD-USGOV. Wikimedia Commons.

The point of my little story is that I have a lot of interaction with Joe and the postal crew. So one day about a year ago, I told them that once the price of a stamp goes to fifty cents, I’m done. I will begin to convert my regular monthly payments to automatic debits. I’m sure they passed that on to the postmaster general and it was a key part of his or her decision (I don’t know who the postmaster general is and believe it or not, neither did Joe or the other folks behind the counter).

Finance Lesson

For those of you who purchased “Forever” stamps in order to save some money knowing stamp prices would keep going up, you’ve learned a valuable finance lesson. Now you know how financial people sometimes lose money when they hedge.

Last Thoughts and Comments

I have some other thoughts for our politicians and bureaucrats but unfortunately, this will likely be last time the U.S. government ever listens to me. At least they have to count my vote every four years.

Well, that’s my two cents worth.

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What’s New With Sandy and Stew?

Stew is focused on two things right now: getting our two books on medieval Paris published, and continuing the research for the book on the Nazi occupation of Paris.

Sandy and Stew (and Dan Owen) will be visiting Paris in September 2016 to wrap up our research for the next book, Where Did They Put the Gestapo Headquarters? A Walking Tour of Nazi Occupied Paris (1940–1944). We’re looking forward to seeing our friend, Raphaelle Crevet. She is a talented private guide and I highly recommend her if you are visiting Paris and some of the attractions outside the city (raphaellecrevet@yahoo.fr).

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