The public just doesn’t get
JUNK MAIL (Literally)!
The L.A. Times, my local paper, reported last week on a 58 year-old mailman, Stephen Padgett, who according to the LA times was stressed and overworked. Their headline was “He’s their hero for not bringing around the mail”. That’s because of his audacious deed of squirreling away 7 years of junk mail by hiding it in his garage and burying it in his yard. He only delivered the First Class mail. According to his attorney, Padgett was overwhelmed by the torrents of “direct advertising mail” he was obligated to deliver as he contended with heart problems and diabetes.
A city worker noticed stacked cartons of mail of his porch and notified the Post Office. Mailman Steve was charged with delaying and destroying U.S. mail. According to the LA Times, no one called to complain about not receiving their junk mail and suggested the mailman did the public a favor.
US District Judge James C Denver III could have sent Padgett to prison for five year and fined him $250,000, but instead gave him just 3 years probation, a $3,000 fine and 500 hours of community service.
The LA Times went on to quote one reader who said “That mailman Steve should get a commendation”. Another wrote in and offered to help pay Padgett’s legal fees. However the Times reported that Padgett’s efforts to spare the neighbors their junk mail were not much appreciated by the Direct Marketing Assn. The Postal Service also didn’t look kindly on Padgett’s failure to deliver the Standard mail, which accounts for half of the volume of US mail and a third of the service’s revenue. “We don’t consider it junk mail”, spokesman David Partenheimer said- just as newspapers don’t consider the ads that flutter out of the daily paper to be junk”, he added.
Geeeeeeeeeze Louise! What’s this world coming to? Doesn’t the LA Times know that most people like getting their discount coupons and love their special offers? Eight out of 10 people look at their “Junk Mail” according to DMA. How could we go to Bed, Bath and Beyond without the familiar blue 20% off coupon? And what about our pizza coupons and subscription offers? And, doesn’t the LA Times know that the USPS would probably go broke without the revenue that standard (junk) mail brings it? And by the way, Standard mail is already sorted for them and bundled by zip unlike the one-cy and two-cy first mail letters dropped in the local postal box.
Padgett did lose his job, thankfully. And luckily the LA Times’ opinion is not shared by the Post Office or most people receiving the so called Junk Mail. And, I believe, that even the people who hate junk mail would learn to love it when they saw the price of stamps without the junk mail subsidy. That’s just my 2¢ worth- LL.