The American Spectator

God forbid, though, that Obama and his civilian army — which represents true Astroturf in this current matter — precipitate something they cannot undo physically and for which Obama would exert his dictatorial hand even further.
— C. Kenna Amos Jr.
Princeton , West Virginia

AS I WRITE THIS LETTER
Re: Chris Edwards & Tad DeHaven’s Free the Mails:

I am a consummate letter writer. I love putting pen to paper and thoughts abound from experiences on the ranch, meandering thoughts to ponder, old stories from childhood, and in the case of my children (or those we call our semi-sons and daughters), ponderings of faith, designed to think about, or challenging them to grow in Christ. To them my letters become a legacy of sorts, opened in quiet times, and sometimes treasured with cups of tea or designer coffee,and stored in the heart. Even little son, as we call him, brought home quite a large chest of them, when he graduated from USAFA. In fact he used the occasion to give me a real moment of clarity.

As little son was visiting and readying to attend flight school, upon completion of the Air Force Academy, he asked me if I would store a trunk of his. I remember telling him that he was a man now and needed to be responsible for all belongings, and he said, “Yes, but Mom, this is important.” So, I asked him what was so important in the trunk it needed to be stored here, thinking it must house mementoes from his days there. Instead he smiled and said simply, “Mom, it contains all four years of the letters you wrote and mailed me, and kept me focused and encouraged.” Of course, tears later and the trunk stored up in the attic, I pondered the situation, wondering just how many letters are in the trunk and all the while remembering that it has been letters that others have mailed me, that also brought long needed love, encouragement, truths to ponder, and grace.

A person walking into any of the postal offices in East Texas would be challenged to recognize the place for what it is, a station to buy stamps, mail packages, and pick up mail. Most offices, I have noted, look like a department store for what nots, fancy gee gaws, and novelties. It is these things, along with government mismanagement and incompetence, that have produced repeated losses.

We lived in Germany for nearly four years. I wrote many letters back home to Texas, and received my like share, and noted that a German post office has no resemblance to an American one. The interior of the building looks like a place simply to mail letters, buy stamps, or mail packages (and you’d better prepare to bring lots of cash) because no credit cards, checks, or anything else was used, in the middle 1980’s. I even sent my children to mail letters in the post office back then, because it made them feel grown-up.

Strip the post offices of all but the necessary. Leave the selling of novelties to department stores and stationery catalogues. Don’t keep hiking prices on those, like me, who write to others all the time. Stick the higher prices onto catalogue senders and other circular distributors. Let junk mail pick up the tab. And for Pete’s sake, pick a Postmaster General from someone who has real business experience, for even a cattle rancher, who lives by his seasons of calves, could run the Post Office better. Spare my letter writing from another hike in prices!
— B. Gunn
East Texas Rancher

As I read the piece I would love to know who the authors feel would want to take over the USPS’s operations? Who would want the home delivery service? I would imagine it would not be Fed-Ex or UPS as they want to remain profitable. The reason the USPS is a public operation is that no private company wants the entire business. Sometimes government is the only option.
— Mark Hartshorn

SOCIALISM IN NEW ZEALAND
Re: Loretta Austin’s letter in Reader Mail’s Warning Low Battery:

I spent 12 years living and working in different countries, five of those in the USA which provided some experience of your health system. As a New Zealander who works in the health industry, I take issue with Loretta Austin’s assertions regarding socialised healthcare.

Firstly, it is a fallacy that socialised healthcare is “free.” Nothing is free; it is funded by taxpayers who may or may not require the “services,” but are forced to fund it nonetheless.

Secondly, when the state (i.e. government) runs something — anything — the services are rationed. Supply does not naturally grow to meet demand; it is limited with patients having no choice but to line up, wait for their turn and be grateful for it. In so doing, the services become politicised as does every associated individual. The service, (in this case, health), is run by a top-heavy bureaucracy that has no incentive to operate efficiently. Because there is no profit motive, there is no incentive to treat people more quickly, hence patients languishing on the long waiting lists in every country that operates a similar system. Or the Die-While-You’re-Waiting lists as I prefer to think of them.

Thirdly, state healthcare encourages personal irresponsibility. There is no incentive to make better personal choices regarding health and fitness when you know that “the government” will bail you out. Only it’s not “the government” is it; it’s every taxpayer. As the saying goes, robbing Peter to pay Paul isn’t fair on Peter — and it doesn’t do Paul much good, either.

Fourthly, in addition to irresponsible individuals taking advantage of taxpayers, state healthcare encourages odious corporate lobbying which further serves to distort the market and increase prices. In a truly free healthcare market — that is to say, free from government interference, which not even the US operates — those currently subsidised orthodox medical practitioners would have to compete on the same level playing field as alternative complementary practitioners, the latter of whom just get on with the business of running their businesses at prices to suit their market.

I guess the best way to illustrate the beauty and common sense of the free market is to look at the food supply which is firmly in the hands of private operators. There is no shortage of supply with product available to suit all tastes and budgets.

Contrast that with the former Soviet Union that took it upon itself to control the food supply, along with everything else. Remember the queues? People lined up for hours for basic necessities that ran out long before the queues did.