On Jan. 8, the U.S. Postal Service increased the price of a single first-class stamp from 37 cents to 39 cents. This increase is the first since June of 2002.
Of all the government's initiatives, increasing the cost of mail seems like a fruitless pursuit, overall. I would be all for the increase, but the last time I mailed something via snail mail, I was 12, and I was sending a letter to my pen pal from Germany, who happened to be a cute older girl.
Since I've grown up in the golden age of digital information transmission, the idea of a pen, some paper and an envelope with a stamp on it all seem archaic to me. I would rather spend a few minutes at my computer and rest assured that my message will be sent and received in the time it would have taken me to walk to the mailbox.
In fact, I would be more willing to spend money on e-mail if it meant the traditional mailing system would be abolished.
In practice, I do pay for e-mail transmission by buying a computer and paying for an Internet connection. I recommend we eliminate the Postal Service and rely, instead, entirely on e-mail. Packages, of course, could still be sent traditionally - but only when necessary.
The Postal Service has the goal of putting $3.1 billion in an escrow account by October. I'm sure the math on the profits the increase will cause has already been taken care of by the government, but what happens if the increase doesn't create the desired effect? Another increase might happen in the near future, then another and another.
On a positive note, the increase in the price of a stamp has given the specialty stamp a second run in popularity. A two-cent stamp in previous years was unnecessary because one-cent stamps could make up the difference. Now, though, two-cent stamps are again available to make up the difference in cost that normal stamps have incurred. One particular stamp enjoying renewed popularity is the two-cent Navajo stamp, first introduced in 2004. The stamp features Navajo jewelry and is the only available stamp worth two cents.
It is heartwarming to see a stamp being sold that portrays some of the most influential people of our country, and the Navajo stamp now has an important place in our country's oldest means of written communication. However, I wonder why the two-cent stamp was introduced in 2004. Does that mean there was some inkling of the fact the price of postage might be increasing in the near future?
Either way, I have been thinking it might be a good investment to start a stamp collection now, because the day stamps are no longer printed could be coming soon.
But if the Postal Service continues the old-fashioned ground mail system that has been in place for more than two centuries, rather than moving into the digital age, there will be a void to be filled in the way of two-cent stamps. So I propose a new stamp: In light of the amazing amount of money two-cent stamps stand to make the Postal Service, the theme of the stamp should be $3.1 billion. Imagine what a novelty it would be to have a stamp with so many tiny zeros on it that it would be hard to discern what the theme actually was.
And to help the Postal Service earn that money, feel free to write to me the old-fashioned way, if you find an urge to visit the past. Good luck finding my address, though, and I would rather e-mail you back, so be sure to include your electronic mail address.
But if you happen to use one of the Navajo stamps, I will save it and hopefully make a good investment for the uncertain future.
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