Editorial: What’s with the mail?

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

 

 

While those words are often quoted as the U.S. Postal Service’s motto, the mail service has no official slogan. 

 

 

The reference comes from the wars fought between the Greeks and Persians from 500-449 B.C. Nonetheless, the ancient phrase has been touted through the ages, referencing postal deliveries. 

 

 

But not anymore.

 

 

If you’ve had trouble with timely service, sending or receiving, you’re not alone.  

 

 

All you have to do is listen, and you’ll hear horror stories from residents who thought that “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” meant swift and reliable service.

 

 

Repeat, not anymore.

 

 

The easy option is to lambast your local postal clerks and carriers. 

 

 

But that’d be unfair.  

 

 

The local postal workers are just as frustrated. Mandated distribution reorganization has thrown the proverbial monkey wrench into the mix. And when the Postmaster General in Washington sends out an edict, well, the troops must follow his marching orders.

 

 

The Oglethorpe Echo has relied on the post office as its delivery partner during its 150-year history.

 

 

Recently, the complaints have never been so numbered or frequent. 

 

 

And we aren’t just talking about the newspapers. Regular first-class mail often takes weeks for delivery, when a few days were the norm.

 

 

Perhaps you’ve read or seen the news about what’s going on in Atlanta. 

 

 

Four distribution centers in North Georgia have been consolidated into one megacenter in Palmetto. On paper, the cost-saving/efficiency plan must have seemed promising, but the result — so far — has been a delivery nightmare. 

 

 

So much for progressive change.

 

 

In the meantime, know that your newspaper is doing everything it can to ensure prompt delivery. We are in regular contact with the Athens postal officials who oversee delivery in our area.  

 

 

What’s happening in Atlanta is 100% out of local control.

 

 

Thank you for your loyal readership. As a subscriber, we hope you are signed up for our no-extra-cost email editions sent out on Wednesdays. 

 

 

But if you don’t get your print edition, please let us know.  We are determined to do everything we can to promptly deliver the latest community news to you.

 

 

And about that motto, often attributed to the post office. Forget it. 

 

 

Times and hard-to-understand changes have left postal workers frustrated, too.