Before I go any further, I know the USPS performs a thankless job. They have an obligation to deliver the mail to every address in the United States. And, as a former U.S. government employee, I can understand the frustrations they go through on a daily basis. They are fighting against a tide of red ink like so many others are this day. They face the prospects of a dwindling business due to high technology. The USPS faces a lot of problems.

What I don't understand is how they train their employees. My interaction with the USPS begins and ends at the mailbox. Therein lies my problem. We have had a new carrier for the entire month of June. The first week she worked our route, I didn't get ANY mail. I called about it, customer relations representative said she would look into the problem. And I got a weeks worth of mail the very next day. But, the big problem with this carrier seems to be she does not seem to care about her job. I have been getting mail from another street address about a block from me. This address has the same numerical (7174) as I do. But, a COMPLETELY different street. I can understand this once, twice...maybe even three times in one month. What I don't expect is to have it happen 4 or 5 times a week. And, yes, the other address, with the same numerals, is getting my mail as well. We have developed a friendship as a result of this interaction. But, we both agree that this mix up should not be happening so frequently.

So, I complained again last Friday. Yesterday, I got mail that was almost a month old. I called the other addressee and he said he got mail that was a month old also. I have not been holding his mail and he has not been holding my mail. We have exchanged mail in an attempt to keep current on our bills. I'm not sure where my fight should go next. The other man and I are at our wit's end. It is ridiculous this is happening. But, I suppose my next step is to contact my U.S. Congressman to intervene. I had hoped it would not come to that. But, that seems the only thing left to do now.