Heres' a graph showing the price of stamps vs CPI inflation vs the price of gasoline. It's not pretty.
It sure seems like price gouging to me. This graph represents the price of a first class stamp from 1919 to present day. Starting yesterday, the price of a first class stamp will rise to 44 cents a piece. That's an increase of 21X since 1919 when the stamp was 2 cents. Dr Perry asks if there should be federal hearings to investigate price gouging by the postal monopoly.
On a side note, I went to buy some first class stamps the other day and discovered forever stamps. Here's a picture of the stamp, the only stamp being made as a forever stamp:
Apparently, you can buy the forever stamp at any time and you can use it forever to mail a first class parcel. In other words, I could buy a forever stamp for 44 cents and in 20 years when it costs a 20 trillion dollars to mail a letter, I could still use my forever stamp purchased in 2009. For 44 cents.
I had never heard of this stamp. When I asked the postal guy what it was he said, "If I have to explain forever stamps one more time, my head is going to explode."
What a nice postal man you are Mr Postal Man. Thank you for kindly doing your job without having your head explode. I appreciate your time explaining to me how to buy a forever stamp and what it means, and I really appreciate you not letting your head explode.
Well, that's just how they are, y'know? Postal workers tend to be edgy and I for one, don't mess with them. Remember, they have earned a place in contemporary lexicons with the term "going postal."
ReplyDeleteWhere have you been? Under a rock? These stamps have been around for a couple of years now.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the postal guy, the idiots they have to put up with on a daily basis, if it would have been me I'd have told you to go home and Google it.
ReplyDelete44 cents to mail a letter anywhere in the country in 3-5 days...not bad!
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to plot the cost of medicine since 1919.
Agree...no excuse for poor "bedside" manners, with doctors or postal employees.