Speaking of the Post Office...

Speaking of the Post Office...  I received a very official-looking letter from the Post Office (photo at right, with my address obscured), with a big banner saying “Verification Required” and “Do Not Discard.”  This immediately triggered my junk mail detector – that's exactly the sort of thing they do to get you to open the envelope.

I flipped it over, and it tells you right there that you're about to be subjected to direct mail marketing (aka “junk mail”).  Note that nothing listed on the back indicates any action is required on my part.

So I opened it up.  Inside were a number of coupons and advertising circulars, and the confirmation letter (see below) – which required no action on my part.  After pawing through all the coupons, I found exactly one coupon that we might use: 10% off at Lowe's, on up to $5,000 worth of merchandise.  The rest were all junk.

The Post Office – which my tax dollars subsidize – has become a junk mailer.

Can we just outsource the Post Office, please?