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Please Mr. Postman
In 1961, the first version of the song Please Mr. Postman, the Marvelettes sang,
Please Mister Postman
Deliver de letter the sooner de better
At the time, a first-class postage stamp cost 4 cents. Adjusted for inflation, that would be 35 cents today. When the Beatles recorded their version in 1963, it cost a nickel to mail a letter. By the time The Carpenters cover of the song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the rate had risen to a dime. I’m guessing many people don’t even know what it costs to mail a letter today. In case you are wondering, it’s 55 cents.
I guess paying 55 cents wouldn’t be unreasonable if we actually received our mail. In 2006, Congress passed a law requiring the USPS to pre-fund health benefits for future retirees, which hurt its ability to turn a profit in recent years. Add to that the decline in written communication and bill paying by mail, as more people do these things online. Mix in the appointment of Trump crony Louis DeJoy as Postmaster General and his efforts to slow USPS deliveries as part of a scheme to delay mail-in ballots and privatize mail service. The icing on the cake was the pandemic, which has drastically lowered mail volume. So, I am not surprised that mail is a bit slower these days, but how to account for not getting expected mail at all?
