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Show MORE BUREAUCRATIC PROGRESS Well, they did it again! About a hundred or so years ago, the U.S. Government Govern-ment gave the railroads and the mails a big assist when they did away with the Pony Express and gave mail contracts con-tracts to the railroads. That's about the last good move the bureaucrats back in the District of Columbia have done for either segment of American life. Most of the great progress in settling of the U.S. and the achievements which made this the greatest country in the world, were directly affected by the foresight fore-sight of those who contributed to the development of and promotion of rail transportation and fast efficient mail service. Everything progressed nicely until after the Second World War when somebody decided that rail service was too slow for the mail, and disposed of rail mail con tracts right and left, which, beside deteration of the mail service to rural America (and all Ibut about njne cities fall into this classification), caused an immediate and disasterous shortcoming in the rail passenger service throughout the country. As useless as the zip code, (try mailing a letter using just name, street address and zip code, I did seven years ago and it hasn't arrived yet.) as unprofitable as the Post-Office Post-Office Dept. has always been, and in the fact of reorganizing reor-ganizing the P.O- to take government and politics out of its operation, the bureaucrats come up with Railpax or Amtrac which in one fell swoop eliminated nearly half of the passenger service in the nation, all feeder lines which .connected lines, points and made the whole system feasible. fea-sible. We don't blame the railroads for joining Amtrac, air traffic and removal of the mails from the rails, has made it unprofitable to continue. But, much better we should leave the operation of trains to trainmen, instead of politicians. More has been lost, than gained since 1946, and more will be lost. Next 'they will promote a mass transportation system, the equivalent equi-valent of 25 years ago or will their next move after cutting rail service to the bone be to put the mail back on the rails. May 15 is the date set to put into effect the new mail rates, only temporary Ibecause the rate commission commis-sion has not as yet approved permanent rates of almost twice what the temporary changes will be. Eight cents to mail a first class letter is a one hundred and twenty-five twenty-five (125) increase in twenty-five years. Where does it stop? do we have to go back to the stage and Pony Express to end the cycle? |