Tuckahoe Village Departments

TUCKAHOE TALK
With Mayor John Fitzpatrick

"Laissez Faire La Nature"
('Let nature run its course')

August 9, 2010

The building that houses the Tuckahoe Post office is for sale. Many of you may have seen the sign or even read a blurb in the paper to that effect. It seems that its potential sale has many residents concerned. In reality, the sale of this building doesn't necessarily mean the post office would close. Perhaps a possible new owner would renegotiate a lease with the post office which, by the way, expires within the next two years. The concerns that residents conveyed to me regarding a hypothetical closing of the Tuckahoe Post Office primarily centered on convenience. Interestingly, many felt compelled to add how important the Tuckahoe Post Office was because they disliked the Fisher Ave. branch or annex or whatever it is. Most felt for all its flaws the Tuckahoe branch was far superior to Fisher Ave. and didn't want to be relegated there. In regards to the Fisher Ave. branch, residents ran through a litany of mismanagement items including an amusing anecdote where recently the branch didn't have stamps for two weeks. One would think any post office operating without stamps was a testament to why the postal service is doomed.

With the concept of "socialism" being bandied about quite a lot of late, albeit by many who know not of what they speak, and privatization with less government the rally cry for many more, I wondered how the Postal Service had managed to elude scrutiny. Perhaps it was the fact that it was the second largest civilian employer in the U.S. with 596,000 workers. (Wal-Mart is first.) Was it just too big to be gotten rid of? How could the anti-government/running a business crowd, forever citing the lack of competition (and don't forget unions) as the reason everything costs too much — allow this?

The real explanation may be the fact that the Constitution itself lays out the framework for the Postal Service in the Postal Clause. It should be noted, however, that Thomas Jefferson prophetically feared that the postal service would become a source of patronage and a waste of money. Given the Postal Clause, even the "don't tread on me" set would have a hard time trying to eliminate the post office when the founding fathers they love to quote took the time to write this one down. Not all government programs are written down; others are more complicatedly deemed necessary to promote the pursuit of happiness. Although our country is considered a constitutional republic, we are all aware that this doesn't mean one will find a right to education, mass transportation or healthcare in the actual document.

Despite what is or isn't listed in the Constitution, a good friend of mine wants everything privatized; all schools, transportation systems and even the untouchable postal service. It creates competition is his motto. I'm not convinced he is correct. As Americans we may believe ourselves to be good little capitalists, and if we advocated for pure capitalism or a "let nature run its course", as laissez-faire policies suggest, the post office would long ago have been out of business. However, I feel when it comes to capitalism, and most other aspects of American life for that matter, we tend to embrace a more hybridized version. In fact, rationally we want regulation from government — we all just argue on where to stop or where to begin! Complete privatization scares many, since it would leave us at the mercy of many forces. United Water and other utilities are perfect examples of the greed a monopoly can inflict on residents. At least in theory, we have entities like the Public Service Commission to potentially control rate increases.

The Constitution may say we shall have postal service, but our illustrious document doesn't say it shouldn't be efficient and less costly. It doesn't say we need delivery six days a week; in fact, I'm not sure even five days is necessary. Let me be clear, I'm not advocating for a Yonkers one day garbage pick up thing, where a back up of mail possibly destroys the quality of life. I just believe government could embrace some free market management policies for greater efficiency.

In addition, from a planning stand point, I have always thought the existing Tuckahoe Post Office didn't belong on Columbus and Main Street. All the trucks, the odd parking and general layout certainly don't enhance the village square. Instead, I would rather see a small tasteful annex in the square, and then the trucks and a hub for our entire town moved to a better-suited location such as Marbledale Road. I would point out that this would also allow for additional "intelligent development" within our other center of the village; but heaven forbid.

Given that people are no longer writing songs or singing about the postman, perhaps that is a sign that its days are over. Personally, I don't care if our post office closes or not. In fact, I think I'm becoming a little like the TV character Kramer of the Seinfeld series. Kramer decided he didn't want mail any longer, but ultimately was unable to stop it. I can see the logic to its elimination, since all my bills are paid online and the majority of the stuff that arrives, including political mailers, is unwanted. Unfortunately, if postal service were to become privatized, I am under the sneaky suspicion that those who send me all the junk I don't want, would still find a way to send me all the junk I don't want. Finally, I will end with the admission that I still like getting a birthday card from my mother, even if I don't send her one.