I hope not, either. I don't want to exploit my fellow productive citizens. I was compensated for my work with the USPS. While you might well believe that I was overcompensated for such work, it wasn't given for doing nothing, and I tried to perform my job to the best of my ability. I felt that I owed that to our customers and my co-workers, just like any worker for any other enterprise.
That you somehow think that through all of this mess, somehow you should glide along above the fray unscathed without any sort of a haircut, given where this country is, offends me!
But I don't believe I'm really gliding above the fray unscathed. First of all, I have friends, family, and acquaintances in private employment who are at risk in this economy. I read stories about people losing their retirements and they break my heart. Sure, it's not the same as having it happen to myself, but those things still bother me. What about about our younger generations? Even if we could secure retirement for ourselves there're our children and grandchildren to consider. There are younger workers who live in fear of an uncertain future. How can any person be comfortable in such an environment of fear and privation? Empathy also "happens" to foolish anglos such as myself, as well as wise latinas. As for the financial haircut, I lost heavily in the crash of 2008. I have the basic postal retirement, for which I'm thankful, and is something so many others don't have, but any chance of any sort of affluence is gone. I also understand that whatever security I may have is at risk if there is no security for others. Again, it's ridiculous to suggest that I've suffered like so many others have in these times, but neither is it correct to say I'm gliding through life without a care in the world. I want to have a secure retirement for myself and my loved ones, but I want it for others, too. If that entails making a few sacrifices, then I'll have to grin and take it like a man.
My only excuse is that I must have played hooky the day they taught us about paragraphs.
“I was compensated for my work with the USPS.”
Yes, I imagine that you were. I have no issue with what you were paid for your work, but it is clear that the pensions that have been established for all public employees are far more lavish than what is paid to comparable workers in the private sector. And I will wager that you contributed little to those benefits from your earnings.
On another level, I will tell you that I virtually hate going to our local post office. The “employees” there take great delight in being rude, unhelpful and work assiduously to make sure that they inconvenience you as much as they can. Example: went in the other day to mail an over weight letter. The clerk got pissed off because for an $.85 purchase, I gave her a $10 bill ( which was all that I had). She made a scene about having to make change and wanted me to dig down and come up with a $1 bill. She was lucky that she was a “protected species” because I wanted to drag her over the counter! Sadly she’s the norm, a rude, hateful minority who knows that she can dish out this $hit and not loose her job. Want a glimpse of how your Federal Government works, make a trip to the post office. Or better still go to your local DMV office. These people have completely perfected being worthless a$$holes!