OPM

April 4, 2009 Blog

In my Wednesday blog, I mentioned OPM, the religion of most politicians. A couple of people told me that they never heard that before. I guess it is because politicians believe religion is a private matter and don't discuss it.

While on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, Barack Obama slipped up and said that bitter small-town Americans cling to guns and religion, perhaps the greatest blunder of his presidential campaign. He learned his lesson well and refrained from talking about religion until after he was elected.

Today, I want to talk about OOPS.

OOPS

Our government worships OPM, but OOPS means nothing to most people. For readers of my blog who never heard of OOPS, it stands for "Only Other People's Stuff."

People are very protective of their own stuff, but other people's stuff means nothing to them - it's OOPS! People who have meticulously manicured lawns think nothing of tossing their trash on public property. They get quite irate if a bird poops on their car, but if they hit your car with a grocery cart - and get caught, they say, "OOPS, it's only a little ding."

Many people are unemployed, so you would think that the fortunate ones who still have a job would try to do their job well. Some do, but too many don't care.

The airport baggage handlers are notorious. Your precious belongings get lost or damaged and it's OOPS! And they always demand a tip.

I recently watched a bungling waitress dump soup all over a gentleman's coat. I say he was a gentleman because he didn't scold or threaten to sue. The waitress didn't offer to pay the cleaning bill, nor did she bring him another bowl of soup! She just said "OOPS!"

The tip was included in the bill.

Last year, the US Postal Service had a deficit of over $2.8 billion. They claim it is due to the poor economy and the internet. Nobody likes the USPS because it only brings bills, letters asking for donations and advertisements.

I drive extra miles to mail packages that would be cheaper to send from the local Post Office. UPS and Fed-Ex workers show a bit more respect for what Postal Service consider OOPS.

Today, I received a package that contained something I had been waiting many years to get my hands on. I always liked a duo called "The Palermo Brothers," who made a couple of records back in the fifties. Their songs were never recorded on cassette or CD, so I kept searching for an old LP in good condition. I finally located one on eBay and snapped it up. The seller promised to package it well and put two extra cardboard pieces in the already sturdy box designed especially for mailing LPs. He wrote "FRAGILE" in big red letters and sent it through the US Postal Service.



It looked like someone threw a 100-lb wooden crate on it. When I spoke with a postal worker about the ruined record, she said, "I hope it was insured." I felt like screaming, "IT'S NOT THE MONEY, STUPID!"

I am writing the seller to plead with him, "Don't ever send another package through the USPS!" That is certainly not good for the Postal Service, but the USPS is already bankrupt.

The government will probably bail out USPS with OPM so it can return to business as usual - OOPS!