This week I want to talk about two big changes coming down the pike. These do not include a change I'm hoping for, which is that I quit trying to cough up one of my lungs like I've been doing for the past week. No, these changes affect more than just your humble columnist. They will impact all of us to a greater or lesser extent.
The first one comes from the Postal Service. For years we've enjoyed six days a week of mail deliveries in this country. We've also endured hearing how the Postal Service is constantly losing money for various reasons.
Surprisingly, even though they are a government program, they've decided that losing money is a Bad Thing, and are trying to take steps to slow the loss down. One major way they're going to do this is by no longer delivering mail on Saturdays, beginning on Aug. 1. Packages and priority mail would still come on Saturdays, but first class mail would languish wherever it waits to be delivered until Monday.
There is a wrinkle to this, however. In the past, the Postal Service claimed that Congress had to change a law to stop Saturday delivery. Congress has made no move to do so, yet the Postal Service is going ahead with its plans. The argument between these two groups might be entertaining to watch if there is one.
I can understand the Post Service's reasoning here. They would undoubtedly save money by cancelling out one day's worth of deliveries. It would mean one less day of getting junk mail.
But there are things I like getting in the mail. Cards, checks, interesting things to read. No Saturday delivery means such things will be delayed as well. It will also mean that things I mail out, such as manuscripts, will be delayed by a day.
True, I don't use the US Postal Service as much as I used to. That's probably one of the reasons they're having financial problems. But I use it enough that I will miss Saturday deliveries when they cease.
The other change coming about has to do with that venerable game Monopoly. Everyone reading this column has probably played Monopoly at least once in their life. Which means you might remember the tokens we used to move around the board; the iron, the dog, the wheelbarrow, the shoe, the car, the battleship, the thimble, and the top hat.
Well Hasbro Inc., the company that owns the game, decided to make a change. They threw it open to the fans and gave them a choice: ditch the iron, wheelbarrow, or shoe token and replace it with one of five alternate choices.
Voting took place on Facebook and closed this past Tuesday at midnight. If you were a fan of the iron, you will be sad to hear that it was voted off the board. In its place? A cat, no doubt doomed to be chased around the board by the dog token.
I for one will not miss the iron as a token. As a person who is challenged when it comes to housekeeping, ironing does not rank high on my list of Things I Enjoy Doing. So I really don't need to be reminded of it in a game.
Hope you're ready for these upcoming changes. I'd go on about them, but I'm still busy trying to cough up that lung. Let's hope an end to this virus is a change that comes soon.
Friday, February 08, 2013 - www.newssun.com/col-021013-ware