Postal Stress

In the aftermath of the shooting spree by a postal worker in Escondido, some of the people interviewed by your writers pointed to the unusually high level of stress experienced by postal workers today. One cause of this stress seems to be the increasing volume of mail vs. a slimmer work force to help cut costs. I would add that one cause of the increasing volume is the outrageous amount of junk mail, most of it unwanted advertising. Pounds of this mail, much of it heavy and therefore expensive, goes every week straight from our home mailbox to the trash can. Think of the paper and trees that are wasted, to say nothing of the strain on the postal system!

Low rates are simply subsidizing businesses--there must be less destructive ways to advertise one’s products.

ANNE G. PHILLIPS

Santa Monica