Bizarre Enthusiasm

I went to the post office this afternoon to resolve a problem with our mail deliveries -- to wit, many packages addressed to our house are not being delivered there. At the office, I stood in a line with 10 or 12 other unfortunates for about ten minutes before being "helped." The man who helped me had been summoned to his station after the only other clerk on duty had disappeared for at least five minutes, leaving all of us unfortunates standing there in an abandoned facility wondering whether everyone had simply gone home. In any case, my clerk dragged his sorry ass to the front looking for all the world as if he was a man who'd had bad luck and misfortune throughout his entire life, and helping me was only the latest insult to his gravely wounded existence. He did find the package I sought, but he referred me to the post mistress to ask my questions about the nondeliveries. After two tries, the mistress spoke to me, heard my complaint, wrote a note for the carrier who delivers mail on our rural route, and promised to speak to her. Somehow I came away full of doubt that she'll ever have the talk she promised with our carrier.

On the way home, I couldn't help thinking about all of those enthusiastic followers of Bernie Sanders. One must presume that by supporting the election of an avowed socialist as president they yearn to have all their goods and services provided by people with the same competence and dedication to serving the consumer that we now observe at the post office and the department of motor vehicles. Bizarre. -Robert Higgs