Rusty Saber: Post office, police get undeserved bad raps

Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.

Some organizations receive criticism they may not deserve. If they deserve it, they should get it. But often organizations get a bum rap.

The U.S. Postal Service tops my list of undeserved bum rap recipients. The massive process of moving the mail is so much a part of everyday life that it is an easy target. To many, it is a given that "lost in the mail" is a habitual occurrence. I don't believe that.

With the tremendous volume of mail through post offices daily, one might expect considerable loss. I cannot recall a single piece of mail I have sent that did not arrive, nor do I know of anything mailed to me that failed to arrive. Try to imagine the continuous flow of billions of pieces of mail sorted and sent on the way to every conceivable location in the world. Assuming the address is legible and correct, the odds are highly favorable that the letter or package will reach its destination.

The U.S. Postal Service began when a letter was delivered as fast as a horse and rider could carry it. As transportation technology has grown, mail delivery has grown along with it. The postage stamp is one of life's bargains. Once, an ice cream cone and a stamp both cost a nickel. Today, a stamp is 37 cents. A 37-cent ice cream cone today would be rare.

I realize some private carriers may offer faster service they are very good. But for our everyday correspondence needs, the U.S. Postal Service is an inexpensive, convenient service that some may take for granted, and it often gets a bum rap.

Another easy target for bum raps is the Missouri Department of Transportation. This organization builds and repairs Missouri roads and highways, and is blamed when repairs are needed and blamed when traffic is slowed by repairs.

Two recent road-building projects have impressed me. One is on Highway 13 between Bolivar and Clinton. The long-anticipated, four-lane highway from Springfield to Kansas City will soon become a reality. It appears to me that the project is moving at a fast pace with as little delay as possible.

Highway 13 has always been dangerous. The improved version will connect with Highway 7 at Clinton, eventually hooking up with Interstate 71, which is also receiving much-needed repairs. When the master plan is in place, the four-lane drive to Kansas City will be less stressful and safer.

I live near the intersection of Sunshine and 65 Bypass in Springfield, therefore, a daily observer of the recent restructuring of what was a complex maze of traffic best described as a nightmare. Somehow, the department created a truly efficient intersection that moves traffic in all directions. It requires drivers to carefully follow the painted line on the pavement. So far, it seems to be working like a charm. Most amazing to me is that by doing much of the work at night, the voluminous flow of daytime traffic wasn't greatly hampered.

Highway construction and repair is quite expensive. We are a mobile society that demands good roads. I think we get our money's worth.

Finally, I believe the police get a bad rap. We ask police officers to arrest people we would be smart to run away from. Many of us take it for granted that they do such daring deeds as a matter of course. It isn't often we say "good work" to police officers.

For our safety, police officers spend stressful hours riding in patrol cars, on the alert for lawbreakers. What do many of us do? Chastise them when they take a brief break by stopping for coffee and doughnuts. That's cruel.

We may demand something be done about drivers who flaunt traffic laws, but when the police start handing out lots of traffic tickets some become indignant, demanding that instead of hassling law abiding citizens" the police should arrest "real criminals." Driving at highway speeds in neighborhoods and plowing through red lights at crowded intersections are acts by "real criminals."