When I was young, I never read books unless I went to school. We were too poor and lacked the transportation to get to a library. My parents never read to us. They were alcoholics, and they were busy doing other things they deemed more valuable to their lifestyle.

When I became ten years old, I was taken away from them. I had the opportunity to read from a library full of books. First, I read poetry from so many writers: Henry Van Dyke, Longfellow, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Keats. I started writing poetry of my own after that. I read volumes of books in the area of psychology from Sigmund and Anna Freud, Carl Jung, Karen Horney, and others. I read literature like Moby Dick, Red Badge of Courage, Albert Payson Terhune’s books about collies, Heart of Darkness, and books written by great authors. I read medical books.

As an adult, I went to the public library when I was job hunting, wanting to repair something broken, and I checked out books I could not afford to buy. I used a computer to look up information because I did not own one. It was safe there and it was filled with resources I could not get any other way. A library is an important part of a community. For the poor, it is an essential tool for climbing the ladder up to a better job. It does not make sense for the Federal government to refuse to help fund libraries.

The same could be said of the USPS. It is used a lot by the poor, the old, and the disabled who are also Americans. The costs were kept low to help all American citizens have access to a delivery system that put people first. It is used to deliver medicine, deliver letters of those Americans who lack transportation, or can’t afford the upkeep or cost of a computer. It has always been reliable until recent changes were implemented by an Administration that does not want to fund it.

A mail man has always served the American people. They check on the old, collect food for those in need, step in when help is needed. They serve a vital need for every American community. It doesn’t make sense for the Federal gov. to refuse to bailout a service that can help people through the pandemic and economic difficulties we are facing at this time.

I encourage everyone to contact senators and representatives and tell them to fund the libraries and the mail service. They have always been there for us. Let us be there for them in these difficult times.

Yu/stan/kema.