STEWART BAKER: “I’m Sorry, Sir. There’s Still Postage Due on Yours.”
When was the last time you gave the US Postal Service responsibility for delivering a package that absolutely had to get to the recipient as fast as possible?
Right. I don’t remember either.
The administration, though, has nothing but faith in the Postal Service. In fact, it’s willing to make a big bet on the Postal Service’s nimbleness, sense of urgency, and dedication to duty.
And when I say big, I mean really big; it’s willing to bet your life on it.
Literally. If we suffer an anthrax attack, everyone who’s been exposed will need antibiotics within three days of the attack. That’s within two days of our discovery of the attack, if we’re lucky. Every day of delay after that is a death sentence for roughly five or ten percent of those exposed.
How will we get antibiotics in the hands of what could be hundreds of thousands of really worried people? The Administration’s answer is contained in an executive order released quietly last week: We’ll get the Postal Service to do it. Of course they’re already demanding armed protection, so we’ll send local law enforcement officers with them.
What could go wrong? Related: “Sitting down is a role. But shutting up, that’s a responsibility.”