What would Ben Franklin think of the 21st Century Post Office?

TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO – Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General of the soon-to-be United States by the Continental Congress on July 26, 1775.  Franklin had served as postmaster of the British American colonies from 1737 until he was dismissed in January, 1774 for “pernicious activity” in connection with the rising colonial rebellion.  

Franklin is certainly one of the most fascinating figures in American history.  His extremely readable autobiography, which covers much of his early life, has been used in schools for more than a century.  He was a self-made man, famously starting from humble origins and ending as one of the richest men in America.  One part of this remarkable life that has intrigued so many over the years are the novel ways in which Franklin obtained his wealth, including a primitive form of franchising his printing business, vertical integration (at one time he was the largest manufacturer of paper in the colonies) and, of course, frugality.

 

The anniversary of Franklin’s Postmaster General appointment may be a good excuse for considering the plight of the current U.S. Postal Service.  Franklin actually made the British postal system profitable through management and innovation.  He was never afraid of change, having been responsible during his lifetime for improvements in such diverse fields as electricity, government, meteorology, civic organization, insurance, and more.  What do you think Ben Franklin would have thought about an expensive, bloated, and bureaucratic system rapidly being made obsolete by modern technology and changing customer needs?  Do we really think that this no-nonsense businessman would have supported efforts to prop-up what has clearly become a make-work, unionized jobs program?  Just food for thought.

 

To end this on a politically correct note (readers know how important that is to me!), those interested in a different view of Franklin should see Joseph Ellis’ Pulitzer prizing wining history Founding Brothers.  Chapter Three - The Silence - discusses Franklin’s impassioned role in early efforts to abolish slavery.