If there is one branch of our government that has served we, the American people, with integrity and faithfuless over the years, it has to be the postal service.

As a child I remember seeing red two-cent stamps on letters and penny post cards. During the 1930s, 1940s and into the 1950s first class letters were purple three cent stamps. I don’t remember exactly when postage began its speedy spiral upward.

The early colonies had no postal service, but one was set up in 1630 for mail to overseas. Virginia passed a law in 1657 requiring planters to have someone carry dispatches between plantations. In 1672, Governor Lovelace of the colony of New York started a monthly service between New York and Boston, charging by how many sheets of paper were included.

By 1795, there were 453 post offices in the United States. Mail was carried by horse, stage, or sailing packet over 13,000 miles of postal routes. Those early post offices collected money for mailing, charging by the number of sheets of paper in the letter. It wasn’t until 1839 that an Englishman thought of using stamps. Other nations soon adopted the use of stamps for postage.

There is a well known quote about mail carriers. I forget just how it goes, but I remember enough so I hope it stirs your memory: “Nor rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night shall stop these couriers in their appointed rounds,” showing their faithfulness to the job. It took a calamity to even make them late.

But now we have a real calamity and not one of nature’s making. It is political, government-made, straight from the party of “blow and spend” of our leftist President.

Which means our service will be cut and will cost us more even as the service is being cut …