‘Neither rain nor sleet nor snow’ does not apply to Post Office

To The Daily Sun,

I grew up in the country. Real rural spaces like Gilmanton and Sanbornton. Nothing at all like Laconia. I bought my home in Gilford because it is a nice, quiet country town with quiet roads. Peaceful. I didn't want to live in Laconia. I don't like cities — not even really small ones. When I was a kid, the mailman had a small station wagon with the steering wheel on the wrong side — just for delivering mail. In the winter he fulfilled on the unofficial motto of the United States Post Office, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." Those words are engraved on the front of the U.S. Post Office in New York City for all to read.

Someone should tell the postmaster of Laconia.

Even on those days that our streets do get plowed in a timely and efficient manner, the Post Office is frequently a no-show on my street. Bills, packages, cards — they all have to wait. And why? Because those little Post Office trucks apparently do not qualify for snow tires in the winter like they had when I grew up. And if you are expecting a package and the mailman does not make it? USPS.com tells you via their tracking page that your receptacle was blocked — and not that the government is too damned cheap to buy proper tires for the winters of New Hampshire. Because a slight hill and a curve are all it takes to stop Uncle Sam from making his rounds.

You want to Make America Great Again? Try getting our mail delivered in a timely and efficient manner, no matter the weather. I'd mail in a complaint but it would just sit in my box waiting for pickup. Maybe it is finally high time that Gilford gets its OWN real Post Office full of hearty and hale country people driving reliable vehicles to fulfill on their mission, instead of waiting for city folks with bald tires and no sense.

Alan Vervaeke

Gilford