Butterflies are forever

I'm that girl who goes to the post office and asks to see all of the stamps they have before buying. Sometimes, I am just handed a pack of Forever stamps and ignored. Other times, there is a limited supply (only Simpsons and National Parks? Really?). But there have been rare times, usually in smaller P.O.s in rural places, when there is never a line and the postal clerk gets a glint in his eye and we end up spending 10 minutes poring over the books together. Yes, dear readers: I'm a stamp nerd.

So, Christmas will come early for me in 2010. The USPS, in conjunction with the Greeting Card Association, is creating a new stamp just for greeting cards that aren't shaped to take traditional postage. The 64-cent butterfly stamp, which will be dedicated May 17 at the National Stationery Show in New York City, is designed to take the guesswork out of how much postage is required for those irregular-shaped pieces of joy. Under this new program, participating card manufacturers will print a silhouette image of a butterfly on their envelopes so senders know they need to get a butterfly stamp or equivalent postage at the time. The USPS will issue snew stamps as prices increase, and the first image will be a monarch -- likely the most iconic in the Lepidoptera order and a fitting symbol for a new beginning.

John Potter, do not make me come and kick your ass

Bottom line: Mail is down 12% and the USPS could be out of money by the end of the year.

“The Postal Service, which has served America for 234 years, is experiencing a very serious financial crisis because of the downturn in the economy,” John Potter, head of the U.S. Postal Service, told lawmakers. He went on to say the losses, in the billions of dollars, are of "historic proportions."

So what does he do? He asks to cut a day of service. Five days a week of mail, people. This could really happen!

Mail delivery is one of the cornerstones of this nation. Even in post-apocalyptic times, there will be mail. Didn't anyone see "The Postman"? (I know it was a terrible movie, please don't miss the point here.) I'll bet even those children in rags got their New Yorkers on time. And their VISA bills. And the sweet, sweet ValPak.

It is time for another bailout. This is bigger than AIG. And the banks. And whatever other madness TARP is covering (unless it's petting zoos. That is completely valid). The mail. We must save the mail. Who is with me?