{"id":4193,"date":"2005-11-02T20:23:17","date_gmt":"2005-11-03T00:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2005\/11\/02\/subsidizing-your-spam-ma-mate"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:54:26","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:54:26","slug":"subsidizing-your-spam-ma-mater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/11\/02\/subsidizing-your-spam-ma-mater\/","title":{"rendered":"subsidizing your spam-ma mater"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We might not like the name (“law porn<\/FONT><\/A>“) that <\/FONT>law professors gave <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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to the <\/FONT>avalanche of slick brochures they receive from horn-tooting <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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law schools.  But, <\/FONT>we sure can relate to the <\/FONT><\/FONT>general queasiness <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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that comes from finding a mailbox stuffed <\/FONT>with glossy solicitations <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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from every educational institution <\/FONT>you — or an offspring of yours — <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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have every attended.  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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\"mailBoxG\"  This topic became topical for me, with yesterday’s <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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announcement that the <\/FONT>Post Rate Commission<\/FONT><\/A> <\/FONT>has <\/FONT><\/FONT>approved<\/FONT><\/A> <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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a rate hike <\/FONT>request<\/FONT><\/A> of approximately 5.4% for most <\/FONT>kinds of mail <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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delivered by the <\/FONT>United States Postal Service<\/FONT><\/A>.  (See AP\/Boston <\/EM><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Globe<\/EM> <\/FONT><\/FONT>article<\/FONT><\/A>).  The news coincided with a dumpster-ful of <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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brochures and catalogues being stuffed into my home mailbox <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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this afternoon — many of them from schools or alumni associ-<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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ations, and all of them receiving discounted rates under the USPS <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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rate schedule<\/FONT><\/A>. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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Let’s be clear: I do not begrudge the USPS getting two cents more <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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for first class postage starting in January 2006, and am not one of <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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those who bash USPS for poor service — necessitating <\/FONT>this<\/FONT><\/A> great <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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PR letter from USPS.  What I do wonder about is the special <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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break — the recommendation of a smaller rate increase — for <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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non-profit entities.  According to the Associated Press\/Globe<\/EM>:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“The rate commission said its decision reduced proposed <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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increases for nonprofit organizations and small local news-<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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papers, but would raise the post office’s planned charges <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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for mailing books and media materials.”<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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Nice priorities!  It’ll cost more for me to send books, so that schools  \"emptyPocketsS\"<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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can continue to mail me costly presentations imploring me to endow<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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a chair or two, or honoring alumni for their donations, and enticing me <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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to travel to exotic places with famous educators for $20,000 or more <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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per person (double occupancy).  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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One of the pieces<\/FONT><\/A> in today’s mail proudly announced that “In fiscal <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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year 2005, more than 135 alumni<\/EM> took Travel Society trips to such <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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destinations as Costa Rica, Alaska and the Antietam National <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Battlefield.”  That’s right: thousands upon thousands of glossies <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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were mailed to alumni several times during the year — at discount <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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mailing rates — so that “more than 135” of those with substantial <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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disposable income could take an Alumni-affiliated trip.  What a <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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deal.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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\"tiny Hey, Harvard: You’re the most prolific of the Travel-<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Guide <\/FONT>spammers.  It seems like two or three a month, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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sometimes more. Save the <\/FONT>money, I’m never going.<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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“mailboxN”   I don’t know if UPS and FedEx are right that the United States  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Postal Service is “using profits from its first-class mail monopoly <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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to fund Priority Mail and Express Mail, which compete with their small <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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package deliveries.”  (Atlanta Journal-Constitution<\/A><\/EM>, “Snail Mail Costs <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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scheduled to rise,” Nov. 2, 2005.)  But, I do know that the Postal Rate <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Commission wants to make it easier for ACLU and CATO Institute, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Harvard, Georgetown, McQuaid Jesuit High, and all sorts of political <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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action committees to send me stuff.   And, I don’t like it.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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Maybe I can’t stop my spamma maters<\/EM> from overwhelming my poor <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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mail carrier, and undermining my faith in higher education.  But, I’d<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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like to suggest one requirement for all mailers who want to send <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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discounted or junk-mail, and especially non-profits who get an even <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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bigger break:  On each piece of mail state “It cost us <\/EM>$_____ to send <\/EM><\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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you this item<\/EM>.”   Members of the public might be moved by such <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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information to ask for new priorities at the Postal Rate Commission. <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Alumni might let their schools know that they should save that fee, <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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plus the expensive production costs, and put us on a “Do Not Mail <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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List.”   Then, maybe, there’s a chance of a bequest from me down <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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the line.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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\"tiny What ever happened to the category “third-class mail”? <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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Was somebody afraid of hurting the feelings of the <\/FONT>senders?  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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The recipients?  The Postally Correct <\/FONT>crowd strikes <\/FONT>again.<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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Enough said — and more than enough received.<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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p.s<\/STRONG><\/EM>. To GEICO and AARP: I do not<\/EM> need to hear from <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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you every single week.  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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 <\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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postal chess–<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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he moves me<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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from his cell<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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Lee Gurga<\/STRONG><\/FONT><\/A> <\/STRONG><\/FONT>from <\/FONT>Fresh Scent:<\/FONT><\/EM><\/A><\/FONT><\/DIV>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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<\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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