There’s going to be a lot of history written about the Raging 20’s I predict. We’ve talked a lot in this space about the polarization of society, how grumpy everyone is, and how little humanity means to others.
Today, I’m just here to complain.
In a recent Letters to the Editor, a reader wrote about a pothole north of the airport on I-29 that literally broke their car. After complaining to MoDOT, they claimed they didn’t have any responsibility or something. The equivalent to “my cat ate my homework.” Potholes are a little out of season right now, but anyone who drives in Missouri knows that’s the time you need to watch the most closely. Because those that are there are gaping mouths leading straight to the center of the earth.
Hungrier than the Independence Avenue bridge after a snow storm.
During the winter, they’re just a way of life. Driving up Antioch Road this January was basically driving up a dirt road in Fallujah after the shock and awe phase. So I ask the question, when did this all become okay?
North Kansas City paves 100% of their roads every two years. A pothole might as well be a yeti in that town. How have other services around the area and state gotten so bad lately?
This brings me to the US Postal “Service.” Over the past decade, famously, the budget for the Post Office has been slashed by the US Government. “Hey, they’re a private company (sort-of) so they gotta figure it out on their own,” Congress has said for so many years. Well, they’re figuring out how to modernize about as well as I figured out how to unclasp a bra for the first time.
I judge my postal service by something I call “The Landmark Metric.” That is, how long it takes for me to get my copy of this here newspaper in my mailbox 15 minutes south of Platte County. I think Ivan drops these in the mail on Wednesday. Ten years ago, the newspaper would be in my mailbox by Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Then the delivery of mail got later. My postal worker said they made shifts longer and doubled routes. So I often get my mail at or after 8 p.m. many days. Then the delivery of my newspaper shifted to Friday. Then Saturday. And now…sometimes I get it, sometimes, I don’t. My Landmark Metric is currently sitting at about six days — with a LOT of missed calls in-between.
We all know that cities and counties raise money through taxes. And we all believe our taxes are too high. We all know that our taxes should go toward basic civil services first. We can certainly argue as to what services deserve money. But I think we can all agree that getting your mail within a reasonable amount of time and having a smooth road are near the tops of those lists.
When did it become okay for these basic services to be “we’ll get to you when we get to you” services? People complain about trash pickup. They complain about the conditions of our parks. Last month, the City of Kansas City Water Department fielded complaints that the taste of their water was… “skanky.”
Show me the politician that will not only campaign on restoring basic services at a high quality level, but will then actually DO it.
In the meantime, I’m going to head out in search of my Landmark from last week. I’ll start at the bottom of that pothole on I-29.
(Find Chris Kamler searching for answers without any clues on Twitter, where he is @chriskamler)
