Keeping Wall Street Occupied... and More!

I just discovered this video via social networking. I think this guy is brilliant, but I don't think he's grasped the entire scope of his idea.

For those of you who can't or don't want to watch the video, he is suggesting that people take the return envelopes that come in the junk-mail credit card offers and send them back to the banks... minus the credit card applications. He says this is an opportunity to both keep Wall Street occupied and open a dialogue with big banks (he sends notes asking the clerks who open the envelopes to join unions, I suggest "Helping you help us"), with the happy side effect of running up the banks' postage tabs with the USPS. The banks pay for postage on every envelope sent back to them. The deal they have worked out is .25 per, but the heavier the envelope, the more they pay. The big payoff of this action however, he says, is that the more of these the bank gets the more they'll have to spend time figuring out how to deal with it, and the less time they'll have to screw people.

But I see far more benefits.

In recent years, the USPS has been struggling, losing a massive amount of revenue and falling extremely behind on its bills. There are a number of reasons for these troubles, which include decisions that made the post office less competitive with private carriers. To try to save the USPS, one of our last truly public services, postage rates continue to be raised and the president has decided to cut back its services even further. But what it really needs is more revenue.

I look at this action as a tax on the big banks. The government isn't likely to start making them pay taxes any time soon, but we the people can take matters into our own hands. Look at this action of sending mail on the banks' bill like making them pay a tax (or give back some of that bailout money). Better yet, this tax doesn't have to go through government channels where more than half of it is likely end up funding a war overseas. This money goes straight to a public service.

And here's where it gets even better: JOB CREATION!

The rich, which definitely includes the big banks, say they need lots of breaks because they are job creators. Well, we can make them follow through on that statement. When the USPS starts getting more funding, they can reinstate its weekend hours and more people to fill those hours. But those aren't the only jobs this action can potentially create. The gentleman of this video suggest putting heavier items like wood shims and roof shingles in the envelopes to make them heavier.* Adding these things is probably enough to create a need for more postal inspectors. (Get your job applications ready.) These envelopes are probably going to seem pretty suspicious and need to go through additional screening. Fortunately, because of the banks, they will likely have the extra revenue to cover the extra staff they'll probably need to do that. My hopes are not up for the banks themselves hiring more clerks to deal with the increase in incoming mail. But who knows, maybe with enough of these credit envelopes mailed back, they'll have no choice.

So instead of filling up your recycle bin with those credit card offers, send them back! They wouldn't have given you the return envelope if they didn't want to you to return it.

*Plastic could also be added, but avoid any thing dangerous, like things that are sharp and likely to poke through the envelopes. We want to help the USPS workers, not hurt them. Also, it's probably a bad idea to mail anything that comes across as threatening.