While I think it's a crock that stamps have gone up four cents in the last year, this is not going to be an entry about the USPS. I work with many consumers living in skilled nursing facilities (politically correct word for nursing homes and institutions) in San Diego. Recently I was appalled to discover that one such facility charges their residents 45 cents per stamp... two cents above what the stamp is worth. As far as I know, there is nothing illegal occurring, it is merely a matter of supply and demand, but this is morally and ethically despicable. The severely inflated costs of health care are apparently not enough to keep their wallets and purses full. Due to state regulations residents of these facilities who are on SSI or standard Social Security (95-100%) are only given $50/month allowance. Most parents give their children more than this. If a person smokes this money is gone in an instant. $50 is typically not even enough to pay for a decent cell phone plan, so residents must rely on nurses being courteous enough to tell them they have a call at the nurses station (yeah, I'll leave that one be). With this in mind, letters may be a resident's only connection to the outside world. Tell me, then, why you would want to make a profit off of it?
