the pony needs some oats

The libertarian club (please note the lower case letters) contacted me on Monday to notify me my charter membership is in danger of being revoked.

You can guess why.  All of those nice things I said about government taxes and fees in Mexico (citizen steve), as well as glowing comments about Mexican administrative efficiency, was just too much for my more fundamentalist liberty colleagues.  Some even caught a sulfurous whiff of complaint about low taxes.  The ultimate heresy.

To regain my standing amongst the Friedmans, O'Rourkes, and Sowells, I must confess my dealings with one governmental institution has taken a bit of a hit. 

Anyone who has been hanging around these pages for very long knows I have a running love affair with the Mexican postal service.  I still do.  I would list the past essays, but they would simply cut into the flow of today's prose.

The system has amazed me.  Year after year, the mail I send to The States and the mail my friends in The States send to me usually takes about 10 to 14 days to be delivered.  Magazines take about a week.

That is, until last October.  Something odd happened.  Cards I sent north were taking six weeks to arrive.  And magazines simply stopped arriving.  When I talked with the local postmaster, he told me it was because of the Christmas rush.

I bought that explanation.  But, here we are, a full month after Christmas, and I am receiving some oddly-delayed mail.

• In yesterday's (28 January) mail,  I received a very personal Christmas card from my mother (and a Merry Christmas to you, too, Mom) mailed on 9 December from Oregon; the December edition of my Oregon Bar Bulletin; and the 13 December edition of The Economist -- even though I have now received six subsequently-published issues.
• On 24 January, a birthday card from a grade and high school friend in Washington (thanks, David and Pam) arrived -- mailed on 22 December.
• On 22 January, a Christmas card arrived from Nevada -- mailed on 24 November.
• On 20 January, a birthday card arrived from Oregon (thanks, Colette) -- mailed on 11 December.
• On 31 December, a letter arrived from a friend in Hawaii -- mailed on 19 November.

Now, I am not bragging about the mail I receive (even though I truly relish receiving cards and letters from long-time friends).  But, the lawyer in me cannot get away from the requirement that assertions should be supported by facts.

The facts are that the local postal service has slowed down for some reason.  The good news is that the mail is making its way to me -- even though I have not received anything as oddly addressed as I did in post haste.  Each piece of my recent mail has been appropriately addressed.

So, libertarian haranguers, I am not certain this is going to keep me in good standing.  My side swipe at the Mexican postal service has actually turned into another paean of love.

Let's see.  I guess I could take another jab at the police.

But that will have to await another essay.