The Mail in T2K

[Sanjuro]

I must have missed this first time round:

in my timeline King William IV is on the throne.

Twilight 1837?

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by Sanjuro

I must have missed this first time round:

Twilight 1837?

LOL - Twilight typo. Should be William V.

[mikeo80]

I agree with what has been said above. Both MilGov and CivGov would make mail delivery a priority. In a post TDM world, just getting a letter from Aunt Sue that she and Uncle Bill are doing ok is a wonderfull tonic to the every day struggle to grow food and stay alive.

There is another reason the mail becomes important. Both MilGov and CivGov proclaim that they are the "true" government, supporting the Constitution. So a census as decreed in Article One, Section Three becomes a focal point. Both governments need to establish legitimacy, and find oout jus how many people of what ages they have in their areas of control. This, of course, will lead to such things as organized taxes, control of the movement and type of trade occuring in their area, and other necessary duties of a government.

My $0.02

Mike

[Wolf sword]

My thought is to have one of the local merchants caravan handle the mail they swing through town every 2 or 3 weeks they know a lot of people and it is something that they can charge for also.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Wolf sword

My thought is to have one of the local merchants caravan handle the mail they swing through town every 2 or 3 weeks they know a lot of people and it is something that they can charge for also.

I agree that private merchants or civilian volunteers would handle at least some of the mail (likely on a more localized level) but security would probably be a major issue for them. They'd also need to be familiar, reliable individuals for people to trust them with their messages and/or packages. There's an accountability issue and, if civilians are taking care of the mail, the military can't really take credit for reestablishing services.

Perhaps some sort of Army payroll is also being transported along with the mail, requiring additional security precautions. I'm not sure what pay would look like c. 2000, but it's something to consider.

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by Raellus

I agree that private merchants or civilian volunteers would handle at least some of the mail (likely on a more localized level) but security would probably be a major issue for them. They'd also need to be familiar, reliable individuals for people to trust them with their messages and/or packages. There's an accountability issue and, if civilians are taking care of the mail, the military can't really take credit for reestablishing services.

Perhaps some sort of Army payroll is also being transported along with the mail, requiring additional security precautions. I'm not sure what pay would look like c. 2000, but it's something to consider.

Maybe in an attempt to make themselves look more legitimate (particularly if the troops are from Milgov) and give the impression to the populace that things are getting back to normal, the Mail Delivery Unit might have one - or more - United States Postal Service employees with them? Of course, said employee(s) may have their own reasons for wanting to be on the mission...

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

Maybe in an attempt to make themselves look more legitimate (particularly if the troops are from Milgov) and give the impression to the populace that things are getting back to normal, the Mail Delivery Unit might have one - or more - United States Postal Service employees with them? Of course, said employee(s) may have their own reasons for wanting to be on the mission...

I was thinking the very same thing.