Remember that time the USPS almost went out of business?

After standing in a long line at the USPS for 30 minutes, I looked at the woman next to me and rolled my eyes. She asked "Can you believe how long this is taking?!", to which I replied "There are fifteen people waiting in line and only ONE USPS employee here to help us!"

A couple of minutes went by after that exchange before I asked the woman "Are you familiar with a man named Lysander Spooner?" to which she replied with a confused expression "No.. That is an odd-sounding name. Who is he?" I went on to explain how Lysander Spooner founded the American Letter Mail Company in the mid 1800's to compete with the USPS (USPO at the time), and that his company managed to offer faster delivery service at a much lower cost than the USPS was offering at the time. I explained how Spooner's company would have put the USPS out of business if it weren't for the US Government's forcing Spooner to close shop via a vast series of fines and legal fees.

I could not help but notice the irony and sadness in the fact that this women, in this location and under these circumstances didn't even recognize the name "Lysander Spooner", let alone everything he did in the name of individual freedom and prosperity.