Huckleberries Online

Press: Hire Hero Mailman Back

Posted by DFO

Feb. 11, 2009 9:54 a.m. • 7 comments

Isaac Fish, a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service, makes his way back to his mail truck Wednesday after hand-delivering mail to June M. Smith on his route in Coeur d’Alene. (AP Photo/Coeur d’Alene Press, Shawn Gust)

So North Idaho isn’t known for having a longstanding love affair with government. But the anger that erupted online Tuesday — not just from the peanut gallery, but from some readers who claim to be insiders — set a modern local standard for governmental disgust. The cause? Our front page story Tuesday about the heroic postal carrier who saved a woman’s life, had a minor accident running into a mailbox later that day, and has been fired from his job starting this Saturday. “Every silver lining has a cloud,” wrote one reader. “If you are a hard worker, and do a good job working for the people — you have no future in the government,” posted another/Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.

Question: Should the postal service rehire Isaac Fish?

Seven comments on this post so far. Add yours!

lewis8457 on February 11 at 10:19 a.m.
Why would he want to come back? Work six days a week 10 hour days and he gets fired.

Hard work in this country does NOT pay off. Most commonly the hard worker will either be doing his and some of his teammates duties or is fired for being to enthusiastic.

In my fathers working life hard work paid off because that was what was expected. But now in lazy America the hard worker is frowned upon. Out cast by his colleges who have learned to sit back enjoy the ride and not care about a good days work.

If I was him even if it is a 100 grand a year job with benefits beyond anything the private sector gets, get up and walk out don’t look back………

Oh yeh spit on the bosses shoes on the way out.
Stickman on February 11 at 10:27 a.m.
I have to disagree lewis. The community has been writing letters and voicing their opinion about this, hopefully something good will come of it. I will do my part, as I know him and he is a very vital part of this community. Plus, he wants the job and likes it and does it very well. Good luck to him.
Charlie on February 11 at 10:29 a.m.
If Isaac wants the job back, I’d hire him in a heart beat. This young man has “personal pride” and I for one like that. No matter what he does in this world, he can be true to himself and say that “I did the job to the best of my ability.”
idawa on February 11 at 10:50 a.m.
So, what the people are saying is that a hard working individual that has a minor screw up shouldn’t be fired, that he has a interest in keeping his job?

I’m surprised to hear this coming from conservative, right to work state like Idaho. Remember, at will employment, an employer has no duty to retain or keep an employee, it can fire at any time for any reason, good or bad? I thought that was the American way Idahoan’s valued so much? Nice to see you are coming around to actually recognizing that people should have some sort of right to their jobs… or does this only apply to the people you personally know and care about?

I’m just surprised given the normal copy that come from the Cd’A press, this is a decidedly liberal message. Or is because there is something special about the Postal Service, if this were a private employer who fired a nice kid for breaking a rule, would we care? Just curious.

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About this blog

D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.