USPS Tramples Nation's Gardens

Saw this item in Washington City Paper's News of the Weird column and had to read it over three times to be sure I was properly comprehending this.

>>Why They Go Postal
An official of the National Association of Letter Carriers in Buffalo, N.Y., said in February that it would challenge the Postal Service's threatened suspension of a carrier who was using sidewalks to get from house to house this winter instead of walking across ice-packed, deep-snow-drift yards. Cutting across yards is required by Postal Service rules in order to speed up deliveries. [Buffalo News, 2-12-09] <<

This has me sputtering MAD! So it is not just that they are lazy and don't want to walk the long way up and down sidewalks and front walks, but it is that they are actually directed to destroy private property?!?!?!

As many of you may know, I have a love-hate thing going with the USPS. My local post office gals (shout out to the 20910 business office!) are truly wonderful, greet me by name, and always have a smile ready. My postal carrier, Will, is also a fun guy, does a great job, and says "hi" whenever we pass each other as I do errands and he does his route up and down Fenton Street in downtown Silver Spring, MD. Because Will, does cut across my lawn to my neighbor's house, I put in the pictured stepping stones in hopes my spindly pachysandra will eventually fill in. But I don't begrudge him the short-cut as it would be several extra yards to walk the long way. Hey, if I had to walk the long route, I'd do it myself.

However, I'd also know just when and where it is appropriate to step. For example, at my parent's townhouse in Germantown, their postal carrier blithely steps straight into their foundation plants trampling and killing a series of azaleas plus spring bulbs planted there over the years. In his case, he's saving maybe three extra steps.

So now that we know that the USPS actually directs their carriers to vandalize and destroy our plantings. Who do we go see for compensation and the labor to do the re-planting?