[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 8392-8393] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]H. RES. 49, TO ESTABLISH NATIONAL LETTER CARRIERS APPRECIATION DAY ______ HON. BETTY McCOLLUM of minnesota in the house of representatives Thursday, May 8, 2008 Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 49, a resolution that establishes National Letter Carriers Appreciation Day. [[Page 8393]] Letter carriers are vital to the United States economy and help keep families and friends in touch with one another. They provide mail service 6 days a week, in good and bad weather, to more than 144 million households. The United States Postal Service employs more than 705,000 letter carriers who deliver more than 43 tons of mail each year. This averages to approximately 2,300 letters, cards, magazines, and circulars per carrier per day. In addition, I would like to specifically honor Perry Bennet Schmitt, who has delivered mail to my District Office since I was first elected to Congress in 2000. My staff and I look forward to his daily visits where he brightens our day with jokes and stories. Perry has served the people of Saint Paul as a letter carrier for 28 years and has delivered mail on his current route for over twenty. It takes him six hours to deliver mail each day to over 350 stops. Perry is a designated letter carrier trainer and during his time with the Post Office has trained over a hundred carriers. He is also an active member of Local 28 of the National Association of Letter Carriers, which represents over 1,000 members. I want to thank Perry and all letter carriers for their dedication and urge my colleagues to support this resolution. ____________________