I was thinking the other day about the discussions we have had here on whether or not to tip. I still think tipping is at the discretion of the tipper, but I represent an area where tipping is all too often overlooked.

Paper carriers bring the daily news by your door every day, with very few days off. We work in rain, or shine, and we provide our own transportation with little or no reimbursement for our vehicles. In my particular community, we make $2 a month per paper that we throw, meaning that we often have to throw 350-500 papers just to THINK about making a living off of it.

Now granted, some carriers don't deserve a tip. Here's a hint: if your azaleas get more papers than you do, or if your papers arrive at your door after you've already gone to bed for the night, maybe your carriers don't deserve a tip. But if they're good, conscientious carriers, you might want to think about giving 'em a couple bucks each month, to KEEP them as carriers.

Just a thought, from a carrier.