As many of you know, I am a news carrier (ahem! Media distribution specialist!) for the newspaper in the community nearest us. As some of you also know, I recently began working a second job with a Major Fast Food Chain (MFFC), initially with the intent of making enough extra to make a payment on a decent car, rather than continually throwing money into an endless stream of junk heaps to run my route.

What began as a job to get EXTRA income has now become a job for ESSENTIAL income, and I'm trapped in a 2 job scenario for the foreseeable future. I can't quit the paper route, which pays more than the job at MFFC, and I can't quit the job at MFFC because I need the additional money for gas, insurance, and household expenses as my profits from the paper route have taken a rather SERIOUS hit.

As I discuss this with the other paper carriers, we all agree that it may not be possible for us to keep our routes much longer. And that has caused me to wonder if the paper carrier will soon become the same quaint anachronism that the milkman is in our current society. The paper really can't raise their rates; many families will simply choose to forego the expense of a daily newspaper as their own wallets are hard hit by the gas crisis as well. But the economic reality is, many newspapers may be unable to find carriers willing to accept open routes.

So, enjoy your daily paper while you can, folks. It may not be around much longer.