Csac Update On Most Votes For Living Person On A US Stamp

The above quote, according to this news item anyway, summarizes the tally of votes the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee has received on who should be the first living (or recently deceased) person to be depicted on a postage stamp. Interestingly, John Glenn didn't even make the list. Here's the news article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...HO_blog.html

Great. Now your USPS is on the verge of esthetic bankruptcy as well. Those are your top choices?

What a pathetic list to choose from. Oprah Winfrey? Bill Clinton? Good thing we don't lick our stamps anymore. That would by just plain gross with Bill on the other side of it.

Makes me sad to be an American. If Lady Gaga wins, I might just quit buying new US postage as a form of protest.

What happened at Penn State recently is a perfect example, in my opinion, of why living people should NOT be on our stamps.

I don't know James but are the living persons portrayed on
Canadian stamps in the last few years really any more worthy?

Hockey and baseball players and pop stars, sports & entertainment.
If these are considered by Canada Post and the public as the only Canadians of significance then we have a problem.

I think the whole living legends issue is a touhy subject in any country . The penn state issue is perfect example , and unfortunatly those that may seem to be legends today may become tommorows convicts. On a lighter note I was shocked to hear Lady Gaga was godmother to Elton John's son-- Wait I remember elton in his prime and seems more like a perfect fit.

Lady Gaga, that's it. I think we should stop calling them tweets and start calling them twits!

I agree about the Canadian stamps too. I mean, I like Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell, but are pop stars to be held in such high esteem? Let's face it we live in a MuchMusic world. Instant fame with reality shows. Like Snooki is someone to aspire to.
The problem with the living is that they still are (if you know what I mean). Regardless of what you might think of Elton John's private life (and it is his life), what happens when one of our stamp subjects is found to be a serial killer. What if the coach at Penn State (although innocent until proven guilty) were on a stamp? How would you take that back? It's not like a knighthood, or Nobel Prize that you can revoke. It's out there.
Most of these nominees for the US stamps are just an example of how shallow our society (in the 1st world, I can't speak for the rest) has become.

Hey! I just had a thought. There should be a soapbox icon over there on the left. I'd use it!

**and what's Elle McPherson doing on a stamp anyway!

In between the "Thomas The Tank Engine" stuff and the royalty, minor royalty stamps there very occasionally comes a famous face worthy of being celebrated on UK stamps. In February 2012 comes a few of those worthy people.

Alan Turing... fantastic mathematician and code-breaker. Never given his deserved recognition during his lifetime because he was gay.

Odette Hallows... incredibly brave woman.

Of course it will be only a temporary lapse into depicting deserving people and we get back to the wall to wall royalty, royalty, royalty issues. Somehow, Oprah doesn't seem that bad.

In many [or even most] countries, just about all stamps are issued for collectors. But the collectors never get to choose them inspite of what is stated in the press.
wt1 wrote earlier:




The SAC [UK abbreviation] gets in the votes......but are these the votes we see at the other end ? What if there is already a list ?
There was once an invitation in Royal Mail's Philatelic Bulletin, once a year, to write and say who or what you would like to see on British Stamps. But what if the list had already been drawn up to satisfy others more high up than stupid Stamp Collectors who, in any case, will buy the stamps.

In my opinion, the Stamp Advisory Committee, in the UK at least, do a poor job inspite of the presence of upstanding philatelists.
Maybe another system should be employed.

Londonbus1

Canada Post also has a Stamp Advisory Committee "made up of leading Canadians from across the country selected for their general and philatelic knowledge."
Regular folk can send in suggestions for topics. I don't know if there's a prechosen list or 'conspiracy' here. There's a Board of Directors, then once subjects are chosen they choose designers to create the stamps. I've submitted a portfolio to try to get in on that action, but so far all I've received is a nice letter...with meter postage.

James I'm sure you would be able to come up with as good a design
or better than some of the stuff we've had on Canadian stamps.

Neither Canada Post nor Stamp Advisory Committee pay any
attention to what the public wants.
As you can see from the latest Annual Stamp Poll the
Least Relevant Canadian Stamp of 2010 was the Year of the Tiger.
Almost every year the Chinese New Year stamps are the least relevant
yet we are on the second cycle already and when this one is done
I bet they'll start with another 12 year cycle.



The Canada-Israel 60 years of Friendship reminds of those
USSR - East European friendship stamps.
Totally political and totally unnecessary.