Humans, for the most part, take the easy way out.

That explains, somewhat, why there are so many instances of cheating, theft, Internet scams, etc. Why work hard for something when it’s much easier to simply cheat on a school paper or steal someone’s credit card number?

And it mostly explains why there is a controversy swirling about on the Avenue much like paper snowflakes drifting to the ground in the Community Center.

You go to the store or you go the movie theater, and everyone’s first inclination is to look for a parking spot right up front, right next to the front door if there is one.

Handicapped space?

Heck, no problem, I’m just running in for 30 seconds to grab some lettuce.

My kids are always complaining I park so far away from our destination. Yeah, I know, the extra 200 feet of walking distance is going to kill a strapping teenager.

Besides, I’ve seen people keep driving around in a parking lot looking for a more convenient spot as I simply park toward the back and hoof it up to the store. With all the fender-benders in parking lots anyway, who wants to go weaving in and out of congested driving aisles?

Today is all about convenience, isn’t it?

And that leads us to the current topic – Fountain Hills Post Office employees parking all over the place on La Montana Drive and Avenue of the Fountains.

First of all, the initial blame goes to the U.S. Postal Service for not providing adequate on-site parking for its employees and contract personnel when the facility was originally built.

The front lot naturally remains open for post office customers, and apparently the back lot is for trucks, etc., not personal vehicles belonging to employees.

Seems the folks at Washington Federal Savings have complained about postal employees parking their vehicles in front of their bank on the Avenue all day.

I wouldn’t be too happy about that, either. Other businesses along La Montana have chimed in as well. It’s congested in that area and the abundant parked cars don’t help the traffic flow…

Town officials have tried to mediate a compromise – even offering parking spaces toward the south end of the library parking area – but to no avail. And apparently THE post office can’t force its hired help to park somewhere, they can only ban them from their own parking lot.

Since there are basically no existing regulations, the Sheriff’s Office can’t walk over and cite the postal employees for laziness who park in front of Washington Federal.

And now the town is asking businesses – do you want regulations for parking on the Avenue? Should it be limited to a certain time period – 10 minutes? Two hours? Seven hours?

It’s unfortunate it’s come to that.

I know this might be pushing the envelope, but how about some common sense and some common decency? Postal employees, how about parking in the south corner of the library parking lot and walking the one block to your place of employment? How about in the big parking lot behind the bank?

I know it rained last week, and everyone moves here to get away from inclement weather, but how many sunny days do we average here in the Sonoran Desert?

The extra exercise would do you good, and you would be doing your part to help the business climate in Fountain Hills.