WASHINGTON — When Larry Bryant goes to buy stamps at the post office two miles from his home in Riverside, it's a bittersweet experience: If he glances to the right as he goes through the door, he sees a small black plaque identifying the building as the "Lieutenant Todd Jason Bryant" post office.
That's Bryant's son, a West Point graduate who was killed in Iraq in October 2003.
"It's kind of mixed feelings," Bryant said. "We're proud that they honored Todd, but it's a sad reminder of the sacrifice that he and others have made for our country."
The Inland Empire post office at 5757 Tilton Ave. is one of nine named this year alone for troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. So far in 2007, 88 bills have been introduced to rename post offices -- 26 for military personnel killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Honoring dead Americans by putting their names on government buildings has become the most frequently introduced type of legislation on Capitol Hill. Since January, 45 of the 113 pieces of legislation signed by President Bush have been naming bills. Of those 45, 37 were post- office naming acts.
Although members of both parties introduce naming legislation -- Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona) introduced the Bryant measure -- the bills have drawn criticism during what some consider to be a stagnant 10 months of Democratic rule.
During wrangling over the State Children Health Insurance Program last month, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) criticized the time spent on naming bills.
"As the House tackles names of post offices and resolutions honoring athletes today, Democrats are again faced with the same choice they've faced for months now when it comes to SCHIP: Will they finally work with Republicans to renew this program, or will they continue to allow the days to roll by while they play politics on the backs of our nation's children?" said Boehner, who has never introduced a postal naming bill. (He has cosponsored four.)
In the 102nd through 105th Congresses -- January 1991 to December 1998 -- 10 naming bills were introduced each term, on average. In each of the next two Congresses, 46 were introduced. In the 108th Congress the number jumped to 75; in the 109th it was 96 -- about 20% of all laws passed that term.
Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union, who has researched naming bills, said he suspected that many lawmakers had been unaware that the "naming rights" for post offices were up for grabs. Once word got out, legislators figured that it would be an easy way to please constituents, he said.
