“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
For well over two centuries the United States Postal Service, whose famous creed we’ve likely all heard, has stood as one of the greatest and most cherished institutions of the United States. In many ways, the USPS has embodied the rugged spirit and promise of the American dream. Over its history it has inextricably melded itself into the fabric of America.
Yet the Post Office is reporting a record deficit of $7 billion this fiscal year, and the likelihood of that deficit continuing to increase is assured.
“The economic recession has been tough on the mailing industry, and we have seen an unprecedented decline in mail volumes and revenue,” said Postmaster General John E. Potter in AARP Bulletin Today.
USPS is planning on potentially closing 677 of over 27,000 its postal stations. According to AARP Bulletin Today, the Post Office’s “total mail volume in the second quarter fell 14.7 percent from the previous year.”
E-mail and electronic communications have been disastrous for the Post Office, primarily because American youth seem to overwhelmingly choose e-mail over pen-and-paper letters and postcards. The local post office, which for rural communities once served at a focal point of information dissemination and a gathering spot, is becoming an anachronism for youth.
The Post Office has even been batting around the idea of discontinuing service on Saturdays in order to stop the hemorrhaging of money. According to the Federal Times, “Estimates of the savings range from $1.5 billion to $3.5 billion,” if the Post Office only had five days of service a week.
The decline of the Post Office simply will not do, because at its very core USPS represents an institution that serves the entire nation with comparable services at comparable rates regardless of geographic location.
Many have called for the Post Office to be privatized and to end its legal monopoly on the mail, as has been done in other nations around the world — this would not solve the problem.
Imagine if sending postcards, letters, bills, etc. operated along the same manner that UPS and FedEx now operate. Prices would sky rocket and service would decrease.
For as much flak as the Post Office gets, it does a wonderful job based on the limited resources with which it must operate. Do you honestly trust UPS to do a better job than the Post Office, unless, that is, you have to pay triple or quadruple the price?
America may rail against the long lines, the slow service and the general culture surrounding the Post Office, all of which are probably not the grandiose problems people make them to be, but were the Post Office to begin cutting back on coverage and service, the country would throw a tantrum.
We need to find a workable solution to this crisis with the Post Office. In fact, perhaps I’ll go write a letter to a congressman in support of the Post Office … now what is his e-mail address again?
Reach Max at maximilian.feldhake@asu.edu
