Political commentary
Kurt Oberreither
-News Editor-
Surely, Ben Franklin, the first postmaster general, never foresaw the invention of electronic mail and by effect, the billions in deficits the U.S. Postal Service faces (USPS).
It may be easy for people to dismiss the Postal Service as an outdated means for junk mail to reach their front door, but the fact is that the USPS provides mail to every single home in the United States and employs 574,000 people nationwide.
Currently, the USPS is under threat of defaulting on a $5.5 billion payment into an employee retirement fund, jeopardizing ways to improve its business model by closing mail processing facilities in order to eliminate Saturday delivery.
Most importantly, these jobs are employment opportunities for people who did not feel the need to pursue a college degree – a choice that is becoming scarcer.
Could this be contributing to the contemporary tendency to throw the USPS harshly to the curb like yesterday’s trash? Is it an ignorant display of elitism? These questions may have to be left unanswered, but money can almost always be a culprit. In fact, there is some confusion in who exactly is supporting the mail service.
Until the adoption of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, it was a tax-payer-supported entity, but it currently operates as an independent agency mandated by the federal government, relying on postage stamp sales and other postal products.
What’s even more intriguing, the USPS is so committed to providing service to every U.S. citizen that in northwestern Arizona, mail is still delivered via mule.
On the floor of the Grand Canyon, postal mule train is one of the chief ways the Havasupai Indians receive food since the nearest supermarket is 3,000 feet up and 120 miles away. They are grateful for the service that goes to all ends in providing mail for everyone including the places the UPS and FedEx cannot reach.
Nevertheless, the USPS still provides the cheapest ways for city dwellers and folks in the boondocks alike to ship in bulk, like flat-rate boxes or send a letter.
Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill recently stated that letters have been an integral part of American literature and history and urged Americans to send more letters.
The New York Times reported “There is something special about receiving a piece of first-class mail, knowing that it comes from someone you care about,” McCaskill said.
Obviously, the processing facilities are seeing less volume as bills are paid online and communication is transmitted instantly. However, how can one ignore a service that has been around since the days of the Founding Fathers?
…Hell, you could even write a letter to your congressmen urging them to pass legislation extending its time period for the retirement payment or provide a long-term solution for the USPS. Whoever the recipient, write a letter, slap a stamp on it and stick it in your mailbox.
