It was refreshing to read the recent letter about the postal service by Miles F. Holden. Since “ignorance is bliss” Miles must live in a very blissful world, unfortunately his ignorance needs to be confronted.
The Postal Service has been off the federal budget since 1982. Taxpayers covered 23.3 percent of postal costs in 1971. A subsidy of that level in 2007 would have been approximately $16.9 billion.
But direct subsidies to the USPS were phased out between 1972 and 1982. Today the USPS is funded entirely by revenues from postage.
The main connection between the postal service and the federal government is the control the postal rate commission has on the USPS keeping it from being as competitive as it could be.
When United Parcel Service or Federal Express raises their rates or charges a fuel surcharge for its services when fuel or labor costs increase the postal service cannot and does not. The postal service has to petition the postal rate commission for a rate increase, and maybe after a year or so they grant half of what was asked for.
When Congress saw the postal service as a cash cow they enacted The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, obligating the postal service to prefund 75 years worth of future health-care benefit payments to retirees over 10 years.
This obligation is not put upon any other agency and no private corporation could survive with this burden placed upon it.
If the postal service sells off its property, the “profits” will only pay immediate expenses and future rent on facilities will actually increase real costs.
The USPS employs over 574,000 workers and operates over 218,000 vehicles. (It is the second-largest civilian employer in the U.S. and the USPS is the operator of the largest vehicle fleet in the world.)
Base facts aside, worldwide, nationwide, here in Washington and God forbid, (sorry for stealing one of Mr. Holden’s phrases), even in affluent Kirkland, there are people of all ages, not just Great Aunt Mary, who do not have an email account, or even a computer.
These individuals actually write letters and send greeting cards to family, friends and loved ones. Hallmark stores and every supermarket has an aisle that caters to these old-fashioned folks.
The lack of human contact in our advanced age of email, (there I go again stealing a phrase), is not an advancement in our society, we expect Big Brother to take care of us from cradle to grave, that is what has caused our national debt to skyrocket. (Not the U.S. Postal Service that has been self funding since 1982.)
The USPS is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality. No other company provides this service.
The loss of over one half million jobs and the loss of over 200,000 vehicles being maintained and the fuel they consume would have a devastating effect on our national economy.
If the postal service is allowed to compete on an equal basis, it can continue to provide a quality product to the American public.
Ron Jones, Kirkland
