Death of a postman: the shutdown of USPS
Though neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night may stay a USPS worker from their route, by winter, bankruptcy might.
Shane Wade
Opinion Editor
In April 2010, around 11 a.m., I opened my mailbox and received my acceptance letter to VCU via the United States Postal Service, a letter that I could readily frame. But by April 2012, a high school senior may not know what it’s like to listen for the sound of a mail truck off in the distance, to run to the mailbox and look to see a large envelope with the words “Virginia Commonwealth University” in the corner. Though neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night may stay a USPS worker from their route, by winter, bankruptcy might.
A devastating combination of high labor cost, health care cost, pensions, reduced services, budget cuts, competition from the private sector, legal constraints that prevent raising the price of postage and diversification, as well as the email, have brought the United States Postal Service to the brink of defaulting. Their only hope is swift action by Congress, which is the secular way of saying “divine intervention.”
In all honesty, a fair share of Americans – the middle-class and upward – won’t be too distraught over the loss. But there is a silent majority that will.
While certain presidential candidates and politicians aren’t outright declaring their joy for what they perceive to be the failing of another “Big Government” operation, they dare not say so for fear of retribution from that silent majority that are their constituents – the rural, small-town Americans that rely on the post office for the daily delivery of coupons, gift packages, letters, bills and community newspapers.
We too often forget that the Internet is a luxury and that the digital age hasn’t engulfed the entire world. While we can easily send an email to a friend or pay a bill over the Internet, there are places in America where such technology is an expensive and unreliable rarity. The death of the USPS would deal a blow to rural communities, but Washington is too far removed from the forest to see the tree stumps.
There aren’t many viable solutions to save the USPS from insolvency, with labor unions demanding that their contractual obligations be maintained and Congressional leaders looking to cut the deficit strictly through spending cuts. Some have proposed measures such as increased layoffs, cut delivery routes, shutting down and selling post office locations, ending Saturday delivery and allowing people to mail alcohol. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri offered a slightly naïve proposal asking that the postmaster general Patrick Donahoe start an advertising campaign that urges Americans to send letters to their loved ones. All solutions are on the table and all look equally ugly.
If I could be assured that it would save the 200-year old postal service from death, preserve the jobs of over 5 million people and still allow me to mail a letter for as little as 44 cents, I would be in favor of directly paying for the service, in addition to the tax dollars that I already contribute to the service. That’s the strength of my conviction, and that’s a bailout I can support.
