USPS: Fight privatization

Even in the 21st Century with all of the new technology available, the mail still does matter. It binds the country together with delivery service six days a week and in some larger cities parcel delivery seven days a week. Maintaining door-to-door delivery without using any tax dollars is one of the keys to a successful Postal Service of the future. I believe that the Postal Service is a people business, not a technological one and can function very well without any outside interference providing jobs.

More than 100,000 veterans are employed at the USPS.

Idaho would surely suffer the negative effects if the USPS is privatized because of the many rural areas that would get reduced services. Idaho’s small businesses would be negatively affected by reduced services. The Pocatello Main Processing Plant scheduled to close in April 2015 would delay mail for all of Southeast Idaho. The negative “Shrink to Survive” strategy has been implemented to “offset” the ominous pre-funding for future retirees health benefits for 75 years at a cost to the USPS at $5.6 billion per year. Congress mandated this back in 2006 and Congress must eliminate this unrealistic mandate and do it very soon.

The Postal Service could be built up instead of being torn down by offering banking services to Americans.

Let’s use the positive solutions to keep the USPS functioning instead of the negative solutions to destroy it.

JOHN PAIGE

President

Idaho State Association of Letter Carriers