U.S. Postal Service vital, should not be privatized

My father was a rural mail carrier in the 1970s. Because of our current president’s disdain for the U.S. Postal Service and his reluctance to provide financial support during the covid-19 crisis, I think it is important to review the following facts:

1. The U.S. Postal Service is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 8.

2. The USPS has not directly received taxpayer dollars since the early 1980s.

3. The USPS employs over 600,000 career and non-career employees, making it one of the largest civilian employers.

4. The USPS operates more than 213,000 vehicles, making it the largest vehicle fleet in the world.

5. The USPS is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at a uniform price and quality of service.

6. In 2019, the USPS delivered over 142 billion pieces of mail to approximately 150 million delivery points.

Many critics of the USPS have suggested that the mail delivery process be privatized. Does anyone think that FedEx or UPS would look at the USPS business model and continue the level of service provided now and charge 55 cents to deliver a letter to an individual’s home or business anywhere in the United States? Does anyone think these for-profit companies would come by your home or business six days a week just to see if you have any outgoing mail, no matter where you live or work?

Most businesses just raise the cost of their services when needed to ensure they make a profit. The USPS must get congressional permission to increase the cost of a stamp or shipping fees. With the increased demands put on the USPS by the covid-19 pandemic, it seems reasonable the federal government would step in to help them like any other business suffering due to circumstances beyond their control, but it is obvious our current president has a grudge against the USPS and appears to want them to fail.

I, for one, would be devastated if the postal services were privatized. I cannot imagine the extra time and effort it would be if every piece of mail or package sent out required going to a FedEx or UPS office.

The USPS continues to be the best bargain there is in today’s economy.

KENNETH E. DAY Springdale