Dropping Saturday delivery not best option for USPS
Editor, Ceres Courier,
I am writing in response to your article, "Stamping out the postal Service using the political ball & chain."
As you have pointed out in beginning of your article, part of the financial problem the Postal Service is facing comes from one of the provisions passed in 2006 when Congress passed the Postal Reform Act. That provision, which mandates prefunding future retiree health benefits, has saddled the USPS with unjust annual payment of $5 billion a year. In fact over the last four years the USPS would have made $411 million if not for this prefunding requirement.
If reducing delivery days would actually provide the savings the Postal Service has projected - which is very doubtful - your article might have some merit. Fortunately for the millions of people who do depend on universal mail delivery service six days a week, there is another answer - one in which would not cost a dime of taxpayer money, which was not presented. Bi-partisan legislation is currently being proposed in the U.S. Senate to allow a surplus of approximately $50 billion, built up in its Civil Service Retirement System pension account over the past 40 years to cover those pre-funding payments. Moving the surplus in this manner would be the most responsible way for the Postal Service to act as a business while eliminating the need the need for reducing delivery days.
The Postal Service delivers to each and every address six days a week, for the same rate regardless of if you live in a big city or a little town like Ceres. The Postal Service is essential to all Californians, but six-day delivery and collection service is especially important to our seniors, small and home-based businesses and rural communities that rely on the Postal Service as a crucial public service. Elderly and disabled residents in rely on the Postal Service to delivery their mail, parcels, and even prescription drugs out to them.
Mr. Wyatt, in this economy it would be a shame to destroy approximately 80,000 more good jobs to overcome a recession made on Wall Street and policy mistakes made in Washington - and leave the Postal Service worse off in the end - by ending Saturday collections and delivery.
Simply put, cutting back service is more likely to cost the USPS millions of customers than provide a long- term solution to the Postal Service's financial problems.
Walt Butler,
Ceres
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
Letters to the editor will be considered for publication but must be signed with the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters should contain 250 words or less and be void of libelous statements. Letters may be sent to The Ceres Courier, P.O. Box 7, Ceres, CA 95307, or emailed to jeffb@cerescourier.com
Editor, Ceres Courier,
I am writing in response to your article, "Stamping out the postal Service using the political ball & chain."
As you have pointed out in beginning of your article, part of the financial problem the Postal Service is facing comes from one of the provisions passed in 2006 when Congress passed the Postal Reform Act. That provision, which mandates prefunding future retiree health benefits, has saddled the USPS with unjust annual payment of $5 billion a year. In fact over the last four years the USPS would have made $411 million if not for this prefunding requirement.
If reducing delivery days would actually provide the savings the Postal Service has projected - which is very doubtful - your article might have some merit. Fortunately for the millions of people who do depend on universal mail delivery service six days a week, there is another answer - one in which would not cost a dime of taxpayer money, which was not presented. Bi-partisan legislation is currently being proposed in the U.S. Senate to allow a surplus of approximately $50 billion, built up in its Civil Service Retirement System pension account over the past 40 years to cover those pre-funding payments. Moving the surplus in this manner would be the most responsible way for the Postal Service to act as a business while eliminating the need the need for reducing delivery days.
The Postal Service delivers to each and every address six days a week, for the same rate regardless of if you live in a big city or a little town like Ceres. The Postal Service is essential to all Californians, but six-day delivery and collection service is especially important to our seniors, small and home-based businesses and rural communities that rely on the Postal Service as a crucial public service. Elderly and disabled residents in rely on the Postal Service to delivery their mail, parcels, and even prescription drugs out to them.
Mr. Wyatt, in this economy it would be a shame to destroy approximately 80,000 more good jobs to overcome a recession made on Wall Street and policy mistakes made in Washington - and leave the Postal Service worse off in the end - by ending Saturday collections and delivery.
Simply put, cutting back service is more likely to cost the USPS millions of customers than provide a long- term solution to the Postal Service's financial problems.
Walt Butler,
Ceres
* * * * * * * * *
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
Letters to the editor will be considered for publication but must be signed with the author's name, address and telephone number. Letters should contain 250 words or less and be void of libelous statements. Letters may be sent to The Ceres Courier, P.O. Box 7, Ceres, CA 95307, or emailed to jeffb@cerescourier.com
