Post Office Has Got To Cut Back

Nobody wants job cuts, but sometimes agencies are just not making the cut.  It's is a reality of our world.  I don't want to see postal cuts, but something has to change as our society has changed.  So many fewer citizens are using the United States Postal Service for everyday mailings, and with those changes, budgets aren't working anymore.

I hate to think of anyone getting layoffs, but since consumers have changed, the U.S.P.S. must change with the times, and it seems like something has got to change.  According to an excerpt from Fox News,  in reference to the problems with money at the postal service,

Ironically, however, Congress shares much of the blame. For years, the Postal Service begged Washington for the freedom to cut its own budget by closing post offices and cutting employees. But Congress, under pressure from rural constituents and labor unions, prevented the cuts, and the service continued to bleed red ink.

Wow!  It's sad to think that someone kept yelling about the problems, but another group of people were able to keep these folks in check, and in response, choking the US Postal Service from doing what they were ready to do: cut the fat to keep the service going.  Now, what will happen?  Things will be cut because they must, and everyone will be crying in pain.

Here is what the Posmaster General John Potter proposes at changes to try to fix the budget issues:

• • The Postal Service posted $3.8 billion in losses in fiscal 2009. Potter says that number could hit $7 billion in 2010.
• • Mail volume has dropped dramatically in the last few years. The agency handled 213 billion pieces of mail in 2006, but only 177 billion pieces in 2009. The 2009 figure represented a 13 percent decline from the year before. Potter projected the number would drop to 166 billion for fiscal 2010.
• • Operating revenue fell 9.1 percent to $68.1 billion in 2009.
• • To close the gap, Potter proposes cutting Saturday delivery, using price increases in "moderation" as well as pursuing other options. He says exceptions will be made for those who need Saturday service and that the Postal Service will still operate on weekends. Cutting Saturday delivery alone is estimated to save $3.5 billion annually.
• • Potter is looking at reducing the number of post offices as well as seeking a change in the law so that the Postal Service does not have to make multi-billion dollar retirement benefit payments in advance.
• • Consultants considered privatization of the Postal Service, but concluded that that is an "unlikely" option.

These facts are tough to swallow, but as a country we must do something now before the financial bleeding gets any worse.  We need to cut, save money and get with moving in a new direction.  The world has changed, the consumer has changed, and now the Post Office MUST change.

I could live without Saturday delivery.  In fact, I think we should cut down the postal service to just four days a week.  We could have mail service on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays.  I hate to think someone would lose their job, but it is going to happen as consumers continue to use their IPAds, IPhones, labtops and other electronic equipment to talk, visit, share stories, pay bills and give business presentations.  Let's just get the pain over with now.