The comic that was published in the last edition was unfortunately very misinformed [”Molton,” Dec. 14 Xpress]. It indicated that the Postal Service was an outdated institution and losing money hand over fist. That is wrong on both points. First, people are still sending and receiving mail. That, until we can email sweaters and iPods, will not change.
Secondly, and more importantly, they are not losing money. They are actually making plenty of money and are the nations second-largest employer after Walmart. The reason that they are struggling right now is because Congress, at the end of the Bush administration, passed the "Postal Accountability Enhancement Act.”
It stated that the Postal Service must pay 75 years in advance into its retiree health-care plan, and has to do it within 10 years. This impossible order means that the postal service has to produce $ 5.5 billion extra per year for the next 10 years. In this economic time, in this hiring environment, the government has attacked the nation’s second-largest employer, and the nation’s most-trusted government entity. Everyone should be contacting their congressman, and going down to their local post office with signs saying, "why does Congress want to kill the postal service?"
This is no time to be misinformed about the intentions of our government, from Citizens United to the Stop Online Piracy Act. We must watch them, and know that misleading titles on corrupt legislation are the rule, not the exception.
— Ryan Halas
Asheville
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Ryan's assessment is largely incorrect. The PO will lose nearly $ 15 billion this year, of which roughly 1/3 is related to the pension issue. The organization needs a serious restructuring as first class revenue, the foundation of the PO's revenue continues its serious decline. As companies encourage the issue of email for notification and bill paying this trend will continue.
By indy499
01/04/2012