Letter: Save the Postal Service

Graphic by Lori Deaton

In my ignorance back in the mid-’90s, I wrote Republican Sen. Lauch Faircloth to complain about our U.S. Postal Service and suggested it be privatized. How wrong I was, as I learned from the very courteous and thorough letter I received from Sen. Faircloth! He explained that mail service was established by the Founding Fathers (Ben Franklin was the first postmaster) to facilitate communication among the citizenry and how essential this is to the functioning of democracy.

Privatization of the postal service would create separation from the citizenry it serves, undermine communication so essential to democracy and facilitate the movement to an authoritarian regime. Is this what we want? I fervently hope not.

A few years ago, I mailed a letter one morning at the Black Mountain post office to an addressee in Black Mountain. It was delivered that afternoon! Now, a letter mailed in Asheville to a local addressee will typically be delivered two days later. Yes, the first example was unusual, but the second is the result of the Postal Service’s effort to streamline operations by routing Asheville mail to Greenville, S.C., for distribution. Thus, the fiscal constraints imposed by Congress on the Postal Service have necessitated worse service, for which consumer complaints should be directed to Congress, rather than the Postal Service.

— Bob Gunn
Asheville

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2 thoughts on “Letter: Save the Postal Service

  1. Joseph Schnaufer

    Just another stunt by trump to try and suppress voting by making mail in ballots harder to obtain. The Republicans should be ashamed of their voter suppression and gerrymandering.

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    • Enlightened Enigma

      hey Joe…did you ever complain when the NC democrackkks gerrymandered for decades without question from the ignorant population? do you have a clue about how the NC voter rolls were packed full of non existent voters left by democrackkks in charge…voter fraud exists. voters can already order a ballot for mail in voting.

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