Here & There Column 7-27-10

Post Office Facing Major Problems

The Postal Service wants to raise rates and more companies, individuals and groups are turning to the Internet and email to meet their communication and financial needs.
The Postal Service says they lost $3.8 billion during the past fiscal year and that they cut 40,000 full-time positions. There is also a proposal on the table that would eliminate Saturday mail delivery but this would require congressional approval.
Postal officials also indicate they have been overcharged billions of dollars for retirement benefits for employees who worked for the old Post Office Department before it was changed to the Postal Service in 1970.
Just recently I've been notified that one of the major bowling publications sent to all USBC registered bowlers was no longer going to be published and mailed but that the publications would be published and available on the Internet and by email.
Another Sullivan County group announced that "with the rise of postage and printing costs" that they would "now be forwarding training notifications via email."
Relatives we have living in various section of the United States no longer send us letters and photos, in fact we even received birthday, anniversary and Christmas cards via email and the family photos get to us faster, in fact practically as they are happening with the cell phone cameras.
It's easily understood why the Postal Service has what they call massive losses with folks paying their bills online and organizations cutting back on advertising as a result of the poor economy.
Talk within the Postal Service ranks are suggesting a two-cent increase in first class mail and rates for other type of mail will also go up. Postal folks are saying that the Priority Mail rate is likely to remain the same and that package rates will still be lower then other private carriers.
Complains heard from the general public on these proposed rate increases is that in many ways it's just another tax imposed at a time the economy can least afford it.
One has to look at the proposed rate increase as it is what it is and in many ways increased use of the Internet and email along with the poor economy could be the leading factors postage rates will go up.