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News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

What's another billion or two

Hey. come on down and get in line:

The post office will run out of money this year unless it gets help, Postmaster General John Potter told Congress on Wednesday as he sought permission to cut delivery to five days a week.

"We are facing losses of historic proportion. Our situation is critical," Potter told a House panel.

The agency lost $2.8 billion last year and is looking at much larger losses this year. Reducing mail delivery from six days to five days a week could save $3.5 billion annually, Potter said.

Losing all that money, and still Congress balks at what seems to be a reasonable step to deal with it:

Potter first raised the possibility of delivery cutbacks in January, but the idea has not been warmly received in Congress.

"With the Postal Service facing budget shortfalls, the subcommittee will consider a number of options to restore financial stability and examine ways for the Postal Service to continue to operate without cutting services," subcommittee chairman Stephen F. Lynch, D-Mass., said.

Lynch said the financial stability of the Postal Service is "critical to the American expectation of affordable six-day mail delivery."

I have zero expectation of "affordable six-day mail delivery." I couldn't care less. What about you? I can live with five days -- even four. It's not like any of us are waiting desperately by the mailbox for critical news of where that new railroad line is finally going to go. Dang -- over by New Haven. Guess that's the place to build the new cattle pens.

Posted in: Current Affairs

Comments

Bob G.
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 11:22am

I find it funny that after all this time, the USPS is (still) LOSING money!
They've automated out the butt, cut staffing, dumped the jeeps & added cheaper Grumman-made vehicles (when the carriers aren't walking), all but eliminated the OD drop boxes (and the BLUE mailboxes),and through ALL of this, have managed to RAISE postage costs to damn near astronomical proportions...and to what end?
To still be IN THE RED?
Gimme a break.

What about some government OVERSIGHT into some of YOUR OWN DEPARTMENTS (for a change)?
Seems someone is making some money somewhere.

BTW, Leo...we wouldn't NEED a "new" rail line if they KEPT all the OLD ones...would we?
Ah, but THAT would have made TOO much sense.
(even in New Haven)

;)

Mike Harvey
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 11:58am

A check stuck in a 4 or 5 day mail system would suck. USPS could take a Thursday off, and then I suppose Saturday if its four day but on Monday holidays that would be three days without mail. I guess there would be more tactical sending of checks by businesses and people whether one would want it to get there faster or slower.

Michael B-P
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 12:18pm

Do their managers know how to read an income statement or is that considered an ancillary skill?

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