SAVE THE U.S. POST OFFICE

As a child, growing up in rural Wisconsin, I remember the excitement of watching for the mailman. We loved the surprises waiting for us in our mailbox. Today, many people still depend on the U.S. Postal Service. It delivers everywhere. Many small businesses depend on it for their business. Independent newspapers need it to deliver their papers and to keep independent journalism alive.

Recently our mail delivery has slowed down. Why? On January 5, 2015, many distribution centers were closed in an effort to cut costs. This slowed down the processing of mail.

Why does the USPS need to cut costs? It has always been a cash cow. During the 2008 money crisis, the US Treasury “borrowed” seven Picture of Post office vehiclesbillion dollars from USPS. This has not been paid back.

But there is another reason for the slowing down of US Mail. In 2006 President George W. Bush signed into law a requirement that USPS maintain its Pension Funds for the next 75 years. It has only 10 years in which to do that. (No other business is required to fund its pension plan for that length of time.)

That is why you hear stories about the USPS going broke. It is not broke. I checked their website and they have ample funds. If they did not need to put all their money into the Pension Fund, they would have a surplus of 1.5 billion dollars.

U.S. Representative Lynch of Massachusetts is sponsoring a bi-partisan bill to allow the $7billion owed to the USPS to be used for their retirement fund. This would allow the USPS to continue its dependable and affordable service in a timely manner.

Everybody needs and appreciates the U.S. Postal Service.