Government can always be improved and should be, given We The People are funding it. There are efficiencies and tweaks to be made so that we get the best bang for our buck.
Our United States Postal Service is no exception to this rule. One of our nation's oldest institutions, this old dog has consistently been taught new tricks.
A task force established by President Trump is expected to soon deliver recommendations on overhauling USPS, The Washington Post reports. And some expect our president to push for privatization of the postal service. The Post also reports that postal unions are making pre-emptive strikes against any push for privatization. Here's more from the paper:
"The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) are sponsoring television and digital ads designed to stoke public opposition to a plan the Trump administration outlined in June. Details of the plan, announced in a larger governmental reorganization proposal dubbed 'Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century,' are expected soon. It's not certain that privatization will be the administration's favored solution, but the postal unions want to stop consideration of any solution leading to postal privatization."
Is privatization right for the post office right now? It's too soon to tell. We're all for smaller, more efficient government, but there are some services our government absolutely needs to provide, and delivering mail is one of them. The post office is actually mentioned in our Constitution. The founders thought it that important. And, for all the jokes, as of February the USPS enjoyed an 88 percent public approval rating.
By law, the post office must serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality. And contrary to popular belief, USPS isn't funded by our tax dollars. Instead, USPS operating costs are funded by stamp sales, package delivery and other services it provides. Talk about efficiency in government, it can get a letter from Alaska to Florida for only 50 cents.
Privatization? Maybe not just yet. Not as long as all of our Christmas cards get through.
Editorial on 11/20/2018