The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) wants to raise the price of a First-Class stamp to 66 cents. That is a 32% increase in less than four years. It is another sign that the USPS is bloated and needs more money to underwrite a business that America does not need anymore–at least at its current scale. (These companies control over half of their industry.)
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According to the watchdog KeepUSPosted, “In 2022, USPS handled 127.3 billion pieces of mail compared to the high of 213.1 billion in 2006, data shows.” The USPS has not shrunken to match this drop-off.
The USPS said the price increase is needed to “provide it with much-needed revenue.” The other option is to cut costs, which would make much more sense, particularly for the public.
The USPS still has just over 516,000 full-time workers. That is up from 496,000 two years ago. The USPS has 32,000 locations, which is a ridiculously large figure. Small towns with 3,000 people have a post office. People could travel to the next town over, often easily. Carriers could deliver to the next town, too.
The USPS seems to believe delivering mail six times a week is necessary. It is not, with email and electronic files as part of everyday American life. Bills that used to be delivered and paid by mail can virtually all be paid for online. The primary reason for physical delivery is junk mail, magazines and newspapers.
The USPS continues to order new vehicles. The most recent batch included some electric vehicles. The USPS should reduce its fleet as trucks go out of service. The USPS should not need them in the future.
Most of what the USPS does today is unnecessary. Even the shipping of packages can be handled effectively by UPS and FedEx. A higher priced First-Class stamp is a temptation to waste more money.
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