Entire post office story must be told

Entire post office story must be told

On Sept. 26, the Daily Herald ran a story that which states the post office may raise the price of first class postage by three cents. Sadly, many important facts were not reported: The middle class is paying more for less service, thousands of good jobs are being lost, and 95 percent of the economic recovery has gone to 1 percent of our population.

Our post office has been the envy of the world for more than 200 hundred years with essentially no taxpayer assistance. In 2006 the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) was passed. It requires the post office to prefund their health care for 75 years and to do so in 10 years. This amounts to over $5 billion a year that cannot be used for jobs, competitive improvements and service. Surprise, this is a not a requirement on corporate carriers.

Where did this legislation come from? Our old friends at American Legislative Exchange Council. Who sponsored the bill? UPS and FEDEX.

With every stamp price increase more business and profit goes to the corporations. This leaves less money for the post office to compete and offer service. Elimination of Saturday service, the latest idea, loses thousands of jobs, further reduces competitiveness, and drives more business to the corporations.

This is nothing more than a privatization swindle. Our representatives and their ALEC masters engineered this, and they can make this problem go away by amending PAEA. We need to make them do it or hold them accountable; read, educate yourself, write your reps, and vote. Doing nothing gives tacit approval, and leaves us as guilty as they are.

Additionally, the government is already looking to “borrow” the post office fund to run the government. Does this remind anyone of the Illinois pension fund debacle?

Walter Naaf

Pingree Grove