Letter: Congress Failed to Deliver
To the Editor:
The lengthy Valley News’ article on Feb. 7 addressing the U.S. Postal Service’s decision to cut deliveries on Saturdays (“Mail Call Grows Fainter”) failed to mention the main reason the Postal Service is losing so much money. Congressional oversight is the biggest problem. In 2006, Congress passed legislation requiring the Postal Service to pay forward into its employee pension fund for 75 years within a 10-year period. This is costing nearly $5.5 billion a year, and is a requirement that no other government agency is asked to meet. In a New York Times article on Feb. 9, Joseph Corbett, chief financial officer of the Postal Service, states, “Our liquidity concerns can only be fully resolved if Congress takes action to address our unsustainable business model, including resolving the overly aggressive payment schedule to prefund retiree health benefits.”
So is cutting Saturday services, which will create difficulties for many people and eliminate 25,000 jobs, the answer to the problem? If you believe, as I do, that there’s a better solution, contact your congressional representatives and ask them to work to change the laws that hobble the Postal Service in its appointed rounds and to support this valuable public service into the future.
Hilary B. Michaud
Lebanon
