The United States Postal Service (USPS) is in danger and needs our help. The USPS is an essential part of our lives. It has an obligation to deliver mail to every household, and we rely on it every day. It is important that we realize its importance and maintain its services through the current pandemic.
John Oliver, the host of Last Week Tonight, did a segment on the USPS. In it, he proved that their services are essential to delivering almost anything you might need to deliver.
The big issue is that the USPS is in danger of running out of cash by the end of September, and it needs an $89 billion lifeline from the government in order to continue its services. The USPS, like many other businesses, has taken a hit due to the pandemic. Businesses are cutting back on advertisements, solicitations and other types of letters that have caused the mail volume to go down by at least a third. The USPS has been losing money for years, as a result of a congressional mandated healthcare funding program. It created an annual $6.5 billion shortfall for them, and this program is not required by any other government agency.
Although the issue has been brought to the attention of the government, Trump continues to make things harder for the USPS. He has threatened to withhold a $10 billion line of credit approved by Congress in a coronavirus stimulus package. Trump believes the USPS is undercharging companies, such as Amazon, for their services and wants the USPS to quadruple what it charges for delivery packages. The USPS spoke out against this, saying that their prices are how they survive in a highly competitive market. Price increases would only hurt the agency, as they are known for having lower prices than both FedEx and UPS, who are private businesses. USPS delivers to places that other private companies will not, even if it means losing profit. Rural areas depend on them the most, with USPS delivering to places like the mountains of Colorado.
Besides encouraging Congress to fund the USPS, there are many things that regular citizens can do to help the USPS. The purchasing of stamps is a key revenue for them. People can even customize and have stamps made to their liking. Oliver has encouraged his viewers to buy stamps through stamp.com/laststamptonight in order to help the USPS stay in business.
People may have moved to online forms of sending letters, but the USPS isn’t something that can be replaced with technology. Many rural communities use the USPS to vote by mail and avoid traveling to larger cities that are miles away. These areas often do not have access to technology and the internet. These areas also tend to have the largest share of people above the age of 65 who need the postal service to get access to medication.
America needs the USPS now more than ever. They provide essential services such as delivering medicine, coronavirus test kits, and other packages. They will influence the November presidential elections, as voting by mail is expected to increase. We need the USPS, but they need us as well. In order for them to survive through this pandemic, we must rise up and help them.
