Congress debates a not-so-special delivery
By: Ken Garcia
Examiner Staff Writer
03/25/09 12:21 PM PDT
Tell me if you've heard this story before - the U.S. Postal Service says it's running out of money.
There has to be a reason the price of stamps has jumped about 500 percent in the last decade.
Postmaster General John Potter has been trying to convince Congress that the agency needs to cut back mail delivery from six days a week to five, but even if that happens, the USPS could be in the red as much as $6 billion by next year.
What, no bailout package?
It turns out the recession has lightened the load of mail carriers everywhere. In the first quarter of this year, the volume of mail has dropped by more than 5 billion pieces, a figure that could rise up to 15 billion by the end of the year. People must be emailing a lot more to save money.
At a House subcommittee hearing yesterday, Potter was asked about reports he makes upwards of $800,000 per year. Not true, he said. That figure is based on bonuses and his retirement fund. And since bonuses are tied to delivery rates and customer satisfaction, it doesn't look like he's going to be getting that money this year.
A lot of people were startled to find out that Potter has his own security detail. For what, to protect him unchained dogs?
So far, Congress hasn't warmed to the idea of cutbacks on mail service. But the price of stamps will go up again in May.
Follow The Examiner
