USPS is Essential for Residents/Voters

by | Sep 9, 2020 | Editorials and Opinions

ANN E. KEPLEY Bernalillo
ABQ Journal, September 9, 2020

I AM responding to the Aug. 23 news article “House passes bill to reverse USPS changes.”

The mission of the U.S. Postal Service is to provide the nation with reliable, affordable, universal mail service.

Our founders felt it necessary to place this power in the Constitution of the United States — Article 1, Section 8. Yet at a time when our dependence on the postal service has risen, the administration is working to tear it down.

During this time of COVID-19, when in-person visits to doctors, pharmacies and business meetings are dangerous, and even sending children to school is hazardous, we need excellent, speedy, reliable postal service.

The U.S. Postal Service is used for prompt delivery of doctor’s orders, prescriptions, food, business documents, taxes and household items, to name just a few.

The framers of the Constitution recognized that the fundamental function of the Postal Service is to bind the nation together through the personal, educational, literary and business correspondence of the people. The Postal Service has been performing this function exceptionally well, as demonstrated by a public approval rating of over 90%.

Changing any system requires upheaval during the transition. Now is not the time to add to the burden of stress Americans are enduring.

If there even were a viable plan to improve the Postal Service, now is not the time to roll it out. There has been no public discussion; companies, schools and health services have not been informed of new practices, nor have state and local government agencies.

Expecting the Postal Service, with its universal service mandate, to be run like a business is a questionable premise and should be subject to debate.

The recent changes made under the guise of achieving financial stability have only served to impede mail delivery and are a clear attempt to disenfranchise voters by undermining mail-in voting.

The U.S. Postal Service is an essential agency for all Americans during this pandemic. To even suggest cutting service for profit or any other motive is obscene and misguided.

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