Legislation critical to restoring Postal Service to financial health

Kevin Kosar’s Feb. 16 commentary on the current postal reform bill sadly overlooks many of the undeniable benefits of this sorely needed legislation. In fact, Kosar’s suggestion that the current form of the legislation preserves the status quo suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of both the goals of legislation and the magnitude of the fiscal problems facing the Postal Service. As the Postmaster General emphasized in testimony to Congress recently, this legislation is a critical component of a comprehensive plan to return the organization to financial stability. 

In addition to this sorely needed legislation, the Postal Service will also need a favorable resolution of the Postal Regulatory Commission’s 10 year review the Postal Service’s pricing regime and, of course, continued vigilance on the part of management to grow revenue and control costs. 

{mosads}Success on all of these fronts will put the Postal Service in position to meet its financial obligations and continue to provide affordable, reliable and secure delivery service to every business and home in America. We provide this fundamental service to the people and businesses of the United States in all regions, communities, neighborhoods and households. Only the Postal Service meets this essential need of the American public.

In fiscal year 2016, the men and women of the Postal Service delivered 154 billion pieces of mail to 156 million delivery points and operated more than 31,000 Post Offices. We service 43 million rural delivery points, and for much of rural America we are often the only delivery option. Our Post Offices and employees play an integral role in every American community and serve as a vital conduit to the national and global marketplace.

The USPS is a responsible employer that provides stable, middle-class jobs throughout the country. With 640,000 employees, we are the second largest civilian employer in the United States and the largest civilian employer of U.S. veterans.

Finally, Kosar gives short shrift to the widespread and bipartisan support that forms the ultimate impetus for this bill. This too is unfortunate, as such broad consensus — amongst stakeholders including unions, mailers and ranking members of both major political parties reflects the realization by these key stakeholders that legislation is necessary and that this bill is a key step towards returning the Postal Service to financial health. We believe the time is now for this much needed legislation and we remain very hopeful that it will soon become law.

From Toni DeLancey, Postal Service spokeswoman, Washington, D.C.

Compromise on immigration only way to fix congressional impasse

John Feehery was correct in his Feb. 13 column, “Dems should make a deal on immigration.” President Obama was never able to bring about any immigration reform due to strong opposition from Republicans. Obama tried many times to reform the system like the DREAM Act, but the fear of granting residency to undocumented immigrants made Republicans block the act from passing.

Both Democrats and Republicans support legal immigration. The problem arises when dealing with the illegal immigrants already here or those that cannot come legally.

It became apparent during Obama’s two terms that if Democrats and Republicans refuse to change their stance on immigration at least a little, nothing will get done. That is why Trump and Democrats must negotiate to find a middle ground.

From Cody Pang, Santa Cruz, Calif.