Your Opinion: Government needs to ensure continuation of U.S. Postal Service

Jane Lester

Jefferson City

Dear Editor:

"Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers " These words are ingrained into the American culture and psyche. We tend to take the U.S. Postal Service and the men and woman who provide this important communication and delivery service across our nation for granted. The pandemic has shone a light on its importance not in just the delivery of goods (but in the mental health needs - a letter is a physical connection).

The Continental Congress created the Postal Service before there was a United States of America. The Postal Service with its charge in the Constitution to "establish post offices and post roads" provided the impetus for intercontinental highways and railroad construction. The expansion of our nation west was stimulated by the interchange of information from settlers to those they left behind. Our exploratory nature and ability to innovate are rooted in delivering that post.

Title 39, Section 101.1 of the United States Code outlines the role of the U.S. Postal Service. It states in part:

"(a) The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the people. The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities. The costs of establishing and maintaining the Postal Service shall not be apportioned to impair the overall value of such service to the people."

However, the postal service as an independent agency is supposed to be able to operate as a business and maintain its own operational budget. Congress has passed legislation requiring the postal service to dedicate a huge portion of its budget for future costs while hamstringing it with regulations that limit its ability to raise funds.

This is a non-partisan issue and one that is basic to our country's character and freedoms. Our government needs to act to ensure that the United States Postal Service can continue to be that reliable and equable service intended by the founders of our country.