Re: “Is the next step privatizing the postal service?” (blog.thenewstribune.com/letters).

While reading the comments on the letter, it became obvious to me that some people think the U.S. Postal Service is funded by taxes. The USPS is funded solely by the sale of postage and other postal products.

The demise of the USPS would have no impact on the federal budget but would have a very unpleasant impact on those wishing to send a communication. It would be particularly unpleasant if the sender or recipient lived in a rural area.

The founders of our nation realized that communication is …

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The Constitution’s preamble clearly states that one of the nation’s goals is to “promote the general welfare.”

The U.S. Postal Service, for example, pays for itself. What more could you ask? It even delivers to rural areas for the other companies because it’s cost-effective. Prices would go up with privatization because private owners would require profits.

Members of Congress have wonderful single-payer health care. As patients, I wonder if they think it is dangerously socialist. I doubt it. Medicare is less generous but is also run by the government, and should not be privatized.

There must be good people in …

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The editorial from the Washington Post (TNT, 1-28) concerning the U.S. Postal Service failed to report what is the biggest reason for the financial problems of the USPS besides the loss of revenue from less volume of mail. That is the requirement to pay $5.5 billio to pre-fund future health benefits.

No other business or federal agency is required to do this. Postal officials and union leadership agree that this requirement is the main cause of the postal problem. It can be fixed by Congress by the simple internal transfer of funds with no taxpayer funds needed. It is not …

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