ArcaMax

Better buy your “Forever” stamps now, because the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced another price increase. On July 13, the cost of a first- class stamp is scheduled to rise from 73 cents to 78 cents. The plan is to raise prices four more times by 2027. Meanwhile, it appears for many people that service is declining.

As a kid I couldn’t wait for the “mailman” to arrive, always at the same time and the same person each day. At Christmas, there were deliveries in the morning and afternoon. For a while I collected stamps, especially those from overseas. Before the internet, mail was how people kept in touch. In 1985, the price of a first-class stamp was 22 cents. My grandparents sent “penny postcards.” Domestic post cards will now cost 62 cents, more if you mail them to another country.

I recently sent a book from one major East Coast city to another. It was by media mail, the cheapest rate. Normally it takes four to five days to arrive. This time it took 11 days. The postal service webpage said the book sat in the originating post office for a week before moving.

A reader wrote to me about his own frustration with the once-reliable post office: “My latest attempt to send a more expensive, yet more reliable, letter was by Priority Mail. Mailed on April 7, it was supposed to have arrived on April 10, then the 11th, in High Falls, NY! The correct address and ZIP codes were verified. After it left S/W Kansas, it got to Pennsylvania, on the 10th, before it evidently went to Richmond, VA. Then was forwarded, again in error, to Chesapeake, VA, where a supposed delivery attempt was made, before they found their error. Marked it in red for final delivery yesterday. However, Chesapeake sent it back to Richmond, via Norfolk, where it sat a while longer, before Richmond sent it back to Chesapeake for delivery again!

“This time, Chesapeake finally noted the error and allegedly marked it for redelivery to High Falls! It (went again to) Richmond and supposedly left for its destination. Presumably, High Falls, NY! But who knows how long that will take, or IF they send it to the wrong post office once again!

A previous Priority Mail letter with the same destination, took eleven (11) days. Yet, previous letters took only the original four days to arrive.”

I am beginning to experience and hear more of these stories. My local post office is usually understaffed, even when there are long lines. Those who apply for passports take up large amounts of time and keep the rest of us waiting to mail a single item.

A major contributor to the rising prices of stamps is the postal service’s obligation to its retirees. As Axios reports: “The (USPS) faces substantial pension obligations, with unfunded liabilities totaling $409 billion against just $290 billion in assets. This is largely due to a system where USPS is responsible for its own retirement funding, unlike other federal agencies which receive annual appropriations. The USPS is required to pre-fund retiree health benefits, and this mandate, along with other factors, contributes to the significant unfunded liabilities.”

As prices go up, usage declines. It’s similar to states run by Democrats. As they raise taxes, more people leave. Even more leave after taxes are raised again to make up for lost revenue. Bills can now be paid through online banks. Free digital holiday cards can be emailed, saving money on stamps and the cards.

President Trump has proposed shutting down the postal service and rolling it into the Department of Commerce. Since 1792, the post office has had exclusive rights to deliver letters. Lifting that restriction would open things up to competition and presumably lower prices.

What we have now is too expensive and inefficient. It’s time to stamp it out.

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Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book “A Watchman in the Night: What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks).

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