U.S. Postal Service wastes money
Letters to the Editor
Yuma Sun
Dec 12, 2002

Why are there long lines at the post office? Why is our mail delivered so late, sometimes after dark? Why aren't more people hired to take care of these problems? It certainly can't be due to lack of money because apparently the postal service can afford all kinds of high priced advertising.

For the past few weeks, I have watched daily television commercials for the United States Postal Service. In the past year, I have seen USPS billboard advertising at televised major football games as well as USPS TV ads during football games and other sporting events. It has run full-page ads in our Sunday newspaper magazine section and in other magazines. The USPS was the official sponsor this year for the U.S. bicycle team for the Tour de France, and I am sure this represents only a small part of their sponsorship and advertising portfolio, all amounting to millions.

As of this winter, the postal service's U.S.A. Philatelic magazine lists 46 new stamp issued for the year 2002, and 18 of those are for 37-cent stamps. Why so many new stamps in one year? The cost of this slick quarterly magazine and these stamps, from design to print, must be staggering. Since the public is paying for postal services, and since there is no competition, the post office should stick to what it is supposed to do: provide sufficient personnel for post office customer service and mail delivery. High priced advertising and sponsorships should be completely eliminated and new stamp issues for a year should be cut in half or more.

The post office recently found a windfall of billions of dollars in retirement overpayments and announced postage rates would not be increased for four years. If the USPS discontinued all advertising and spent it on providing customer service, there might be no need to raise postal rates — ever.

M. BROOKS Yuma

---