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were involved in the case. (www.usps.com)"

No private company would allow such waste of time and money to make a simple business decision. A private business would only have to discuss the matter between its board of directors and its marketing staff. Clearly, the United States Postal Service makes a habit of wasting time and moneytwo key aspects of an efficiently run business.

Like any other business, however, the USPS does employ thousands of people. Those against privatization fear that these postal employees will be unemployed if the service becomes privatized. UPS has a staff of 7.9 million; FedEx employs 140,000; hiring the over 700,000 USPS employees to run the new privatized mail service would not be difficult for these companies. It would, in fact, be more efficient to hire those already trained in local mail delivery, than to hire inexperienced people and have to train them. A private business could save millions hiring the current post office staff, rather than spending the time and money to find and train inexperienced personnel.

Lastly, opponents of privatization argue that the price of privatized postage would actually increase without the protection of the federal government. Though it is true that the price of shipping items through UPS or Federal Express is sometimes higher than the USPS, this is only the case when speedy delivery is required. Of course next day delivery will cost more through UPS than two-day delivery through the USPS. But the extra expense buys the assurance that the package will arrive exactly on time and in one piece. As usual, better quality does cost more.

Additionally, the U.S. Postal Service does not own many of its offices or transportation vehicles. The private mail carriers own their own offices, planes, trucks, etc, but the USPS leases these items at a hefty sum. Their website boasts that the postal service leases more than 27,000 facilities, at a cost of 727 million dollars a year! Think of the advantages private businesses have over the USPS in this regard alone. Right away, a privatized postal service, through a company like FedEx, would save hundreds of millions of dollars by not having to rent offices. This savings could then be passed on to the customer. If the current post office, with all of its wasteful and costly practices, can deliver standard envelope mail for thirty-seven cents a stamp, then private business ought to be able to do the same, if not even less expensively.

It is time Americans stop letting the government dictate their mailing options. We must take responsibility and demand a new, more efficient and modern system. If left the way it is, the USPS will soon become obsolete. The price of postage will continue to climb, and with every increase, more people will turn to alternative means of communication. Over 700,000 people will be out of work if the current post office prices itself out of existence. A lay-off that large, not to mention the elimination of letter carriers, could put the United States into a disabling recession. We must evolve with the ways of the futurefaster, stronger, smarter. Private business has made this growth, and through the means of private business, the postal service can evolve to serve a new breed of customer as well. The choice is oursfight for privatized standard postal service, or eventually receive no standard postal service at all.

Works Cited

United States Postal Service. "How Rates Are Set," "Universal Access. Universal
Service." www.usps.com. 13, April 2002.

United Parcel Service. "UPS Facts Sheet." www.ups.com 13, April 2002.

Federal Express. "About FedEx: FedEx Express Facts." www.fedex.com. 13, April
2002.

Learn more about this author, Erin K. Wiedemer.
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