Nation needs Saturday postal delivery service

Since 1775, the United States Postal Service has been a constant in the life of this nation. It is the thread that binds Americans in the cities and in the countryside, in large corporations and in family-owned businesses. It represents the ultimate in government service to the public.
That is why it cannot be viewed in the same context as private sector mail-delivery entities and should not be judged solely on the basis of its balance sheet. The Postal Service's financial problems are disturbing, of course, but the solution doesn't lie in ending Saturday delivery. Rather, other cost-saving measures should be pursued, such as reducing the number of employees and consolidating post offices.
There are no easy answers to the question of how to stem the flow of red ink. The operational deficit this year is projected to hit $2 billion, which is why a curtailment in service seems like such a logical answer. But logic doesn't always apply to services that government provides. Running government like a business may be a worthy goal, but there are times when the differences between the private and public sectors make such a goal unrealistic. The Postal Service is a case in point.
Mission: If its mission of providing affordable mail service to any American who desires it regardless of where he or she lives is to be accomplished, then the Postal Service cannot be guided by a cost-benefit analysis. Yes, it is losing money, but that is the result of many factors, including a rate structure that is lower than that in most other developed countries in the world.
At 34 cents for a first-class stamp, Americans are getting a bargain.
That said, we do believe cuts are necessary to meet the Postal Service's goal of reducing spending by $2.5 billion by 2003. Officials have announced a reduction of 70,000 employees -- there are 798,000 postal workers today -- in five years, a reduction in administrative costs by 25 percent and of transportation costs by 10 percent. But those initiatives alone won't solve the problem.
The board of governors should focus on consolidating post offices and, if necessary, closing plants.
It has been suggested that the talk about ending Saturday delivery is designed to force Congress to support the Postal Service with tax dollars. There may come a time when such a bailout is necessary, but first the service must show that it has made the tough decisions to cut costs.