USPS OIG: Funding the Universal Service Obligation

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USPS OIG: Historically the purpose of the postal monopolies has been to ensure the postal Service has adequate revenue to cover the cost of its universal service obligation. The combination of decline in letter mail and the the price cap on monopoly products has challenged the ability of the monopolies to earn sufficient revenue. The OIG looked at various funding … Read More

Who owns the Postal Service?

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BY MARK JAMISON Who owns the post office?  Who is the post office designed to serve?  What is the system’s ultimate function? These questions are fundamental to the future and the fate of the post office, the postal network, and postal services in this country. How we answer them will have a significant impact on businesses, workers, and communities. We … Read More

At what price profit? The battle for the soul of the Postal Service

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BY MARK JAMISON The new year has begun, and the country is still waiting for Congress to address the problems facing the Postal Service.  In the meantime, the Postmaster General blames the crisis on congressional inaction and the diversion of first class mail to the Internet.  His solution is to cut services to the public, eliminate jobs, and dismantle the infrastructure … Read More

By Default or Design: The Demise of the Postal Service

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BY MARK JAMISON, FORMER U.S. POSTMASTER Default.  It’s an ugly and dangerous word.  It gives the impression that the individual or enterprise attached to it has utterly failed.  It implies defeat and irresponsibility.   The news media use the word with relish.  Like a car crash, a hurricane, or a murder, it sells newspapers.  Combined with the word “bailout,” it’s … Read More

How to Save the Postal Service Before It’s Too Late

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[In “The Perfect Storm: How Everything Is Coming Together to Take the Postal Service Apart,” a postmaster analyzed the causes of the current crisis.  In the following piece, he o makes some concrete suggestions for getting the Postal Service out of the morass.  Here is part two of “Notes from a Postmaster.”  At my request, the author remains anonymous to … Read More