Is The Internet Killing the US Mail?
Probably.
That’s the quick and dirty answer to the question posted in the headline. According to a recent Associated Press article, the Postmaster General is set to ask Congress for permission to eliminate Saturday mail deliveries as part of a new round of cost-cutting measures. Current projections show a cumulative loss of $238 billion over the next ten years, with a loss of $7 billion in the next year alone.
The number of pieces of mail handled by the US postal system fell from 213 billion in 2006 to 177 billion in 2009. By the year 2020, that number is expected to shrink to 150 billion. The decrease is attributed to the rise of email and electronic bill pay methods.
Should the plan to cease Saturday deliveries be approved by congress, post office branches would remain open, at least for the short term. If the Postmaster General get his way, the new changes would take effect next year.
Personally, I won’t be too sad to see Saturday mail delivery go. I’m one of the many Americans who handles my bills completely electronically, and most of the items I have delivered to my house come via FedEx or UPS. Do we really need credit card applications and pleas for charitable donations physically sent to our houses six times a week? Don’t most of us already get enough of that same crap via email? Cutting postal service will not only save taxpayer money, it will also save on carbon emissions as postal trucks and vehicles will be on the road and in the air one less day per week.
