How to Fix the Post Office

I talked about this a bit on the radio show Tuesday morning:

Government budget woes, the efficiency of the Internet and the staggering volume of junk mail have rightfully buried the U.S. Postal Service, say environmental groups and budget analysts who call the mail delivery model built on the Pony Express no longer viable in the 21st century.

Nearly 700 post offices around the country are scheduled for potential closure and consolidation by the independent Postal Regulatory Commission. In a document presented to a House subcommittee last week, the near-bankrupt U.S. Postal Service also called for reducing service from six to five days a week.

Personally, it wouldn't bother me a bit to see mail delivery cut to five days a week. In a normal six day week I'll be one or two of those days I don't get any first class mail at all, just third class or bulk mail items. I don't know if the post office just doesn't bother to sort the first class stuff they've got, or if nothing was due me.

There's a simple way to fix both the junk mail problem that's overwhelming the post office, and the shortfall of funds. Eliminate the bulk mail and third class mail rates and make everything first class. Then if some merchant wants to paper the neighborhood with a sales piece it's gonna cost him. Junk mail volumes will drop, and whatever mail is still sent will yield more money for the Post Office. That would probably forestall other first class rate hikes.

I don't think there's a right for businesses to send junk mail at reduced rates. Change it and you solve a couple of problems at once.