By Editorial Board
The U.S. Postal Service should focus on delivering the mail, not delivering a profit.
Privatization of the postal service has been a dream for some who see the opportunity for profit, but it would be a nightmare for rural Americans, who would see service cuts, additional delays and increasing costs. These would disproportionately impact rural residents, simply because of the economics of having fewer potential customers over a wider area.
Private industry can be a wonderful thing. In a business setting, the drive to be profitable can bring about innovation, out-of-thebox thinking and the adoption of new efficiencies. When these are aligned with core values and the mission of the organization, the profitdriven model of business and industry can literally move mountains.
In a recent interview, President-elect Donald Trump broached the idea of revisiting privatization of the postal service, as a potential goal of his upcoming term. This is not a new idea and Trump had pushed for it in his first term of office. At the time, pushback from Congress and postal employee unions, led to Trump backing off from a privatization plan in his first term.
Trump’s comments about renewed interest in postal service privatization, comes at the same time that postal service leadership is under increased bipartisan scrutiny, for spiraling increases in rates and ever-diminishing service standards.
