It’s that time of year again for America’s mail carriers. With two months to spare before 2023, the Postal Service has unveiled a colorful array of new postage stamps for the coming year. Consumers can look forward to novel designs featuring the Great Smoky Mountains, floral geometry, red foxes and winter woodland animals.
Unfortunately, consumers will have to pay a pretty penny for these nifty new stamps. First-class Forever stamps are slated to rise 5 percent, from 60 cents to 63 cents. This comes after a 2-cent increase (from 58 cents) in July. The American people deserve to know why they’re being asked to pay more for sending letters when their mail service is actively being slowed down by postal leadership. Fun stamp designs cannot make up for the fiscal folly of failed postal policies.
Stamps are one of many products to see repeated price hikes over the past year. Consumers have had to cope with $4 per gallon gasoline, 13 percent Halloween candy inflation, and … soon, more costly Christmas gifts. At least for these products, consumers know what they’re getting once they cough up extra cash.