Reader’s view: Repeal unfair benefit law to save the Postal Service

The March 3 letter opposing the idea of post offices selling fishing licenses that can be bought anywhere was well stated.

But if the U.S. Postal Service did imagine such a thing it would be to earn money since it ran up an unsustainable $11 billion debt last year alone; that was the result of a law passed in December 2006 with bipartisan support in the Republican-majority Congress’ lame duck session just before the newly elected Democratic majority Congress took office.

That unprecedented law actually requires the U.S. Postal Service to prepay 75 years of retirees’ health-care costs in only 10 years, a financial burden never before imposed on any government or private business. It was not to reduce the deficit or national debt, because the U.S. Postal Service is the only self-supporting government agency; tax money doesn’t pay for a dime of it.

That law must be repealed to save the U.S. Postal Service from bankruptcy. Minnesotans should contact their Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. Wisconsinites should contact their Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is on the Senate committee that controls USPS retiree issues.

Arthur Arnold

Duluth

Tags: readers views, opinion, editorials, politics, money