Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008 - (Page 10)

roads to rural free delivery, the way the USPS has become part of our country’s identity and culture is unique in the world. The USPS handles almost half of the domestic mail in the world, while Great Britain and Germany together represent less than 10%. Also, the United States has a larger square area and more people. Still, our government-run post is able to deliver more mail to more people over a greater area at a lower price. Great Britain charges 0.34 Pound (68¢) for a letter, and at 0.55 Euros (82.5¢), Germany’s rate is double the US rate. In the last 5 years, every privatized post has had at least one, if not several, strikes by postal workers. What would a postal strike do to our struggling economy? Privatization advocates also claim that private companies would keep postage costs stable, if not drive down the cost of a stamp. There’s little to support that promise. Private companies aren’t bound to any price controls. In a recent issue of this magazine’s sister publication, PARCEL, Joe Loughran analyzed UPS’ ground prices to residential addresses. Since 2004, UPS has raised its base delivery charge by 20%. Adding in fuel surcharges and residential fees, the total cost in the last four years has increased by 31%. Compared to a less than 15% increase by the USPS over the same time period. Since 1971, the USPS has received no tax dollars, yet the increase in the price of stamps has remained at the rate of inﬂation. In 1971, the price of a First-Class stamp was 8¢. Adjusted for inﬂation, that price in 2007 dollars would be… 41¢. And thanks to the Postal Reform Act of 2006, any future rate increase must be at or lower than the rate of inﬂation. Which leaves the ﬁnal argument — government monopolies are bad for the market. History has shown that only unrestricted monopolies are bad for the consumer. Theodore Roosevelt became known as the “trust buster” for going after the oil and bank monopolies of the early 20th century. In the 1980s, we saw the breakup of AT&T. Besides, the USPS is a tightly controlled government service, not a private company. Our Founding Fathers thought a postal service was so important that they made it part of the Constitution. “The Congress shall have Power… To establish Post Oﬃces and Post Roads.” In the 18th century, there were private courier companies. Just as there were state and local militias. There was even local currency. Today, there are private security companies and private “currency” in the form of mutual funds, stocks and bonds. Some people also advocate that we disband the armed forces and get out of the business of issuing currency. I’m not one of them. Among other principles, our Republic was established to promote the general welfare of its citizens. We’ve established government agencies to help secure that welfare, including the military, police forces, ﬁre departments and the USPS. The USPS faces challenges today our Founding Fathers couldn’t have imagined. The leaders at USPS have demonstrated innovation and determination in overcoming those challenges. And they’re being successful with the Transformation Plans under PMG Jack Potter. The USPS is a necessary service provided by our government. The USPS will continue to evolve, and it should. Mark Fallon is President and CEO of the Berkshire Company. Visit www.berkshirecompany.com. 10 MAY-JUNE 2008 | WWW.MAILINGSYSTEMSTECHNOLOGY.COM http://www.berkshirecompany.com http://www.mailingsystemstechnology.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008

Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Peer to Peer It’s an Inside Job Greening Your Mail Center Adopting an Automated Document Factory Intelligent Mail and Address Quality 7 Steps to Combat “Do Not Mail” A Successful Resolution Q&A with Dan G. Blair, Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission The Intelligent Mail Barcode Developing High-Performance Teams Simple Strategies to Save You Money A Powerful Social Network With Change, Comes Opportunity Increasing the Deliverability of Mail Kate’s Slate Products & Services People of Distinction Advertiser Index Sho Time

Mailing Systems Technology - May/June 2008

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