Stop the war on the U.S. Post Office

To the editor:

The post office has from its beginning served as the backbone of American culture and business and in spite of the communication capabilities of cyberspace, it’s still indispensable to our way of life. Moreover, in the event of the loss of the Internet, the post office — citizen connection — is a necessary and stalwart safeguard of national security.

The current political effort to starve the post office by underfunding it in favor of private enterprise is not only a threat to national security, it’s culturally shortsighted and anti-business. The U.S. Post Office is a case in point, where a government subsidy, if needed, pays for itself many times over by the ripple effect of services provided.

The size of the Wasilla Post Office has been inadequate from the very beginning and the parking situation is an illustrative example of the current divisive political mood by nature of the rude and inconsiderate behavior occurring there daily. Some people must wait in traffic to turn in for a parking place because others, after they get their mail, choose to sit in the parking lot and read it, taking up space.

I’ve been getting mail at the Wasilla post office since it was built and it has always had many dedicated employees and some outstanding counter clerks. But the post office is so underfunded and short-handed today that you can see the stress on the faces of the employees, subject to a barrage of criticism for a situation, over which they have absolutely no control. The lines are long and the manned stations are few, while you can see the unsorted mail in the background stacking up.

The post office is frequently the butt of jokes and most everyone has a story to tell, but the post office is still one of the most dependable services in the country, despite political efforts to sabotage it. I recall one time in more than a half century of having mailed something that didn’t arrive at the destination and that occasion turned out to be my fault.

Please call or write Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young and ask them to see that Alaska’s post offices are fully upgraded and fully funded to meet the demand. The future of business in Alaska depends on it.

Charles D. Hayes

Wasilla