Our government has no problem handing out our tax dollars to the car industry, the financial industry (as corrupt as they are) but can’t seem to find it responsible and appropriate to help fund the United States of America of Postal Service during this pandemic. A business that affects everybody’s life on a day-to-day basis. Every American. All areas of the economy are affected by the pandemic, how does that make us any different?

I am a Postal Service employee so, yes, it’s very important that the Postal Service stays intact. And I do believe there needs to be some checks and balances financially speaking. A business of this size probably has quite a bit of waste. But let’s be clear: the postal service does not utilize any tax dollars to run its daily operations. All money used to run the USPS is from sales and services. So it doesn’t make any sense why the self-sustaining US agency doesn’t need help like everybody else.

A lot of people talk about how the postal service has financial losses, but people need to realize that we are the only federal agency mandated to pre-fund retiree health benefits to the tune of billions of dollars. So, any money that we do make is drained by this unfair requirement that was handed down back in 2006. This money is sitting there waiting to be utilized, but the federal government would be very upset if they didn’t have access to this kind of money. That’s why I believe they don’t want to make any changes. They wouldn’t have any money to use. And for them to lose access to that kind of money would be detrimental because they would have to account for where that money is.

Join me in demanding the Senate fund the Post Office at saveusps.cc.

Beg to differ? Agree to disagree? Send your prose on topics of interest to carolrobidoux@manchesterinklink.com, subject line: The Soapbox.

Kathleen Kierstead lives in Manchester.