The postal service has our stamp of approval

Photo by Joel Moysuh on Unsplash

In 2025, home internet is more prevalent than ever but still eludes tens of millions of Americans.

The U.S. Postal Service, by contrast, delivers to every address in the United States six days per week. It’s a legal requirement known as universal service, and it undergirds the flow of information in our democratic society.

Nearly one-third of voters cast their ballots by mail in the 2022 general election.

Even though email has eroded the use and utility of First Class mail, Americans still depend on the postal service for the delivery of products purchased online. That includes every package that Stay Apparel Co. has shipped since we started in 2017.

In short, the postal service is a national treasure, one highly regarded by the vast majority of Americans. I’m all for improving postal efficiency, but maintaining universal service is essential. And the only way to achieve that is by rejecting any efforts to privatize the U.S. mail.

I share the sentiment of Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

“Our message is: ‘No.’ Private business is interested in doing things that are profitable, as they should be,” he said, according to the Associated Press.” But that is the distinction between private business and what we are, a public service, where we serve everyone, everywhere, no matter where they live, for the same price every day.”

A great leveler

It’s difficult to reconcile the postal service’s “competing priorities,” USA Today noted, to deliver to 165 million addresses six days per week without losing money.

Those discrepancies vividly illustrate why the postal service can’t and shouldn’t be expected to operate “like a business.” No private operator would provide universal service; delivery frequency would decline and costs would rise.

In an era of widening income gaps, the postal service is a great leveler. Anyone can receive mail at no cost, no matter where they live or their income level.

Of course, there is a cost to send mail, but it is far more affordable than private alternatives. For the 73-cent price of a Forever stamp, you can send a standard letter or postcard anywhere in the United States.

Free email options exist, but you have to get online first. The average cost of internet service is north of $90 per month, according to allconnect.com.

What’s more, postal carriers may be the only delivery option in rural areas. Some people could not access life-saving prescription drugs or a local newspaper without mail delivery.

And postal carriers are out there in all weather (snow, rain, heat, gloom of night), admirably performing their jobs while fostering community engagement and making neighborhoods safer by their very presence.

That’s why for us, anything short of the continuation of universal service is a return to sender.