Warning of a “catastrophic” failure, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe informed a Senate Committee on Sept. 6 the U.S. Postal Service faces financial collapse. The Post Office, Donahoe said, would find itself unable to pay the bills as soon as Sept. 30, when it could not make payments into retiree health accounts.
The public’s response has been unsympathetic, to say the least. In poll after poll, the American public shows it prefers Congress cut Post Office services rather than increase funding for the beleaguered service.
According to a recent Rasmussen Poll, a remarkable 40 percent of Americans believe the U.S. government should consider selling the Post Office. (Likely buyers might include UPS or Federal Express.) 44 percent of Americans oppose this idea, and another 17 percent are undecided. Support for selling the Post Office exists within both political parties: 49 percent of Republicans favor selling the USPS; a relatively small 56 percent of Democrats oppose the idea.
The same poll showed that 44 percent of Americans favor ending the Post Office’s monopoly on delivering first class mail service. Only 36 percent said this would result in a worsening of service.
The public also favors cutting back on services offered by the Post Office. Heavy majorities think the Post Office should end Saturday deliveries in favor of a five day delivery program. The Post Office’s own polling shows that the public favors five day delivery by a wide margin of 65 to 32 percent. A 2010 Gallup poll concurred, showing that 71 percent of people favor a five day delivery program, with only 28 percent opposed. The Rasmussen Poll indicated that 68 percent of Americans would rather see the Post Office cancel Saturday service than see a stamp price increase.
The same Gallup poll also showed that a bare majority of Americans do not approve of increasing federal funding for the Postal Service. Heavy majorities oppose an increase in stamp prices.
Post Office employees can take solace in knowing, however, that the 86 percent of Americans oppose closing their local post office.
Patrick Donahoe, “Statement of Postmaster General/Ceo Patrick R. Donahoe Before the Committee On Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs United States Senate, September 6, 2011″, Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
Rasmussen Reports, “Americans Back Five-Day-Per-Week Mail Delivery”, Rasmussen
United States Postal Service, “Postal Service-Sponsored Opinion Poll”, USPS
Lymari Morales, “Americans Back Five-Day-Per-Week Mail Delivery”, Gallup