Angelika After members of Congress have just managed to save the USA from bankruptcy and raise the debt ceiling following an embarrassing mudslinging battle, the next piece of bad news comes from the American Postal Service: If Congress does not intervene, the Postal Service faces insolvency in a few months.
The structural problems at the United States Postal Service have been known for a long time. Above all, the internet is causing significant challenges, as people send emails instead of letters and pay their bills online. After the very interesting... Article aboutthe impending bankruptcy of the American postal service In the New York Times, it is reported that the postal service delivers 22% fewer items than it did five years ago. However, it still managed 167 billion deliveries in this fiscal year. The stagnant economy is also not helping the postal service reduce its mountain of debt. As my favorite postal worker at the post office in Noe Valley confirmed, small and medium-sized businesses are sending far fewer items due to the poor economic situation.
The American postal service is an independent yet still government institution. By law, it is required to deliver mail comprehensively, meaning it must transport mail even to the most remote corners of the USA. In doing so, a standard letter costs 44 cents, regardless of whether I send it just around the corner or to an address in Hawaii.
Furthermore, she is generally only allowed to adjust the postage rates in line with the inflation rate. The postal employees have a status almost similar to that of civil servants, and many cannot be dismissed. To implement fundamental changes, the Postmaster General must seek permission from Congress. For example, only Congress could lift the job protection and allow for dismissals, or decide that mail is no longer delivered on Saturdays. By the way, this would be a severe blow for Michael, as he can hardly wait to run to the mailbox and already experiences withdrawal symptoms on Sundays or public holidays.
By the way, it's not my fault that the postal service is struggling. I send so many packages and letters, mostly to Germany, that I'm known at our post office like a colorful dog and often receive sympathetic looks around Christmas time. I also belong to the sentimental type of person who prefers a handwritten birthday card over a birthday email.
Greetings from the financially stricken country:
The translation of "Angelika & Michael" to English is "Angelika & Michael," as these are proper names and typically do not change when translated between languages.