Article 1 Section 8 Clause 7 of the U. S. Constitution states: “The Congress shall have the Power To…..establish Post Offices and post Roads;…”
The Post Office is the only Federal government agency expressly mentioned by the Founders in the Constitution. So, as Republicans have contended since the days of Richard Nixon; should the Post Office be operated as a business?
During the Nixon Administration in 1971, the Post Office was transformed into the United States Postal Service (USPS). Previously, it had been a federally funded cabinet-level department like many other agencies of the Federal government, none of which are expected to be “run like a business”, cover all their operating costs, and, perhaps, even turn a profit.
Republicans often unfairly compare the USPS to fully private package delivery companies like United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx. What they like to ignore is that these private package delivery companies can choose to cherry pick the most profitable aspects of the package delivery market, leaving the less profitable aspects for the USPS to deal with. UPS and FedEx can travel down a road, stopping at selected addresses to drop off the most profitable packages for delivery. Meanwhile, the USPS is required to stop at every address and deliver whatever letters or packages, profitable or not, that the American public wants delivered. It is a very un-level playing field.
So, should the Post Office be operated like a business? The Founders recognized the right and need of every American to be able to be connected with every other for communication purposes. They recognized that such a communication system was a necessary component of a functioning democracy. And so, they established the Postal Service as a government funded agency, not as a private business. It would seem that from the view of the Founders, that the Postal Service should have no more need to break-even or show a profit than the FBI, the Defense Department, the Department of Agriculture, or any other Federal government agency.
The root of the Republican party’s efforts to destroy the Post Office lie in the Postal Strike of 1970. It was the largest strike ever against the United States government. It began when over 2,000 postal employees in New York city went out on strike, protesting low pay. At the time, many postal employees in the city qualified for and were receiving support payments from the Federal government in the form of food assistance (food stamps) and housing assistance (Section 8 of the Housing Act). Their only path to higher wages was through Congressional action, which was slow and laborious, and often blocked by Republican members.
In frustration, the workers voted to go out on strike, even though they were legally prohibited from doing so. Nixon threatened to fire the workers and sent 25,000 troops into the city to “move the mail”. This was unsuccessful since the troops were ill-prepared and not trained in the specialized training and skills necessary to do the work of the postal employees. In the end, the strike was settled. As part of the deal, the Post Office ceased to be a Cabinet level federal agency and became the United States Postal Service. Federal subsidies were gradually phased out and ultimately, the Post Office was required to cover its own costs.
The current crisis is a culmination of the continuing efforts of the Republican Party to defund the Post Office over the ensuing years. These efforts partially, and perhaps mostly, are based on the opposition of the Republican party to unions. The problem is that the Post Office performs a vital function to our nation; it connects us in a way that no other institution does. It ensures that every American is connected to every other. It ensures that every package or communication, regardless of its profitability, can be sent to any American. This includes prescription medicines, payments, and, importantly now, ballots.
The role of the Postal Service in ensuring that every American is able to exercise the most fundamental right of every citizen in a democracy to cast a ballot is now being recognized. To protect this sacred right, it is necessary for the Post Office to receive the needed funding to accomplish this mission. As the Founders recognized, the Postal Service is not a business; the Postal Service is a necessary agency of the Federal government and should be treated as such. The Republican experiment of transforming the Postal Service into a business enterprise has failed. This must be recognized and the Postal Service re-established as an agency of the United States government with adequate funding to accomplish its mission.
In fact, if anything, the goal of the Founders to unite the country by ensuring every American can communicate with every other needs to be strengthened and expanded. How about ensuring that every American, regardless of income or wealth, has access to affordable, reliable internet services? It would seem that something along the lines of Franklin Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Act is now in order.
