You’ve Got Mail Problems

I got a piece of mail last week that was sent in November. Yes, it’s seven months late, but I was a bit grateful because sometimes mail never gets delivered at all. This is especially true if you live or work in Richmond. Estimates range between 1-3% of mail is lost, stolen or trashed.

The new multi-million dollar USPS sorting facility in Sandston is a mess and a recent audit says only 65% of mail arrives on time. Richmond dropped to the bottom of on-time delivery in the nation. Why? 1) One-third of staff just don’t show up. 2) Nobody bothered learning the new multi-million dollar system before it was installed. 3) The Union – National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Local 305. (They fought for higher pay and unlimited leave, but did not promise to work harder, faster or more efficiently….or actually show up to work.)

The new Postmaster General David Steiner testified before Congress two weeks ago and said the USPS will run out of cash in early 2027. But that’s always the case…every year or two, the Postal Service asks for more money and Congress gives it to them and then they charge us more for stamps and postage.

The modern Postal Service is a complete disaster. Gone is the dashing hero postal carrier, who fights snow, sleet, freezing rain and other natural calamities to deliver your letters and packages. Today, you’re more likely to get a stoned, card-carrying Union member that leaves a mail truck full of mail sitting in a parking lot for over 2 months. #truestory 

It’s easy to blame the post office, but what’s the real problem? 70% of US mail services are dictated by Congress. Do we need mail six days a week? Should a package that costs $7 to send across town, costs the same if I send it to Chitina, Alaska? Does the USPS need unions? Why can’t it outsource some deliveries to Amazon? (They used to, but USPS walked out on negotiations with Amazon in March)

The postal service needs a 100% overhaul, but Congress doesn’t have the cajones to fix it. Private companies can deliver stuff coast-to-coast in one day or less. So why does it take the US Mail a week to get a letter from Short Pump to Innsbrook?

Your Mailman and your Congressman are similar. You know them and you like them as individuals. However, as an institution, the USPS is a lot like Congress; bloated, slow, inefficient and problematic.

Do me a favor. Find out the name and address of your beloved local Representative in Congress here. Then send them a first class letter asking them to reform the USPS. Hopefully, the letter arrives.