Open Season on Mail Carriers


U


.S. postal carriers like to say that “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” will keep them from making their appointed rounds. But what about getting mugged? Since May 2020, when the left’s


anti-police crusade took hold following George Floyd’s tragic death during an arrest, postal carriers have been assaulted at an unprecedented rate — especially in blue cities. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service


reports that robberies of mail carriers jumped 78% in 2022. “This is unheard of,” said Chicago


postal union local president Elise Foster. “This has never happened before. A federal employee was never assaulted while they’re doing their jobs . . . It would always be hands off the letter carriers.” Barely a week passes without a new headline about a postal worker being assaulted. Some have even been killed. Oficials with the National


exceeding, $100 billion — more than the combined GDPs of Iceland, Jor- dan, and Albania. While no one thinks postal workers


are in danger of getting stiffed out of their retirement pay, how long the dire trends are sustainable is anybody’s guess. But at the current decline, it seems


only a matter of time before a USPS request for more cash gets marked “Return to sender.” The predictable and obvious


response, of course: Raise the rates. And true to form, on Jan. 21 the price of a “Forever” stamp required for 1-ounce first-class mail jumped from 66 to 68 cents. But it’s unlikely consumers have


forgotten they were hit with two other big postal rate hikes just last year, when the first-class rate zoomed from 57 to 66 cents. Economists warn raising rates fur-


ther may just be self-defeating. “Each new postage hike only drives


more consumers and businesses away from using the mail,” Kevin Yoder, a former GOP congressman from Kan-


sas who runs the Keep Us Posted advo- cacy group, recently told The Wash- ington Times. Postal leaders hoped demand from Amazon and UPS for postal carriers to act as their alternative means of deliv- ery could generate enough revenue to cover the growing tide of red ink. It’s true the big delivery firms are


less likely to have their own trucks and warehouses out in the hinterland. So, they’re more inclined to rely on the Postal Service to deliver their packages. Yet the deficits continue to grow,


and the unintended consequences are multiplying. Delivering packages for private


industry took off about a decade ago, but it’s been increasingly controver- sial. Rural residents say their mail is getting second-class treatment. But the influx of UPS and Amazon


packages has been linked to major delays in rural mail delivery — so much so that several U.S. senators have let it be known they’re fed up. Reacting to angry constituents, sev-


eral members of Congress have fired off correspondence to postal officials,


Association of Letter Carriers, the postal workers union, are asking federal oficials to protect them. They want “postal police” to accompany mail carriers to ensure their safety. So why has delivering mail suddenly become a hazardous occupation? Authorities say robbers are looking for the universal keys used to open mail lockers, collection boxes, and apartment mailboxes. Police warn stolen mail can


lead to other crimes such as identity theft. — D.P.


complaining about lousy rural service where regular mail delivery is a lifeline. As that suggests, the one major


factor keeping the post offices open right now is politics. That’s what hap- pens when you employ half a million people, plus another 120,000 outside contractors. “The only reason it continues to


exist is that it’s a jobs program,” says Moore. “In little rural areas, the Postal Service is the biggest building in town. So, it’s well protected, but it’s just not necessary anymore. “Everything’s becoming paperless,


and today the idea of mailing a letter is so mid-20th century,” he adds.


FEBRUARY 2024 | NEWSMAX 23


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