Postal Service must adopt private biz principles for success

We don't buy that government should always run like a private business. It depends on what's being talked about. Schools cannot run like a business, and neither can prisons, although both are always being talked about. One entity that can, though, is the U.S. Postal Service, and it must.

The Postal Service has proposed cutting delivery days to five days a week to save a projected $3.3 billion the first year and $5.1 billion by 2020. That helps, but doesn't come close to filling the $238 billion budget deficit that it faces.

Many factors affect the Post Service's ability to break even or make money. That's true now more than ever, with e-mail, UPS and FedEx challenging the Postal Service. One of the biggest issues, however, is how the Postal Service operates.

Friendliness varies a great deal in post offices. Customer service also is a big issue with a lot of folks. Observe the anger in citizens' faces as they stand in line waiting to mail a package while postal workers leave the front desk during busy times. Often one postal worker is left dealing with dozens of angry customers.

Add to that moving stamp machines out of the lobby, forcing people to stand in line for too long, and the poor hours for working people. And they wonder why fewer people are using the Postal Service?

Most of us see a trip to the post office as a painful experience. It's going to be long, boring and frustrating. Would a private entity operate like this? No way.

Customer service would be the No. 1 priority. Opening extra stations to process mail would keep the lines moving quicker. Friendliness would be essential.

We don't mean to paint all postal workers as unfriendly, because that's not true. But there are enough to make it noticeable. And there many dedicated, hard-working postal workers who faithfully serve the public. It's a huge job with lots of responsibility. Like in any bureaucracy, however, there are poor employees whose jobs are protected.

We want our Postal Service to be successful. It's incredible to think that an agency can get a letter from around the world to our doorstep in a matter of days. We also want our Postal Service to change its way and give much better customer service, better hours, more people cutting long waits and more access to stamps and everything else.

We need the Postal Service, and these days it needs us. But there will have to be changes in the way business is conducted before anything turns around. Otherwise we'll see it continue to decline. No one wants that.