April 1st , 2019
Dear Representative Maloney, Senator Harckham, Representative Byrne, Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Madame Postmaster General,
I am writing to you today because I am generally concerned for the welfare of our country. The United States has dug a hole so deep, that without any reform, it will be impossible to climb out of that hole. I am writing to you today because I enjoy solving problems that don’t get enough attention and, in my opinion, have solutions that aren’t difficult to put into effect. I am writing to you today because as a citizen of the United States of America, I believe it is my duty to have the urge to want to make tomorrow’s America, a bit greater than todays.
My name is Hudson Schantz and I am a freshman at Somers High School in Somers, New York. Like I mentioned before, I love to solve problems, and I believe that there is a problem to be solved.
In 2018, the United States Postal Service lost approximately 3.9 billion dollars. In 2017, approximately 2.7 billion dollars, and in 2016, approximately 5.6 billion dollars. Although in the grand scheme of the United States government that is not a lot of money, to a high schooler living in Somers, New York it is in fact a big problem. The USPS is supposed to be self-sufficient; this meaning it is not supposed to require money from the federal government to function. As we can see by those numbers, this is obviously not the case. Although there are many roots to this problem, I prefer to come up with solutions instead of simply stating the problems.
So, that leaves only one question to be answered; how can the USPS became self-sufficient and not require money from the taxpaying citizens of the United States? In my opinion there is a simple, cost-effective answer that will help the USPS, citizens, and businesses.
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines advertising as the action of calling something to the attention of the public especially by paid announcements. Companies, both large and small, use this technique every day. In fact, many companies were willing to pay five million dollars to advertise their product for thirty seconds this past Super Bowl. Advertising is a crucial part of any company’s success and companies such as Apple, McDonalds, and Nike have developed logos that are so recognizable they don’t need complicated commercials or fancy billboards to advertise, they only need a surface that is 0.87 inches wide by 0.979 inches tall. Imagine how much money a company would spend to have the opportunity to show their logo on something that is put on every single letter that is mailed each day. Something that is printed by the government so many times each day and something that is sold to the citizen each day.
The USPS and the federal government have ignored an opportunity that is so great, that most likely the USPS will no longer be constantly losing billions of dollars that could be used for much greater things in our country.
Adding advertisements on to the postage stamp will serve as an extra source of income for the USPS. That little piece of paper that goes on to the top-right corner of every letter can act as a great way to advertise for companies such as Apple, McDonalds and Nike. They can fit their world-wide known logo into that little corner.
The USPS simply cannot continue at this rate and stay independent from the federal government. There must be changes made and I believe that this is a great starting point for the USPS to become more involved with private business and start to exit the realm of the federal government. All businesses need to adapt. The USPS is simply not adapting and that’s why companies such as Amazon are taking over the market.
As I see it, the federal government is a person who was given a billion dollars and has no clue what to do with it. In fact, that is exactly what the federal government is. It is scientifically proven that people care less about things when those things don’t belong to them especially when dealing with money. If the USPS was a private business, there would be so much change going on because when people are dealing with their own money, they care about it. Why does the USPS care that they are losing billions of dollars? They don’t care because they can take the money from the federal government and go on with their day. I am asking for the USPS to realize that their business model needs drastic change. By advertising on postage, the USPS will be able to account for some of that money that is lost for various reasons such as the employee’s pensions.
Advertising on postage is only the beginning. What if there were advertisements on all 140,000 delivery trucks? Taxis advertise so why shouldn’t the postal service. I am asking for the USPS to be accountable for the money that they are stealing from tax-payers. Although it may not seem like it to many people, the amount of money in the federal government is not endless. And 3.9 billion dollars can truly change the world if it didn’t have to go to the USPS.
In this great point in history for the United States, it is also one of the worst points. Soon, people like me will realize that problems such as these are not being fixed. They will begin to question the goals of the federal government much like I already have. Why should a 15-year-old boy from Somers, New York must come up with these obvious solutions when people’s careers are based on the principle of finding solutions to the many problems our country faces. If the representatives of the American people truly want a better America, than why are our “independent” businesses such as the USPS losing 3.9 billion dollars year. My heart is a stone when I hear that number. I understand that millions of families could be given help with that number. Although that number is almost incomprehensible, I truly know that no business should not make any reforms when told that number.
We the people want our government to do what is best for the country. I believe that innovating is the way to do so. Advertising on postage stamps will open the government to new opportunities in ways to make money. In the words of one of the great founding fathers on the first postmaster general,” By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” So now, I ask you, will you take the first step towards saving our country, or will you sit around and prepare to fail.
Sincerely,
Hudson J. Schantz
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