Public Comment

Ah, the dear old USPS! As a public entity they are certainly beleaguered and beset on all sides, but the drift towards privatization is not the answer. 

Post offices all over the country are being closed, sold, and 'relocated;' their customers left with inadequate service and confusing contradictions about what will happen, in many cases, to irreplaceable New Deal/WPA art work. Here in Berkeley, we were supposed to receive a date yesterday from the USPS for the public hearing about the possible sale of our main and historic P.O on Allston St. Did we receive a date? Of course not. The USPS will, however, hold us to their legal right to announce a date merely 15 days before any public hearing. They don't know if what they are doing is viable, and don't wish to give the public any time to find out. 

Our letter carriers and postal clerks do a fine job, every single day, and they are caught in the cleft as well: their jobs are on the line, and those who survive the chopping block will be moved to locations they have no desire to work in or out of. They know those locations will not serve the public, and will be a financial burden to themselves and the USPS; we, the public, will pay for that, as the USPS employees well know. 

This issue is receiving a lot of national press, and none too soon: The Washington Post and New York Times both have excellent recent articles, easily found by using search word USPS. Mr. Joe Davidson and Ms. Catherine Ho at the Washington Post, and Mr. David Dunlap at the NY Times have all written pieces well worth reading. 

Join us, in our efforts to preserve the postal service as we know and love it!