Letters: Letters: Fixing the Post Office

Re “Reading the Writing on the Envelope” (Digital Domain, Oct. 2), which described the quandary facing the United States Postal Service:

A primary problem for the postal service is that its valuable, first-class mail deliveries are suffering while bulk, lower classes continue to stress the system. And its delivery mechanisms are becoming more inappropriate for the total volume of service.

Many changes are needed. First, I suggest getting rid of all postal rates except first class. If a bank wants to send me yet another credit card application, or if the local discount store wants to make me an offer I can’t refuse, or if a charitable organization is requesting a contribution, let it pay full rather than “standard” rates.

Second, with the subsequent reduction in “junk“ mail, delivery patterns could be adjusted to consolidate physical post offices. One of the postal service’s great contributions has been ZIP codes. These codes would allow a dynamic analysis of those delivery patterns: If a specific post office delivered a certain volume of mail to its existing set of ZIP codes before “standard” deliveries ended, how many ZIP codes could it now add to maintain the same volume? Frank Greene

Tellico Village, Tenn., Oct. 2

Why Taxes ‘Must’ Climb

To the Editor:

In “The Problem With ‘No New Taxes’ ” (Economic View, Oct. 2) Tyler Cowen said that “taxes will eventually go up, because they must.” But one explanation for that “must” is not often heard: Our nation went to war in Afghanistan and Iran without raising taxes to pay for that war.

On the contrary, President George W. Bush cut taxes, thereby further postponing the payment. As conservatives like to say, “There are no free lunches.” So taxes must go up, not because of liberal profligacy or Keynesian theory, but simply because the time has come to pay the war bill.

Manfred Weidhorn

Fair Lawn, N.J. Oct. 2

Merrill Lynch’s Rescue

To the Editor:

Re “Profits, but No Joy, at Merrill” (Oct. 2), which looked at how the former Merrill Lynch is now a thriving part of Bank of America:

Merrill employees are angry because their bonuses and perhaps jobs are on the line as a result of losses elsewhere in Bank of America’s units. But where would the employees be if Merrill hadn’t been rescued in 2008 by Bank of America, which was subsequently bailed out by the taxpayers? Frank Drobot

Los Altos, Calif., Oct. 2

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