Cut Saturday mail delivery

Businesses and government agencies across the United States have had to tighten their belts -- some nearly to the point of cutting off life-sustaining blood flow. The cuts were necessary to weather the present recession.

Belt-tightening for the U.S. Postal Service means, to begin with, eliminating Saturday mail delivery and closing or consolidating 154 post offices around the country. Those cuts also are necessary, and Congress should give the USPS permission to make reasonable changes to keep the mail service operating.

In the past, such changes have met with resistance from Congress. Because six-day delivery is the law, any change must win congressional approval.

But the latest numbers produced by Postmaster General John E. Potter indicate the postal agency will lose $238 billion over the next 10 years without some adjustments.

The Government Accountability Office last year affirmed Mr. Potter's assessment.

The primary problem is that America is, more and more, relying on the Internet for communication. People pay bills on line and send e-birthday greetings.

The USPS changes will likely be no more popular than increasing the cost of stamps each time that happens. But the government expects the Postal Service to run with efficiency and without red ink. If the USPS is to operate as a business, it needs to have the ability to make necessary business decisions.

Other countries, including Germany and Japan, have privatized their postal services. Ultimately, that could be the answer for the USPS. But privatization comes with the risk that residents who live in remote areas would not get mail service or would get mail service at a much higher price than people in more populous areas. While the Internet has given those remote areas an efficient and fast way to communicate, not everyone has a computer.

Saturday will not be altogether lost to consumers. Post Offices will remain open and will continue to operate under their current hours, which are set by each individual Post Office but generally are from 8:30 a.m. until 2 or 3 p.m.

And USPS also plans to provide services at locations that are more convenient to customers, such as grocery stores, pharmacies, retail centers and office supply stores.

At this time, the USPS deserves a chance to deliver. Americans, who would be inconvenienced by the USPS curtailing services, say they can accept a five-day delivery week, according to a Gallup poll last year. Congress should do the same.