The article “USPS expecting to run out of cash in a year without help from Congress” (March 6) described serious problems the postal service faces: imminent threat of cash running out and long-standing barriers to needed reforms. 

The problems are national, but they are having real impacts on our service in southern Maine. During a recent walk with friends, I heard of these problems.

One friend only gets home delivery every 3-4 weeks — she recently got four issues of a news magazine all on the same day; another was told it will take a month to process a simple change of address request, posing real difficulties to her due to a death requiring mail forwarding; another got a new passport by mail – it came through all right, but the envelope it was in was severely mangled.

On two recent days, in mid-February, there was only one hard-working clerk at the South Portland customer service counter. Each time I was there, there were 8-10 people waiting to be served, some for up to 45 minutes. On one of the days, the clerk said she’d had four people that morning with lost or returned certified letters or tax returns, each one requiring extensive checking on her part; in many cases, she could not find them. 

These problems stem from national (in)decision and (in)action. We depend on the USPS. It’s high time for Congress and the Postal Regulatory Commission to work together to solve them.

Susan Payne
Cape Elizabeth