Postal Service Reports Massive Loss

The U.S. Postal Service recently reported a huge loss of $5.1billion for the current year. This was in part due to a decrease in consumer patronage of "snail mail." I believe that we can attribute this decline in postal mail services to the increasing use of technology, and particularly, the internet. With postal mail, consumers not only have to pay for the postage stamp, the letter, and the paper, but they also have to take time costs into consideration. On the other hand, an email could be received within seconds, and at no cost whatsoever. Each email sent is free and the email service, whether it be yahoo, gmail, or hotmail, for example, only requires one to spend a couple minutes to set up a free account. Thus, I would not be surprised if in a few years, postal mail becomes moot, and the postal service is only used for sending packages or bulk items that wouldn't be able to be sent electronically. This article reminded me of the invention of railroads and its role in providing less expensive shipping services. As the use of railroads became more popular, people used it more because it provided an overall cheaper and faster way to send and receive goods. Overtime, shipping by canals and paved roads became obsolete.