Ellen C. Williams: Recession, e-mails and other factors lead to postal rate hike Mailing Systems Technology

Today, we have more ways to communicate with one another than ever before: U.S. Mail, landlines, cell phones, voice mail, e-mail and texting - just to name a few. And while mail continues to play a vital role in the personal and commercial lives of Americans, there is no doubt that since the advent of e-mail and e-commerce, use of the mail has declined dramatically. And in the coming years, the pace of that decline will only accelerate. Moreover, mail volume historically reflects the nation's financial health - and as the United States remains in a deep recession, the effect on mail volume has been dramatic and unprecedented. This, in turn, has had a detrimental effect on the Postal Service's bottom line, as it is projecting a deficit of nearly $7 billion for the next fiscal year. Read more!