What’s Up with the Provo Post Office’s Future?
The Provo (mail) processing center has had talks of closing down, along with 81 other processing centers across America. However, the decision has been postponed to 2016. Central and Southern Utah could be impacted the greatest. Salt Lake City is now processing the mail from Elko, Nevada, Pocatello, Idaho, and Rock Springs, Wyoming as these processing centers are closing this spring. To accommodate this increase in mail processing, Salt Lake City had to build a brand new building, spending millions of dollars. Mail now takes one week or longer for delivery to many towns and nationwide.
A slower delivery standard means that Americans now see a delay of the mail they send and receive. This burden falls particularly hard on individuals in rural America and those who have limited or no access to the Internet. They do not pay their bills online; they pay their mortgage and other payments by mail. This slower delivery subjects those who pay by mail to incur late fees. Anyone that receives government assistance of any kind has delivery of pay cards, vouchers and checks delayed by days, meaning financial hardship for those in need. Small businesses that are dependent on billing and remittances by mail suffer with poor cash flow. Many people order prescriptions by mail, and any delay in this process can have huge negative impact on the health and well being of people across America.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz needs to exert his power as Chairman of the House Oversight Committee to push through the legislation contained in House Resolution 54 to relieve the Postal Service of the undue burden of the pre-funding requirement. Without this payment, the Postal Service would have shown a profit for the last two fiscal years. Return the over- payment the Postal Service has already made to their retirement plans. It has been estimated between $10 billion and $70 billion. Pass legislation to allow the Postal Service to adjust the price of stamps to match the Consumer Price Index for delivery services. Pass legislation keeping service standards at the July 1, 2012 levels and keeping processing centers open.
-Nick Webb
Provo, Utah
Add a Little More Fairness
This is in response to the article titled, “BYU group seeking more public recognition for exemplary women” (Sept. 8). Recognizing women as instrumental in BYU/LDS education through building names, artwork, etc. seems fair. I anticipate our leaders will make more such recognitions.
I ask just one thing, in the spirit of fairness. The article cites portraits in the student center recognizing, “Miss Lamanite Generation” (the actual title is Miss Indian BYU) as sending, “messages diminishing women’s contributions instead of celebrating them.” Please consider another view.
- While each Miss Indian BYU is beautiful, there was no requirement for physical appeal. The criteria of scholarship and cultural understanding and skill elevated appreciation for native cultures by students who often had limited cultural awareness.
- Each is beautiful, and yet, they do not fit a stereotypical media or “Disney princess” mold. They have very different body types, sizes and facial features. In fact, as a group they portray a very broad spectrum of beauty in women.
- I knew four of these women. None thought themselves more physically attractive than average; some felt they were less. Each strove to elevate the dignity of women, particularly within an often-misrepresented segment of society.
Seeing in these portraits, “messages diminishing women’s contributions,” may be an issue of the “eye of the beholder.” In my eyes, they are strong women who cared little for narrow stereotypes of beauty and who dared to put themselves forward in ways counter to and transcending those views, and who cared enough about their culture to help fellow students understand it. To me, those seem like elevating contributions.
-David Lucero
Brockport, New York
