Let's Put the "Talked About" Gasoline Price Increase in Perspective -- US Post Office Now Wants To Raise First Class Postage By More Than 10 Percent

US Postal Service wants to raise first class postage a full nickel. 

Ten percent is well beyond inflation.

Mired in red ink, the United States Postal Service is warning it will lose as much as $18.2 billion a year by 2015 unless Congress grants it leeway to eliminate Saturday delivery, slow first-class mail by one day and raise the price of a postage stamp by as much as 5 cents.

In a letter to Congress, Patrick Donahoe, the postmaster general, described an updated five-year cost-cutting plan put together in coordination with a Wall Street adviser, Evercore Partners. It reiterates many of the mail agency’s proposals to switch to a five-day delivery schedule, raise stamp prices and close about 252 mail-processing centers and 3,700 local post offices.

And the interesting thing is that the rate increase and service increase will affect folks least able to afford it. 

And again, note: the 5-cent increase comes on top of the service cuts. This certainly suggests the US Postal Service is in bigger trouble than the average American is led to believe. And, of course, this is a 5-year plan, so perhaps it's only a penny increase/year over five years. 

I suppose if we cut the payroll tax cut a bit more, "we" can offset the cost of postage with the tax cut. 

5/45 --> 11% and remember, the postage was already raised one cent just last month. And I forget. Is first class one ounce letter stamp now 45 cents?