ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 23, 1990                   TAG: 9005230495
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

MONOPOLY LETS USPS CHARGE WHAT IT WANTS

YOUR BLUE Ridge reader ("Lower, don't raise price of stamps" May 8) should return to school for another go at Economics 101.

Her ". . . simple law of economics that as the price goes up, demand goes down" may be true for things we want, but isn't for things we need. I pay the going price for heating oil because I need it. I do the same for stamps.

Her belief that ". . . if the service offers only 10 stamps for $3 it will have very few takers indeed . . ." indicates she will stop buying stamps. So, how to pay the phone, electric, gas, Sears, insurance, IRS (drive to Philadelphia?) etc., bills?

Be realistic: The Postal Service would do well to break even, to say nothing of making money. Until there is an end to the USPS exclusive right to "first class" mail (are you listening, Congress?), we will pay the going rate because we need to - a simple law of economics. EDWARD E. SPEAR BEDFORD 


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