Havre Daily News: Fix Post Office Problems, Tester Urges

Though in town to learn more about and show support for the YouthBuild program at Montana State University-Northern on Monday, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., took some time to talk about the issues in Washington he has been grappling with recently.

When asked about the U. S. Postal Service and its plan to shut down more than 3,600 post offices across the country, including 85 in Montana and nearly a dozen on the Hi-Line, Tester reiterated his point that big changes need to be made to ensure that this service, vital to so many Montanans, remains sustainable. The methods that are being pursued to that goal by Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe are anything but sustainable, Tester said.

“There are a number of things that are relics of the past that the post office is fighting, ” Tester said. “The bottom line is we need to fix it. ”

While on the topic of fixing things, Tester spoke a bit about measures he thinks need to be taken to get the economy on the right track and recovering more solidly than it has so far. “We still haven’t fully come out of the recession yet, ” Tester said. “It’s going to require some investments, I think in infrastructure primarily, but also education, research and development to help move the economy forward. “