complete shutdown this winter. unless congress steps in. the postal service turned 200 years old in july. the conventional mail use has dropped precipitously in recent years. volume is down 22% from just five years ago. a decline which is expected to continue. driven in part by stiff competition from carriers such as fed-ex and u.p.s. that's left the agency facing losses of more than $8 billion for the second year in a row. post master general patrick donahoe has responded with a series of cost-cutting proposals. among them, eliminating saturday delivery. and closing up to 3700 local post offices, most of them in small towns. replacing them with automated centers operating out of local businesses. donahoe has also proposed laying off as many as 120,000 workers, nearly one fifth of the agency's work force and pulling workers out of more expensive federal pension plans. pre-funding retiree benefits