Beginning today, the cost of mailing a first class letter goes up to 45 cents, the first postage increase in more than two years. A postcard will now cost 32 cents, an increase of 3 cents from 2011. The U. S. Postal Service is losing tons of money due to increased usage of the internet for magazines, bank statements, bill paying and marketing materials. The agency is looking at closing several mail processing centers and closing some branches across the country as well as laying off hundreds of employees. The U. S. Postal service lost $5 billion dollars last year.
