Nelson and 19 other senators ask for moratorium

NELSON: DON’T CLOSE RURAL POST OFFICES BEFORE TRYING TO FIX USPS

New Facebook Page

A new Facebook page was just started.  Please pass this information onto as many people as you can.  Our page and blog now have followers Colorado, Wyoming, possibly Minnesota, and (of course) Nebraska.  Even if your post office is already in the closure process, check back for appeal ideas, sample letters, and formal appeal documents.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Protesting-the-Closing-of-Rural-Post-offices/229867957082778

Problem with the USPS calculating workload and effect of closing on rural communities

http://www.napus.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/PRC.Test_.pdf

Great comments by Mark Strong

National League of Postmasters Mark Strong said that the Postal Service’s small rural post office closing initiative will harm “the level of services presently provided to small and rural communities, will hurt their economies and social structure, and does not even provide a corresponding benefit to the Postal Service.”
“The Postal Service is considering closing thousands of rural post offices throughout the country.If they close all that they are proposing to close, they will save less than three-tenths of one percent of their operating budget,” said Strong.
Closing small rural post offices because they lose money is against the law,” Strong added, and the “Postal Service is required to provide rural America with the Maximum degree of effective and regular Postal Service under the law.”
“I know that the Postal Service has said that they will be able to serve rural America just as well if not better once all these post offices are closed, but that is truly nonsense,” he testified. Strong added that “The real proposition here is that the Postal Service is under financial stress and its urban-based leadership wants to back off from providing rural America the type of service it provides today.

General information about rural post office closings

The Postal Service has embarked on a massive drive to close rural post offices, mostly small rural post offices. More than 3600 are on the chopping block this year and 12,000 additional small post offices stand ready to be closed in the next several years. The truth: If the Postal Service were to close the smallest 10,000 post offices, it would only save 7/10s of one percent of its revenue. Thus closing small post offices has no appreciable effect on postal revenues and thus no effect on the Postal Service’s current financial challenges. Savings from closing the current 3600 on the list - 1/3 of 1%.

 Rural communities do not own 99+% of this problem.  Speak out on this issue.  Write to your senators and congressmen.  Send your thoughts and comments to the Postal Regulatory Commission. 

Here's one example - name and address removed

You may want to highlight  to draw attention to why it is being returned.

Common message on returned mail

For a common message on our returning junk mail, what would you think of this simple message written on all envelopes?

Supporting our rural post offices
                        or
Protesting the closing of our rural post offices

Make Your Voice Heard - Impact the USPS Revenue

The USPS receives a considerable amount of their revenue from bulk mailings and credit card solicitation.  What if rural customers started refusing these mailings?  If you get such a mailing and it is first class, cross out the bar code and write "Refused - Return to Sender" on the envelope and drop it back in the mailbox.  If you receive bulk mail and it has "Address Correction Requested"on the envelope, circle this, and again write "Refused - Return to Sender" on the envelope.  Otherwise, use the envelope included in the mailing and send everything back to the company.  I'm thinking that including a note / stamp indicating that you are a rural resident whose post office is being closed would be appropriate.  There are other suggestions online for opting out of junk mail.  Those should be effective too, just be careful about giving out your information to a questionable site.   Much of our rural population may not visit blogs, etc.  Don't forget to share this information with these people.  Get a well-publicized campaign going in your area and share what you are doing with as many people as possible.  Facebook is a great way to spread the news!  Maybe if our voice is heard in the form of lost revenue (companies not sending out as many mailings...) the USPS will start to understand how many of us will be greatly effected by their decision to close small rural post offices.

Time to get organized and speak out

There seems to be a real need for a place where rural communities can organize nation wide against the closing of small rural post offices.  That is the sole purpose of this blog.  The information I have been able to find so far seems to originate either from the postal worker's union or from the USPS.  For this reason, I believe that small communities need a place to share their thoughts, ideas, and successful strategies surrounding their potential post office closures.  Please contribute in a positive and productive manner.  Pass on information that will be beneficial to others in the same position.  Finally, let's see if we can put forth a collective effort and produce a voice and a force that needs to be reckoned with.  I have one idea which I believe could be effective; I just need a place to share it and a lot of people willing to join in.  I will address this in my next post.