Closing Small Post Offices Not The Answer

The federal plan to close as many as 3,600 small, mostly rural post offices is not the right answer to solving the financial woes of the U.S. Postal Service and I predict this plan will significantly change in the future and spare the closure of at least some, but not all, small postal stations.

Here’s why.

America’s rural voices truly will be heard in Congress and across the nation. The postal policymakers will actually “listen” this time instead of simply “hearing” -- and will then soon come to publicly admit their current plan does not fully appreciate or take into account that postal delivery across this nation is among the most basic fibers of American society – count on it folks. Having your mail delivered and then looking forward to that almost daily ritual is so ingrained in the American lifestyle that to take it away from those served by the 3,600 or so postal stations targeted for closure is like saying Americans no longer can have their apple pie or their favorite ice cream.

This fabric of American culture, as defined by mail delivery by hand to postal stations large and small, urban and rural, to post office boxes large and small and to households, has served as a lifeline for many generations of our citizens. And this friends, is what the policymakers need to “hear” and what I believe they will indeed hear --- that will lead to coming up with a different solution – a better, but not perfect plan.

I would ask policymakers to invite some key stakeholders to participate in a newly formed and diverse roundtable – a workgroup if you will – to forge a better postal service management plan. I will be the first to tell you that such a modified plan will indeed still involve closure of some small postal stations, just not 3,600 of them. I will also tell you that it will involve yet another postage fee increase and likely reduced services to many small and rural postal stations (as in every-other-day delivery or perhaps even less frequently.) I envision such a plan will still create heartache and inconvenience for some, but I do believe that a better plan can be, and should be devised that will afford the opportunity for as many communities and people as possible to retain their postal lifeline for years to come.

As a country we can do better. As policymakers, we can try harder. As a nation, we can preserve a lifeline and a fabric of our culture. No finger-pointing, no accusations, no negativity – just allow for the opportunity to devise a better plan for own self-governance and postal service. Our best in managing postal services is yet to come.