National League of Postmasters President Mark Strong Tells Commission That Closing Thousands of Rural Post Offices Will Harm Economy of Rural America and Not Help Postal Service

Closing 3700 Rural Post Offices Would Save Less Than 3/10s of One Percent of USPS Operating Budget.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In Testimony submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission, earlier this week, 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 office 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, in order to concentrate its focus on providing service to large urban and suburban areas."

"Why else would it be doing all this and infuriating tens of thousands of rural Americans and their Congressmen and Senators for only three-tenths of one percent of its budget," he concluded.  "This initiative is the first step in the Postal Service's retreat from his mission of providing Universal Service," he told the Commission, and the most important issue before this Commission is "what is best for America and all is citizens, especially those most vulnerable and dependant on their Post Offices."  

The National League of Postmasters has been representing active and retired postmasters throughout the country since the later part of the 19th Century.  

SOURCE National League of Postmasters