I'm a rural American. My internetstubules are slow, I have no local bookstore or pharmacy, and I rely on the United States Postal Service for everything from Netflix to medications to dead-tree books.
All of us depend on the Post Office--some to greater or lesser degrees. Our Post Office is under assault.
Plenty of forces want to destroy a functioning government program that has, as a side effect, provided living wages and a bridge into the middle class for millions of Americans.
My own Congressman--among many others--is trying to save the USPS.
Won't you click to sign a White House petition? And be sure to ask your friends to do the same.
My Congressman, Peter DeFazio, created this petition. (Obviously, he is a Congressman, and has a lot of other avenues that he is pursuing.) Here is the text of the petition:
Save the Postal Service-Save American Jobs
About 80% of USPS financial losses since 2007 are due to a Congressional mandate to prefund 75 years of future retiree health benefits over 10 years. In 2012 USPS lost a record $15.9 billion, but $11.1 billion of that loss went to prefund healthcare. This must change.
USPS shouldn’t move to 5-day delivery. This would only save 3%, risk further revenue losses, and slow mail delivery.
USPS needs to re-establish overnight delivery standards to ensure the timely delivery of mail and prevent the closure of mail plants.
USPS needs to generate more revenue by ending a 2006 ban prohibiting USPS from offering new products and services.
Does the Administration support HR 630 and S 316 to make these changes, save American jobs, and allow USPS to remain competitive?
The petition needs a total 0f 100,000 signatures by 23 May--and it only has 25,848 as of this moment. Won't you please
click, sign, and forward?
(N.b.: it's one-click if you have already signed in to the WH website; otherwise you gotta register....)
11:56 AM PT: Thanks to inclusive heart (below) for important links:
http://www.savethepostoffice.com
http://www.savethepostoffice.com/...
12:55 PM PT: Rec list! Thank you for all your thoughtful comments.
Please consider asking your senators and representative to co-sponsor the bills (HR 630 and S 316)