The U.S. Postal Service announced today that it would delay the closing or consolidation of any post office or mail processing facility until May 15, 2012. The service said it was responding to a request from 18 Democratic senators who wrote, "While we may have very different views on how to financially improve the postal service, we all believe that democratically elected members of the Senate and the House have the responsibility to make significant changes to the postal service."
The service will continue public meetings and other steps required for closure of the facilities it has placed under review. "Given the Postal Service’s financial situation and the loss of mail volume, the Postal Service must continue to take all steps necessary to reduce costs and increase revenue," it said in a statement. It said it was delaying action to facilitate help from Congress
The service's solutions to its financial crisis involve things that would have a big impact in rural America, including the closure of many rural post offices and changes to first-class mail delivery. Missouri Rural Crisis Center Program Director Rhonda Perry says these changes will affect rural senior citizens and veterans the most.
She told Julie Harker of Brownfield News that seniors are less likely to pay their bills online and many aren't able to travel long distances to get their mail if their local post office closes. “It is a very serious issue for farmers, for rural families and really, particularly, for senior citizens who often don’t have the ability to travel and to connect in other ways," she said. She added that changes in mail delivery could also mean serious medication delays for veterans in rural areas who are completely dependent on the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Postal Service for receiving all their medications. (Read more)
The service will continue public meetings and other steps required for closure of the facilities it has placed under review. "Given the Postal Service’s financial situation and the loss of mail volume, the Postal Service must continue to take all steps necessary to reduce costs and increase revenue," it said in a statement. It said it was delaying action to facilitate help from Congress
The service's solutions to its financial crisis involve things that would have a big impact in rural America, including the closure of many rural post offices and changes to first-class mail delivery. Missouri Rural Crisis Center Program Director Rhonda Perry says these changes will affect rural senior citizens and veterans the most.
She told Julie Harker of Brownfield News that seniors are less likely to pay their bills online and many aren't able to travel long distances to get their mail if their local post office closes. “It is a very serious issue for farmers, for rural families and really, particularly, for senior citizens who often don’t have the ability to travel and to connect in other ways," she said. She added that changes in mail delivery could also mean serious medication delays for veterans in rural areas who are completely dependent on the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Postal Service for receiving all their medications. (Read more)
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