Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe "took his case for rural post office closures straight to those it will hurt most" yesterday, telling rural residents in Ingomar, Mont., "that thousands of post offices nationwide must be shuttered to cut costs," Matt Gouras of The Associated Press reports. "Rural residents answered right back, saying cuts should be made elsewhere because their post offices provide a much-needed lifeline."
DeDe Rhodes of Basin told Donahoe that "she has no Internet access and relies on the mail," Gouras writes. "But like many other rural residents, she does not receive mail delivery," and "If her post office closes, the next one is more than 10 miles away, making her regular trip to pick up mail much more costly."
Donohoe has visited many postal processing facilities that are targeted for closure, but his visit to Ingomar, at the behest of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., was "his first to a local community specifically to hear their concerns about the impact of the proposed closings," Gouras reports. "Worried residents from small towns as far away as Wyoming swelled Ingomar's numbers to more than double its normal population of about 80. They packed the town's gymnasium and greeted Donahoe with a picnic table piled with home-cooked goods, treating him as a visiting dignitary while urging him to change his mind."
Some suggested that the postal service could charge an annual fee for mail delivery, which Donohoe said would raise $800 million a year. "It is not something we have raised to Congress," he said. "It is something we have got some pushback on. But it should be considered." Gouras's story mentions several other issues surrounding the service; to read it, click here.
DeDe Rhodes of Basin told Donahoe that "she has no Internet access and relies on the mail," Gouras writes. "But like many other rural residents, she does not receive mail delivery," and "If her post office closes, the next one is more than 10 miles away, making her regular trip to pick up mail much more costly."
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| Looking north on main street of Ingomar, by Mark Hufstetler (Creative Commons) |
Some suggested that the postal service could charge an annual fee for mail delivery, which Donohoe said would raise $800 million a year. "It is not something we have raised to Congress," he said. "It is something we have got some pushback on. But it should be considered." Gouras's story mentions several other issues surrounding the service; to read it, click here.
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