Deliver the Mail! South Dakotans for Timely Mail

Congress Needs to Act on Postal Reform

2012-02-23T14:18:00.002-08:00

News out today that the Huron mail processing center will close. Despite news reports, this is not a done deal. There is still a distinct possibility that this will not occur. Perhaps today's news is some bluffing on the part of the USPS to get Congress to act. We agree: The U.S. Senate needs pass comprehensive postal reform legislation - S. 1789. And pass it now to protect 6-day mail delivery and timely mail delivery all across South Dakota.

Thank you! Support for Deliver the Mail Continues

2012-02-20T12:38:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who has signed the “Deliver the Mail” petition and supported this campaign. To date, more than 800 South Dakotans have signed the online petition form. And, we’ve seen some great comments, such as these:

“A dependable, timely delivery mail system should be a product of our society, something we cannot do individually but jointly, for the benefit of all. Its value is beyond measure. Expecting it to be "profitable" is as unrealistic as asking Congress to prove its worth!”

“Saturday mail delivery is essential for many people in business and for those living in rural areas.”

“It is very important to have timely, 6 day mail delivery. People that live in the rural areas depend on the mail every day of the week except Sunday. Please continue our 6 day service.”

Support for "Deliver the Mail" Grows

2012-01-13T13:03:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who is signing the "Deliver the Mail" petitions either online here or at your local newspaper office. We are seeing tremendous support. Keep it up! Share with your friends and neighbors. Urge them to sign the petition.

Every day it becomes increasingly clear that we must do all we can to make sure the Postal Service and Congress hears our voice for timely, six day mail delivery in South Dakota. As important, we must continue to educate and inform our fellow South Dakotans about the necessity of timely mail delivery for our communities and economy.

Finally, great news: the North Dakota Newspaper Association has initiated a similar grass-roots campaign up north.

Sample Comments from Petitioners:

2012-01-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

We are seeing many great comments from the hundreds of South Dakotans who are signing the "Deliver the Mail" petition. Here is a small sampling of the comments:

“We need to keep the 6 day postal delivery and also keep the mail processing centers open. Cutting service is no way for a service industry to thrive, or survive. There are other viable options.”

“As rural South Dakota ranchers we rely on our mail service to deliver our parts and veterinary supplies the next day. Not three or more days later. We need our mail delivered in a timely fashion. Living far away from available retailers it is necessary for the mail to deliver to us at least 6 days a week.”

“For those people who live in rural areas, limiting mail delivering to as little as three times per week, which it already is in some areas, would be a hardship, especially for those who receive medications in the mail, or rely on mail delivery for their businesses.”

“I choose to have my medications mailed to me from Pierre. What took under 2 days now takes 7. I have run out of necessary medications. I can see how this will not only adversely affect my family, but the businesses which are struggling to survive the economy and political stalemates that continue to plague us all. Find a better solution, than this radical discrimination against a rural state.”

“Postal Service needs to keep 6 day delivery and Congress needs to know this is a essenial part of everyday life and livelihood of some and part of backbone of our Country.”

“Please don't delay the mail. It is vital to our business.”

“Rural farm communities need their post office's open and 6 day a week delivery. A lot of legal and Farm Program paperwork has to be delivered on the second day of mailing.”

“6 day mail service is vitally important to me. My husband depend on this form of service for the delivery of our medications, we have been using this method for quite a number of years. And with the shortage of some medications, we have noticed a slower delivery time. We send all our payments by mail, no computer stuff for us, also receive a daily newspaper. If we lose a 6 day service, we will probably drop our newspaper, and this may be what others will do. That will affect the major newspapers, a loss for them. Any packages mailed from our address are sent and received through our daily mail service. Our 6 day mail service is a link to the outside world because we live in a very rural area of SD. We are highly dependent on our excellent mail carrier. Do not cut back on our mail service, nor our mail centers of Pierre and Rapid City; they are very vital to our very rural state. The Postal Service should have been doing some cutting within long ago. I would guess there are some very high wages paid to the people at the top, they need do some cutting back in these areas.”

“The Post Office is a service to the people, as important as railroads, airports, schools and many other things that are subsidized to hold together the fabric of the nation. The Post Office should not be required to show a profit any more than should the Army and Navy.”

“South Dakota needs to keep Dakota Central open! They process a lot of mail and to keep it going smoothly we need at least 2 processing plants. Keep Dakota central!”

Show Your Support for Timely, Six-Day Mail Delivery

2011-12-22T11:30:00.001-08:00

South Dakota needs a financially stable, healthy Postal Service that provides timely, universal delivery six days a week. Our economy depends on it. More specifically, South Dakota’s rural communities and residents depend on the timely delivery of mail. It is essential to the well-being of our state’s economy and our residents’ livelihoods.

In South Dakota, the Postal Service proposes to close all area mail processing centers except the Sioux Falls center and to close more than 80 post offices as part of nationwide cost-cutting measures.

The U.S. Postal Service is proposing to close thousands of post offices and hundreds of mail processing centers around the country. Plus, the Postal Service wants to reduce its delivery standards for various classes of mail, in effect slowing the delivery of mail. And, it wants to end Saturday mail delivery. The bottom line: reducing service is not a good business model for fixing the Postal Service's problems.

Now is the time for South Dakotans to act. Show your support for maintaining six-day mail delivery and oppose the wholesale closure of area mail processing centers and post offices until the Postal Service and Congress address issues that are undermining the Postal Service's future viability. The federal government must work on a host of issues, including the mandated annual $5.5 billion accelerated pre-funding of USPS retiree health benefits. The Postal Service must understand that a "one size fits all" wholesale restructuring of its delivery system places unfair and overwhelming burdens on rural America.