The United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent agency
of the U.S. government. It was created in 1775 during the Second Continental Congress and is enshrined in Article One of the
United States Constitution "To establish post offices and post roads."
Benjamin Franklin was the first U.S. Postmaster General (although historians claim his wife,
Deborah, did the actual work).
Today,
USPS employs more than 574,000 workers and operates 218,000 vehicles, which is the largest vehicle fleet in the world.
It is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality.
In December 2011, USPS announced it would close 252 of its 461 processing centers and 3,700 local post
offices. Some of these closures have been delayed while Congress wrangles over this issue. The House of Representatives
has H.R. 2309 which will transform the postal system into a shadow of itself. The Senate has passed S. 1789 which halts the
closure of rural post offices, halts the closure of processing centers and keeps Saturday deliveries.
THIS
IS A CRITICALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE TO RURAL AMERICA.
At a recent CCRDC membership meeting,
it was agreed that our organization would support the sustainability of the U.S. Postal Service. We encourage you to
call Republican rural Nevada representatives and tell them to support legislation which allows the USPS to properly serve
U.S. citizens.
