The U.S. Postal Service is in the process of closing more than 3,000 post offices this year and plans to close 17,000 post offices within the next few years. Most of these post offices are located in small towns across rural America.

No tax dollars are saved in the closing of these post offices. The U.S. Postal Service is supported by no tax dollars. Closing or not closing a post office has absolutely no affect on the federal deficit. Closing all small and rural post offices would save only seven-tenths of 1 percent of the Postal Service’s operating budget. Closing rural post offices is not the answer to fixing the financial problems of the Postal Service.

There is much more value to a post office than a simple stamp sale. Small rural post offices are vital to the effective functioning of rural American.

The post office often serves as the center of information and activity for the community. Rural post offices are necessary to the overall health of rural America, economic and otherwise. The post office is what keeps some of these communities alive and many would be devastated if they lost their post office.

Please contact your elected officials, tell them you adamantly oppose the U.S. Postal Service’s plans to close thousands of rural post offices. Visit savethepostoffice.com and sign the petition to “Save the Post Office: Call for a moratorium on closing post offices”. Rural America deserves better than this. Please help save our rural communities.

Cheri Bray

Amo, Ind.