"Rural Alaskans far from roads, stores, medical and other services, who live in small villages spend more money per capita in the post office system than most other Alaskans. We have no alternatives to receiving medications, vehicle or airplane parts, animal feed and other necessities. Most rural Alaskans are familiar with the routine of shopping in a hub community and mailing to the village from hub post offices. Families spend several thousand dollars a year on postal service, far above the national average. While we lack economy of scale, we are, per capita, the best post office customers in the nation.

As the Postal Regulatory Commission reviews a proposal to close rural post offices, it is important for the Commission and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to understand the impact of removing this basic service. Without a post office, people will be forced to leave their homes, villages will die and millions of dollars of existing federal and state infrastructure will be abandoned.

Post offices are so important, they were recognized by the founding fathers as one of the basic functions of the federal government. The USPS has a constitutional obligation to serve all Americans including Alaska's village residents. Rural post offices in the U.S. represent 0.7 percent of the total postal budget. If all rural post offices in the U.S. were closed, it wouldn't touch the financial problem facing the USPS. We understand that the USPS faces the same financial difficulties as many states and large corporations -- heavy pension and health care benefit costs and declining revenues to pay for them. However, our part in the problem or possible solution is so small it is miniscule."

Get the Story:
State Rep. Alan Dick: Rural villages depend greatly on post offices (The Anchorage Daily News 8/20)

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