“Mail Call.  Mail Call.   Mail Call.” Resounded through the crowded room, leaving a hushed silence in its place.  All eyes turned to the speaker, standing straight and tall, even though his uniform was long retired.  “How many of you have heard those words before?”  He went on to share about the long and lonely days of a deployed soldier, and the joy and excitement of receiving that long awaited letter.  There were tears in his eyes and passion in his voice as he spoke of the importance of our Post Office.

If you live in my community, you know what I’m talking about.  The Edgerton Post Office is one of 44 throughout the state of Wyoming, and 3700 across the nation that have been slated for discontinuance.  In other words, the Postal Service has started the process for closing them.

The Post Office is under the gun, and is hoping to find ways to conserve money.   Their projected loss for the 2010 fiscal year was over eight billion dollars!  Now imagine the difficulties and reproof when the actual loss equaled more than ten billion!  Costs have to be cut and revenue earned somewhere, which is undeniable.

Closing the entire contingent of 3700 Post Offices across the nation would generate one to one and a half percent of that ten billion dollars.  One to one and a half percent and small and rural communities across the nation would lose the social and business center they depend on daily.

Until you‘ve lived in a small town, you don’t understand the value of that epicenter of human contact.  Minutes of the Town Meeting, the Community Newsletter, Upcoming Community Events, are all gathered at the Post Office.  Members of the community wander in throughout the day, eager for a friendly face and the latest news.  Older citizens who no longer drive walk through the doors, looking forward to the welcome and the chance of mail from family or friends.  Young children eagerly await replies from pen pals, packages from grandparents, and the latest toy catalog.  Business owners ship packages, send invoices, and pay bills every morning.  Families purchase money orders and provide their families with light, heat, water, and other amenities, by using the services of the Post Office.  It is such an important part of our community that my heart swells up with emotion as I try to write these words.

Another interesting thought, is that the Postal Service is fully prepared to move to a five day delivery system, Monday through Friday, which would save an estimated five to eight billion dollars each year.  Five to eight billion dollars?  That’s a pretty cool chunk of the ten million dollars they lost last year.  So what’s stopping them?  The change from a six to five day work week takes legislation. 

So what can you do about it?  Write.  Write.  Write.  Flood your Senators and Congressmen (or woman in our case) with letters, urging them to keep rural Post Offices open.  Suggest that they take initiative and bring legislation to move the Post Office to a five day week, and save billions of dollars.  In this instance, please don’t send them a quick email, or fill out a comment box on a web page.  Inundate the Postal Service with letters and revenue.   Send your Christmas cards through “snail mail” this year!  I know I do and will continue to do so.  There’s nothing like reading the greetings and seeing the smiling faces of my friends and family on a card that I can hold in my hands, pin up on my refrigerator, and tuck in my scrapbook.  Speak out!  Let your voice be heard.  Continue to write, and to share through this period of public comment.  The Postal Service is looking for feedback and this is your chance to save our Post Office, to support our community. 

As I heard said over and over again at our Town Meeting, “We’ve got the tools.  Write the letters.”  “Don’t give up, don’t quit.  Let them know we’re here!”  “Keep the support going.” “We can’t stop the push and communication.  We have to let them know we’re still here!”  Our family has committed to write at least one letter per week per family member to the conclusion of the comment period.  Won’t you join us?

One thing is for certain, if we choose to do nothing, we will most likely lose our Post Office.

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Officials to Contact:

Senator Michael Enzi                   Senator Barrasso           

P.O. Box 33201                              P.O. Box 22201                

Casper, WY  82602                       Casper, WY  82602  

Representative Cynthia Lummis

P.O. Box 44003

Casper, WY  82602

Postal Representative:

Marcela Juarez Riviera

7500 E. 53^rd Pl RM 2214

Denver, CO  80266-9631