Wisconsin: Mark Miller, D-Madison, member of the state Senate and Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, member of the state Assembly on efforts to “Save the Post Office”.

The recent announcement that the first-class mail processing center at the Milwaukee Street Post Office is closing has left many questions about the direct impacts of this decision for our community.

Consolidating services at the United States Post Office is indicative of the direction we have seen our nation take over the past decade. The Tea Party, underwritten by very conservative corporate interests has forced the Republican Party’s to adopt a ‘starve the beast’ mentality in regards to public services. They cut programs to the core, and then highlight the inefficiencies created by these cuts. This self-fulfilling prophecy is bad public policy. The truth is every legislator, Democrat or Republican, wants to achieve cost-effective, efficient government. Our tax dollars are precious and must be treated as such, but we must also be wise when we look to cut programs.

While we understand the importance of thoughtfully balancing budgets, the dramatic slowing of first-class mail delivery and the elimination of 54 local jobs is far too high a price to pay for what will amount to miniscule savings, if any, for the postal service.

Valuable public services like the post office give Americans the freedom to start a business, send loved ones packages anywhere in the world, and access necessary government documents such as passports. These are remarkable tools provided at cost-effective prices. Like the Post Office, other public services such as transportation systems, public schools, and health care systems create a stronger society. Unfortunately, Americans are being held hostage by an extreme anti-government cabal that demonizes our public sector and discredits its value. We hope that this trend can be reversed by informing people of how the public sector works to create private prosperity in our communities.

This decision will have wide-ranging effects on our community. Currently, small businesses can place invoices, bills, or checks payable in the mail and reasonably expect their local clients and vendors to receive them within 24 hours, which helps them manage cash flow efficiently. Moving mail processing to Milwaukee would remove this certainty. As legislators and business owners, we know the serious impact this would have on cash flow management, which is critical for small business operations. Eliminating next day delivery for Madison-area residents, while potentially subjecting USPS to more burdensome transportation costs, benefits no one.

Here in Dane County, we are lucky to have public servants like Congressman Mark Pocan who have championed this issue at the federal level. Like him, we will continue to work for the public good in an attempt to overcome the slash and burn politics seen in our current political climate. The consolidation proposal would place an unnecessary and harmful burden on our families and businesses in South Central Wisconsin at a time when the economy is still recovering. The Madison processing center is critical to our region’s economic growth and continued prosperity. We hope that USPS has a change of heart.

press release