Post Office Says “Bye, Bye” to Free Speech Unless We Stop Them by April 23

(also posted on Michiganliberal.com)

Time Warner, Hearst, and other large media conglomerates have colluded, oops, joined with the Post Office to end free speech as of July 15. Does this sound like I'm imitating Chicken Little? Read on.

This July, the Post Office is once again raising its rates. However, this time large corporations like Time Warner and Hearst have bought, sorry, "persuaded" the Post Office Regulatory Commission to tweak the rate plan for magazines, journals, newsletters, etc., juuussst a little.

So as of July, the big guys (Time, Newsweek, People, etc.) will pay 10% more in postage. On the other hand, small publications-for example, every political journal in the country-will pay up to 30% more. An editor for The Nation, the progressive journal that has been around since the 1800s, calculates the increase at $500,000 for that journal alone.

The major media corporations already have a lock on newspapers, radio and television stations; this rate hike will mean they will effectively put an end to those persnickety voices that have kept government on its toes for the past 200 years. We desperately need them. You can read more about this at www.commondreams.org

Because the Post Office is a publicly supported, private monopoly (talk about hybrids!), there is not much to be done about this except protest. How?

Please go here and sign the letter to the Postal Board (it will be sent to Camp, Stabenow, and Levin as well) protesting the new rate system and demanding a congressional hearing before any radical changes are made. The deadline for comments is April 23, so don't delay.