[madison10]

Here in Hollywood, we have FIVE PO’s within driving distance of 5 minutes. Letr’s say u hate the clerks at 1 PO, you could literally walk to the others within 15 minutes.

So it is not the rural post offices which should be close/punished, it is those in the larger cities.

[raccoonradio]

I work at a huge postal facility (emp. since '86). Many employees are being offered early retirement with an enticement bonus. Retirement and health care is very costly for USPS.

We're getting less mail but fewer and fewer employees mean a much heavier workload per employee.

Smaller post offices: Where I live in Beverly MA, there is one huge post office and two smaller ones--one in Beverly Farms, a well-to-do area, and one in Prides Crossing, ditto. (John Updike used to live nearby) Don't know if those 2 smaller offices would be among those closing (people would have to go downtown). There have been some "college post office" branches selected for closure.

Don't know much fat at USPS HQ could be cut (further...). Some of the deficit could be made up with a rate increase, but at a time when newspapers cost $1.50 and you can send a letter 3,000 miles away for 44 cents (I know, email "free"), you'd think they could boost it to 50 cents or so to make up these deficits. It wouldn't be backbreaking. (A move to up the rate to 46 cents failed).

Of course the PO has also done things like spend millions to sponsor Lance Armstrong...