Hey gang,
Our pals over at the Free Press and The Nation have posted a campaign urging the Postal Regulatory Commission to repeal their dumb July 15 rate hike, but I don't think it quite goes far enough to try to preserve the Post Office's radical mandate to support all media. Please visit: http://action.freepress.net/campaign/postalnation/forward and consider inserting the below text in the "send letter" part instead. Or better yet: write your own!
heart,
aem
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On July 15, the postal rates for many of this nation's most important political magazines increased by 20 to 30 percent due to a decision made by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) that turns against more than 200 years of postal policy at the same time that it allows an entire branch of the government to do marketing work on behalf of one media company, with the egregious and ongoing Star Wars promotional campaign.
This rate increase has the effect of shifting costs from the large publishers -- such as Time Warner -- to smaller publications, such as The Nation and The National Review. The rate hikes could put these smaller, independent publications out of business. In the mean time, the post office is forwarding a single popular film series, in effect stamping out any remaining semblence of media democracy.
These magazines and journals are an invaluable laboratory for political ideas and discourse. Star Wars is not.
Congress must to act now to reverse the unjust postal rates increase for small political publications, and refuse to work any further on behalf of single media entities.
Sincerely,
YOU
