Obama Budget would Allow Postal Service to Eliminate Saturday Delivery

The new budget sent by President Obama to Congress would allow the US Postal Service to eliminate Saturday mail deliveries, the website GovExec reports. The President, in his budget message, says that the Postal Service needs more flexibility in order to adapt to what he says is a changing marketplace.

The proposal is part of a larger overall plan to reform the Postal Service which the President says would create $30 billion in cash relief, savings, and revenue by 2016 while saving the Federal Government $23 billion over the next 11 years.

It would allow the Board of Governors to institute one-time rate increases for standard and first-class mail and lower payments that it must make to prefund its retiree fund. It would also return $11.5 billion in surplus out of that fund.

Postal Service to Maintain Six Day Service

The US Postal Service will retain six day service following Congressional pressure and a finding by the General Accounting Office that they were required to maintain six day service by law, Senator Claire McCaskill's office and multiple news sources report. The Postal Service had proposed to switch to five day service except for Post Office box customers by this fall; citing $2 billion in possible savings annually. However, opponents argued that such a move would have created hardship on rural communities. For instance, someone relying on insulin could have had to wait until Monday instead of Saturday to receive needed shipments.

Sheridan Post Office Adds 24 Hour Lobby Service

The Sheridan Post Office will offer 24 hour lobby service effective immediately. That means that Post Office Box customers can go and get their mail even when the Post Office is closed. The only time the lobby will be closed will be during four hours on Saturday afternoon, from 11:30 to 3:30.

Sheridan Post Office Still Offers PO Boxes

Sheridan postal customers can still rent post office boxes at the Sheridan Post Office. Renting post office boxes at the Sheridan Post Office will help maintain six hour service as evaluations of local post offices are based on revenues. Mail delivered to a Post Office box can be picked up at around 9:30 in the morning. Also, mail that is addressed to other Sheridan PO Box customers will be delivered the same day; all other mail is processed outside of the county and then shipped back in. Sheridan rural route mail is now being handled at Grant City.

More Changes at Sheridan Post Office

The Rural Routes formerly handled by the Sheridan Post Office have now moved to Grant City effective last Saturday, April 6th. All mail addressed to rural routes in Sheridan will now be handled in Grant City. All addresses will remain the same. Business hours will remain the same for weekdays; the Post Office will be open from 8 to 12 and from 1 to 3. Saturday's business hours will change; they will open at 9:30 and close at 11:30.

McCaskill Calls out Postal Service Over Failure to Provide Answers on Five-Day Delivery

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today released the following statement after the U.S. Postal Service’s failure to provide answers in a timely manner concerning its proposed move to five-day delivery:

“Eliminating six-day delivery would impact families, small businesses and seniors in communities around the country—it’s not responsible to move forward with this drastic plan without knowing if it would even make a substantial difference in dollars saved. The Postal Service has the data we need, and it’s time for officials there to stop dragging their feet.”

More than six weeks ago, McCaskill requested information from the Postmaster General and Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) about the Postal Service's claims that it would realize substantial savings by moving to a five-day delivery model—claims McCaskill has previously questioned. 

McCaskill received a response from PRC Chairman Ruth Goldway in a meeting last week, but the PRC reported that it would “need the Postal Service to provide complete and updated data” in order to give an accurate estimate of cost savings. The response to McCaskill from the PRC is available on her website HERE.

Last year, McCaskill successfully fought to keep hundreds of rural post offices in rural Missouri open and operating. She has previously argued that shutting down rural post offices would not help the Postal Service achieve substantial cost-savings, and cutting Saturday mail delivery would deal significant blows to communities across rural America.

Plan to Reduce Mail Deliveries Drawing National Attention

The plan to reduce postal service deliveries from six to five days for rural routes is drawing national attention. A recent Ed Show (Ed Schultz) on MSNBC brought up the subject and charged that it was part of a systematic attempt by the Congressional Republicans to destroy the middle class. A news release by the Postal Service printed in last week’s Sheridan Express cited what they said was strong public support for such a move. However, as Schultz pointed out, peoples’ attitudes would change once they found out that their Netflix movies would not arrive on Saturdays like normal thanks to the postal cutbacks.

The Washington Post, Association Press, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal all incorrectly reported that the recent financial crisis by the Postal Service was the result of more and more people relying on emails and free forms of communication instead of the Postal Service. However, the present crisis started after the Republican Congress in 2006, following the elections, passed a bill requiring them to prefund their retiree benefits for the next 75 years within a 10 year time frame. This bill was signed by President George W. Bush. As Schultz pointed out, without that requirement, the Postal Service would have been $1.5 billion in the profit.

$11.1 billion of that money to prefund retiree packages was due this year; however, the Postal Service has defaulted on that obligation. The present move of reducing mail deliveries to five days will only save the Postal Service $2 billion, far short of the amount needed to meet their obligations. Therefore, Schultz said that he feared that the next step would be two or three day deliveries. The US Senate, with bipartisan support, passed a bill that would have modified these requirements; however, Schultz charged that Congressman Darrell Issa, who chairs the US House committee responsible for that bill, was refusing to bring it to a hearing in the House. Schultz charged that the UPS, a competitor to the Postal Service, was one of Issa’s big donors and that Federal Express contributed extensively to Republican congressmen in order to hold up any efforts to lift these obligations.

Congressman Sam Graves wrote a resolution in support of keeping six day mail deliveries supported by a bipartisan coalition of Congressmen a few years ago.

Schultz said that it was a matter of keeping middle class jobs and pointed out that the Postal Service hired more veterans than any other company. The Postal Service does not receive taxpayer dollars and relies on sales for all of its income. The establishment of the Postal Service as well as roads and bridges to support mail delivery is specifically called for in the Constitution.

There were two guests on the program. One, Congressman Gerald Connolly (D-VA), said that the Postal Service did not have either the Constitutional or statutory authority to reduce mail deliveries to five days. He said that the Postal Service had not presented any analysis to justify such a move and that lost revenue and lost business from such a move could be as much as $5 billion, further accelerating losses by the Postal Service. The figure came from confidential 2012 USPS-commissioned market research obtained by Connolly’s office, which also cited a possible 7.7% in mail volume reduction.

The other guest, Audrey Hume of the Missouri Rural Letter Carriers Association, said that many rural communities rely on Saturday deliveries especially for prescription drugs. She charged that Washington had ignored the needs of workers with their plan and said that many businesses also rely on Saturday deliveries.
Connolly expanded on his remarks in a letter to the Postal Service dated February 6th co-authored by Congressman Sam Graves requesting legal justification for such a move. He said that since the USPS had repeatedly requested statutory authority from Congress to transition to a five day week, that was a clear acknowledgement that absent Congressional action, they lacked statutory authority to do so. For nearly three decades, Congress has repeatedly passed legislation prohibiting the Postal Service from transitioning to a five day week.

Specifically, Connolly and Graves cited Article I in the US Congress covering powers conferred on Congress as well as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012, Public Law 112-74. As quoted in the letter, the latter law states, “6-day delivery and rural delivery of mail shall continue at not less than the 1983 level.” The letter also requested legal justification from the US Attorney General’s office as well as the Chairman of the US Postal Regulatory Commission as to their respective opinions regarding such a decision.

Debbie Roach Named Sheridan Postmaster

Debbie Roach has been named Sheridan Postmaster, replacing Peggy Young, who has retired. Roach had served as the Officer in Charge for the last few months. The change was effective Tuesday, January 29th.

Sheridan Post Office to Change Hours

The Sheridan Post Office has announced its new hours effective January 12th. Retail hours from Monday to Friday will be from 8 to 3 with lunch from 12 to 1. Saturday hours will be from 7:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Box mail will be delivered at 10 a.m. from Monday through Friday and on 9:30 on Saturday. Lobby collection will be at 3:00 from Monday through Friday and at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Sheridan Post Office to Cut Hours to Six January 12th

On January 12th, the Sheridan Post Office will have its hours cut to six hours. Window hours will be on weekdays from 8:00 to 3:00 with a lunch break from 12-1. Weekend hours will remain the same, from 7:30 to 9:30 on Saturday mornings. The US Postal Service reached its decision following a public hearing in which 25 people participated. A notice was posted last week informing patrons about the decision. These are changes that are being made across the country as the Postal Service is projected to deal with a $15 billion shortfall next year. These are changes that the Postal Service says will save $500 million annually. Previously, the Postal Service had sought to close smaller post offices that they said were not profitable and did not produce sufficient annual revenues; however, that plan was stopped following public pressure. Denver, Allendale, Parnell, Worth, and Gentry would have been affected. Given the fact that the Postal Service is dealing with massive budget deficits, postal officials have said that more changes are on the way following the implementation of these changes.

Postal Service Holds Hearing for Future of Sheridan PO

25 people attended a hearing by the Postal Service regarding the future of the Sheridan Post Office. Recently, the Post Office sent out surveys regarding the future of the Post Office. Of the 91 who responded, 86 favored realignment of hours, one favored switching to rural routes, one favored switching to a village post office operated by a local business, and three did not make a selection. After reviewing the surveys that were returned and taking into account operational needs, retail hours are tentatively set for 9:00 to 4:00 weekdays with lunch from 12-1. Saturday hours would remain unchanged with hours from 7:30 to 9:30. Access to delivery receptacles will not change.

Taren Reynolds, an area manager for the Postal Service, presented the plan at a hearing Monday. He said that the Postal Service was continuing to face serious financial challenges and that the proposed savings under the plan would be $1 billion. He said that the Postal Service had already eliminated layers of management and frozen all management salaries. Previously, the Postal Service had targeted numerous smaller post offices, including Parnell, Allendale, Denver, Worth, and Gentry for closure before bowing to public pressure.

Now, the new plan will reduce the hours at thousands of post offices around the country, including Sheridan's. The Sheridan Post Office and other six-hour facilities would be staffed by a part-time postal service employee while facilities that will be open for 2 or 4 hours would be staffed by a "postmaster relief." Around 13,000 post offices around the country would be impacted. The determination whether to make post offices a 2, 4, or a 6 hour facility was done at headquarters.

The six hours is not written in stone. Each Post Office would be reevaluated annually to determine whether the hours should change; for instance, if Sheridan goes to six hours but the business picks up at the Sheridan Post Office, they could decide to switch back to eight hours next year. Reynolds said that the best way to keep the doors open was to use the local Post Office as much as possible to buy stamps. One of the problems is structural; the rise of email means that the Post Office has lost business that it will never get back since it is free to send and receive email. The local post office would get credit from rural carrier sales since the rural carrier buys stamps from the local post office to serve customers. Another way would be to get a local post office box, for which the local office would get credit.

However, there are no guarantees even if Sheridan gets more business. Reynolds said that there were more changes coming down the pipe after the current round of reductions in postal hours.And even a reduction of hours would have an impact on business; for instance, Sterling Hopkins of MFA said that it would be more difficult to manage operations since customers expect their checks promptly and they have to deal with a large volume of mail every day. And the worry is that the mail will be delivered later in the day given the shorter hours, which will shorten the turnaround time for urgent mail. The Post Office does not guarantee a delivery time for mail.

Nothing has been written in stone regarding the future of the Sheridan Post Office or even when the changes will be implemented. The Postal Service will take all public comments into account and then make a decision.

Postal Service Plans to Cut Sheridan Post Office Hours

The US Postal Service is planning to reduce the Sheridan Post Office's hours from 8 to 6. In a letter from the Post Office to postal customers received Monday, Kim Silance, CSDC Coordinator, detailed the process:

Dear Customer,
The Postal Service has established a review process for certain Post Offices known as the POST Plan. The Sheridan Post Office was among the offices evaluated under the Post Plan criteria. The Postal Service is now soliciting community input through the enclosed survey to help determine the best course of action for providing postal services to your community.

After receiving the results of his survey, the Postal Service will examine the responses and, unless the community has a strong preference (more than 60%) for conducting a discontinuance study for the Sheridan Post Office and establishing one of the additional sources of services below, the Postal Service intends to maintain the Sheridan Post Office with six hours of window service each weekday. Current Saturday window hours and access to delivery receptacles will not change as a result of the Post Plan realignment of weekday service hours.

In addition to the survey, the Postal Service will hold a meeting at the Sheridan Post Office at 126 West Jefferson, Sheridan, MO 64486 on October 15th at 2 to answer questions and provide additional information about the Post Plan. At the meeting, local management will share the results of the survey, answer questions, and solicit input regarding the time of day the Post Office will be open. Although survey results will be known and shared, the Postal Service will not make a final decision regarding this office until after the public meeting. This will enable the Postal Service to obtain all community input and opinions from both the surveys and the meeting before making a final decision.

The Postal Service is also seeking locally established businesses or organizations to serve as contractor-operated postal retail units in communities like yours. If you are interested in operating a postal retail unit, please visit the website at http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/expandedaccess/welcome.htm for additional information. Generally, these contractor-operated postal retail units will operate in combination with a community's Post Office. However, selection of the third option in the attached survey indicates a preference of your Post Office to be studies for discontinuance with the establishment of a contractor-operated unit as a replacement for the Post Office.

Please return the enclosed survey in the postage-paid envelope provided by 10/1/2012. We kindly request the inclusion of your mailing address so that we can ensure that one survey response is submitted per address. Please note that your response may be entered into a publicly-accessible record.

There are four options in the attached survey. They are as follows:
--Keep the office open, but with realigned weekday window service hours based on what they say is actual office workload. In the case of the Sheridan Post Office, hours will be changed from the present 7.75 hours to 6 hours each weekday; Saturdays would not be affected. Access to delivery receptacles would not be affected.

--Conduct a discontinuance study for the office and provide roadside mail delivery. Retail and delivery service would be provided through a rural carrier. Mail delivery points will be established or maintained and customers can purchase most postal services through the carrier or other alternate access points.

--Conduct a discontinuance study for the office and find a suitable alternative location operated by a contractor, usually at a local business. When businesses are found that meet the criteria, these establishments are contracted through the US Postal Service and offer stamps and flat rate products with service hours generally more expansive than what they say the local Post Office may be able to offer.

--Conduct a discontinuance study for the office and relocate PO Box service to a nearby Post Office.

Postal customers are also asked to indicate their preference for weekday window service hours. Box-up time (the time when mail is delivered to mail receptacles) will likely be affected.

The Postal Service Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 changed the way that retirees were paid. Instead of paying as you go, Congress required them to prefund these accounts, meaning that the Postal Service is losing billions of dollars annually. The Postal Service planned to close post offices in Allendale, Denver, Worth, Gentry, and Parnell last year and earlier this year following lengthy reviews; however, Senator Claire McCaskill and others intervened and persuaded them to change their minds. Now, the Postal Service is seeking to reduce the hours at many rural post offices.

Citing Danger to Vital Service and American Jobs, McCaskill Slams U.S. House for Postal Reform Delay

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, who successfully passed legislation in the Senate to protect rural communities in Missouri from losing their post offices, released the following statement as the U.S. House of Representatives’ three month-long delay on the legislation resulted in the Postal Service’s first-ever default:

“There’s just no excuse for members of the House to play politics with thousands of American jobs, as well as a vital service relied upon by our rural communities. In the Senate, we worked across party lines, forged a common ground, and passed a bipartisan postal reform bill months ago, and while the House lets it sit and gather dust, Missouri jobs and business opportunities hang in the balance. I again call on the U.S. House to get off the sidelines and act.”

The U.S. Postal Service announced plans last year to close thousands of post offices across the country—most from rural communities—as part of a larger cost-savings package. McCaskill waged a year-long battle against the closures, arguing that shutting down small town post offices would not help the Postal Service achieve substantial cost-savings, but would deal significant blows to communities across rural America.

After McCaskill helped win a temporary moratorium on closures, she successfully secured inclusion of her amendment protecting rural post offices to the postal reform legislation being considered by the Senate.With McCaskill’s support, this bipartisan reform legislation was passed by the Senate in April. In addition to protecting rural communities from losing their post offices, the legislation implements major cost-saving reforms, including addressing the Postal Service’s pre-funding requirement for retiree benefits. The legislation also preserves six-day delivery and maintains overnight delivery standards—provisions which will help prevent the closure of many mail processing facilities, likely including the facilities in Springfield and Cape Girardeau, Mo.

As a result of McCaskill’s efforts, the U.S. Postal Service reversed course and announced that it no longer intends to close down rural post offices.

The postal reform legislation is one example of several pieces of legislation crucial to American jobs that passed with strong bipartisan support in the Senate, only to languish in the U.S. House—including the Farm Bill, which continues to be delayed even during a severe drought, and the Highway Jobs Bill.

Missouri’s Mail Processing Facilities to Stay Open for Business Following McCaskill’s Fight

Missouri’s mail processing facilities, slated for closure last year, will remain open for business after a successful fight by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to protect rural postal facilities from closing down.

The Postal Service announced today that it has agreed to keep facilities in Springfield and Cape Girardeau open, in response to Senate-passed postal reform legislation championed by McCaskill. The Postal Service will continue plans to consolidate mail processing facilities in other parts of the country, but no facilities in Missouri will be affected.

Today’s announcement comes just days after the Postal Service agreed to McCaskill’s demands to keep rural post offices across the country open as well.

“The Postal Service is finally listening to common sense, and that’s great news for Missouri jobs, families and businesses, and for folks across rural American who rely on the mail,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla, Mo. “I’ve fought alongside folks on the ground in Missouri to send a clear message that our postal facilities are more than just brick and mortar—they’re the lifeblood of rural America. And that message is being heard loud and clear. But I’m not going to rest on our accomplishments. I plan to keep on fighting in the weeks and months ahead to ensure that the voices of rural Missourians are heard.”

The U.S. Postal Service announced plans last year to shutter thousands of postal facilities across the country—most from rural communities—as part of a larger cost-savings package.

McCaskill waged a year-long battle against the closures, arguing that shutting down rural post offices would not help the Postal Service achieve substantial cost-savings, but would deal significant blows to communities across rural Missouri. McCaskill helped win a temporary moratorium on closures, and then successfully passed an amendment to the Senate’s postal reform legislation that protected rural communities from losing their post offices while implementing major cost-saving reforms like addressing the Postal Service’s pre-funding requirement for retiree benefits.

McCaskill today also reissued her call for action by the U.S. House of Representatives, which has so far failed to move on postal reform legislation. Unless the House acts to pass legislation addressing its finances, the Postal Service will likely be forced to make drastic cuts to service that would hurt businesses and families in small towns across Missouri.

McCaskill Calls for Action by House on Post Office Closures

This week, as a temporary ban on post office closings expires, a local official in northwest Missouri is speaking out about the successful fight waged by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to save 16 local postal facilities from closure—and what McCaskill’s effort means for families and businesses in the region.

“Senator McCaskill has been proactive on this issue from the beginning,” said former State Representative and Jameson native Beth Wheeler.  “I think that a community without a post office is like a house without running water. . . it may still function, but it requires more planning, time, travel, and effort, which could be better used to strengthen and grow that community.”

The U.S. Postal Service announced plans last year to shutter thousands of post offices across the country—most from rural communities—as part of a larger cost-savings package. Five post offices in the area -- Allendale, Denver, Worth, Gentry, and Parnell -- were part of the plan.

McCaskill waged a year-long battle against the closures, arguing that shutting down rural post offices would not help the Postal Service achieve substantial cost-savings, but would deal significant blows to communities across rural America. McCaskill helped win a temporary moratorium on closures, and then successfully passed an amendment to the Senate’s postal reform legislation that protected rural communities from losing their post offices while implementing major cost-saving reforms like addressing the Postal Service’s pre-funding requirement for retiree benefits.

As a result of McCaskill’s efforts, the U.S. Postal Service reversed course last week and announced that it no longer intends to close down rural post offices.

“I waged this fight because, as a daughter of rural Missouri, I know exactly what these post offices mean for the small towns they serve,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla, Mo. “I’ve fought alongside folks on the ground in Missouri to send a message that our post offices are more than just brick and mortar—they’re the lifeblood of rural America. And that message has been heard loud and clear. That we were able to save these post offices means that seniors will still have access to life-saving prescription drugs, that area businesses won’t have to contend with losing their shipping location, and that hard-hit small towns won’t have to lose good-paying jobs. But I’m not going to rest on our accomplishment. I plan to keep working hard in the weeks and months ahead to ensure that families and businesses in northwest Missouri can continue relying on their local post offices.”

McCaskill also again called for action by the U.S. House of Representatives, which has so far failed to move on postal reform legislation. Unless the House acts to pass legislation addressing its finances, the Postal Service will likely be forced to make drastic cuts to service resulting in slower mail delivery, an end to Saturday delivery, and the shuttering of mail processing facilities in Missouri—changes that would hurt rural businesses and families in small towns across Missouri.

Parnell Post Office to Cut Hours

The Parnell Post Office will cut its hours back effective immediately. The changes took place Saturday Morning (July 9th). Chandra Hopkins, who delivered mail for the Parnell Post Office, will deliver mail out of the Sheridan Post Office. All Parnell addresses will remain the same, as will the zip code. The hours of the Parnell Post Office will be reduced from 12-4 from Monday through Friday and from 12-2 on Saturdays. Andrea Leader, who was the old postmaster for Parnell, has been reassigned elsewhere. Janet Mullock, the substitute postmaster, worked Friday afternoon and will work there until the Post Office finds a postmaster for the Parnell office. The Post Office stated in its latest periodical that their losses this year were greater than last year and that they were in danger of defaulting unless significant changes were made in Congress.

Postal Service Ponders 5 Day Service, Closure of Hundreds of Rural Offices

In a hearing of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill expressed concerns that many rural Missourians have about proposed cutbacks in the United States Postal Service. McCaskill urged Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe to take into consideration the effect that proposed reforms to institute five-day delivery (with the proposed elimination of Saturdays) and to close hundreds of post offices would have on rural communities that depend on the Postal Service.



“I get it that we’ve got a huge problem here. I get it that money coming in doesn’t match money going out…but I do think it’s important that these rural communities feel like they have an opportunity to weigh in,” McCaskill said in today’s hearing.



McCaskill emphasized how important Saturday delivery is to rural communities, especially as it relates to delivery of goods like medicine. Rural communities rely on the postal service for access to news, goods, and services that may not be available through other means.



“I do feel very strongly that if we can save six days, it is very important to the integrity of the product we have which is United States Postal Service, rain, snow, or sleet, it’s going to happen six days a week,” she said.



McCaskill also expressed disappointment that a survey done by the Postal Service to garner input from “rural” communities focused on two non-rural communities, one in suburban Atlanta and one in suburban Seattle.



“Would it be possible to take a real look at a rural community, not one that is within commuting distance of a major city. It’s those folks…that Saturday delivery is very important for in terms of their ability to receive mail on Saturdays. Is there a reason why, what I would call a true rural community was not included in the survey?” McCaskill asked.



Postmaster General Donahue pledged to solicit additional input from such communities before any future decision-making.

Post Offices to Remain Open During a Shutdown

The Post Office will remain open for business as usual during any government shutdown. A shutdown was narrowly averted Friday as Congressional leaders and the President reached a deal with one hour to spare. However, the Post Office is not a taxpayer funded entity, which means that their operation would not be affected by a shutdown. They have not been taxpayer funded since 1970, when the Postal Reorganization Act was passed.

Letter to the Editor -- Parnell Post Office in Danger of Losing their Route

Rumor has it that the Parnell Post Office is at risk for losing their route, which in turn could jeopardize our Post Office. I hear the process is a very fast one and once the decision has been made it is final. I would suggest that we all contact our state officials and express our concern. When I inquired about it at the Post Office this morning I was given this name and number to call- Richard Watkins: 913-685-7528
The other numbers to call are
Sen. Roy Blunt: 202-224-5721
Sen. Clair McCaskill: 202-224-6154
Rep. Sam Graves: 202-225-7041
Sen. Brad Lager: 573-751-1415
Rep. Mike Thomson:573-751-9485
The more contact they receive from concerned citizens, the more chance we have to save our Post Office. Our school has just been moved and I hate the thought of this happening. It would cause a great inconvenience to the residents of Parnell. Feel free to pass the word on.

Thanks,
Sarah Emery

Parnell, MO

Jack Remembers: Mail Change

I obtained a Real Estate Broker’s License in 1963. John Dalton was Governor. Back then, you did not have to be a Real Estate Salesperson before becoming a Broker. I struggled for several years in the real estate business and had to take other jobs in order to make a living.

I finally decided to specialize in farms and I came up with the idea to obtain my listings and to make my sales through the mail. In 1975 I bought a word processor made by Olivetti, from Italy. It was the first to have unlimited storage capacity and allowed me to type a personalized letter to both the farmers to obtain listings and to my investors to make sales. I paid $6,000 for the machine. You have to realize at that time, gasoline was around fifty cents a gallon. I then added to my office equipment an $8,000 copy machine, and a $400 fax. I made copies of an aerial photo of farms for sale, and mailed them to my buyers. It was a highly successful operation. I even sold one farm I never saw. For several years I sold more farms than any broker in the State of Missouri. The Carter embargo on the sale of grain to Russia caused grain to fall 1/3 in price and the value of farms plummeted, thus ending my farm sales.

Today it wouldn’t work. No one writes or reads letters anymore. It takes too much time. All they have to do is turn on the computer and communicate with Facebook or e-mail, or by texting on their cell phone. Today you can buy a fax, copy machine, printer for less than a hundred dollars, and the program to put the mailer out is in most computers. Now only politicians and restaurants put out mailers using an oversized postcard with a picture that you have to look at while you are tossing it in the trash. Ten years from now, there won’t be Post Offices, which is alright with me. The only thing I get in the mail anyhow is bills.

Jack can be reached at PO Box 40, Oak Grove, MO 64075 or jackremembers@aol.com