Postal Service looks to close outlets

The U.S. Postal Service, which lost $8 billion last year, is considering closing 3,653 of its local offices, branches and stations -- more than 10 percent of its retail outlets.

Fifteen offices -- mostly rural-- are currently under study for closure in Nevada, including those in Gabbs, Lund, Silverpeak, Tuscarora and the "Pony Express Station" in Fallon.

The vast majority of sales in post offices are stamp purchases, which officials say can easily be handled through vending machines or rented counters in local stores, libraries or government offices -- what the service euphemistically calls "Village Post Offices." Some 70,000 locations in supermarkets, department stores and the like already sell stamps

In addition, such contract offices could accept flat-rate packages and some could provide post office box service -- though for passports or other complex services customers would still have to travel to a remaining regular post office.

The service currently operates 31,871 retail outlets across the country, down from 38,000 a decade ago. In recent years business has declined sharply as first-class mail moved to the Internet and direct-mail advertising withered in the Great Recession. About half of all American bill payments, for example, are now made online, up from 5 percent a decade ago.

Most of the offices that face review have low volumes of business. As many as 3,000 post offices have so little work that it could be accomplished in a two-hour day -- though of course they're open far longer, explains Dean Granholm, USPS vice president for delivery and post office operations. Over the past four years the Postal Service has cut its staff by about 130,000 and reduced costs by $12 billion.

Once an office is selected for review, patrons will have 60 days to file comments. If an office is to be closed, they'll then be able to appeal to the independent Postal Regulatory Commission, which theoretically makes a final decision.

In reality, of course, powerful members of Congress frequently flex their political muscles to preserve small, isolated, or low-volume post offices. Alaska's senators have already raised concerns about the potential closing of 36 offices in their state, Similar special pleadings can be expected for small offices elsewhere.

But as the current debt-ceiling debate should have made clear by now, Uncle Sam now borrows 40 cents of every dollar he spends. That can't go on much longer, and the closings proposed here pale when compared to what a 40 percent cut in overall federal spending would look like.

Yes, the closing of the post office in Pixley or Hooterville may be a bittersweet moment. But who imagined, even 50 years ago, that a rural resident in Lund could chat with a friend in real time -- order merchandise or even consult the text of a rare book in a distant library -- on a device called a "home computer"?

Get it done.