Post Office Conspiracy Against Nonprofits?

["Tim Hillebrand" <chief@synergetics.org>]

First let me say that I have had nothing but pleasant experiences with the
employees of the Moscow Post Office, who are all very fine people, until my
recent complaint when one particular clerk declared the Friends of the
Library not a nonprofit organization after more than a hundred years of
helping the library. Now I am beginning to wonder if this employee acted not
so much on her own volition but as part of a Post Office conspiracy to
discourage nonprofit organizations and the good they do for the community.
Locally I’ve learned that the same employee refused to allow the Historical
Society to mail an invitation to its members for their annual dinner because
another organization, the caterer for the dinner, might have made a profit.
In the case of the Library book sale, I guess we could have also been denied
because we rented a truck from U-haul, and I presume U-haul made a profit on
that transaction. This is beyond ridiculous and out of control. Recently the
same employee would not permit the University of Idaho, who last I heard was
an educational institution, to mail a brochure for a travel-study program to
Mexico because in the clerk’s determination it was travel and not education.
The program was for college credit. Now if you think this has gotten out of
hand on a local level, I have found out that the United States Postal
Service (USPS) has recently presented the Boy Scouts of America with a bill
for $700,000 because the USPS decided that the BSA catalog of scouting
equipment mailed to its members did not qualify at the nonprofit rate. What
is going on here?

Perhaps you remember that our postal rates just went up an average of three
percent after January 10th. Well, the USPS at that time raised the rates for
nonprofit organizations TWENTY PERCENT! To me this smells of some kind of
conspiracy. I am glad to report, however, that after vigorous protest by the
Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers and the National Federation of Nonprofits, the
USPS has agreed to correct the “error.” The Postal Rate Commission (PRC)
will ask the Board of Governors of the USPS to refund overpayments to the
nonprofit mailers affected. But I wonder how long it will take for this
money to be refunded. Sixteen months ago I received a package in the mail
the contents of which were thoroughly trashed. The package was insured for
$300, but I have yet to receive a payment from the Post Office after almost
a year and a half. No, I don't recommend buying insurance from the Post
Office. It appears to be worthless.

It seems to me that some investigative reporter (The Inkster?) could dig
into this and uncover a blatant conspiracy. I am beginning to suspect that
this is not just one loose canon at a local post office, but a national
conspiracy. I wonder why nonprofit organizations that are the backbone of
our society seem to be targeted by the USPS. I’m also confused about the
mission of the USPS, which I would assume to be a quasi-nonprofit
organization itself, since it does not pay taxes, as far as I am aware.
While the USPS is no longer completely sheltered as a government agency, it
certainly enjoys benefits not conferred on other businesses. Wouldn't it be
nice if some of the same benefits could be passed on to nonprofits? If
congressmen and the Post Office can enjoy a franking privilege and not pay
postage, perhaps nonprofit institutions should enjoy the same privilege, as
they benefit the community in a very direct manner. It’s time for the people
to speak out. Enough is enough!