Neither sleet, nor snow, but maybe postal rates

Since the nation's founding, the U.S. Postal Service has had low rates that allowed publishers of all sizes to reach readers regardless of circulation or geography. A new postal-rate schedule could sink publishers of smaller magazines and periodicals.

The new system put in place by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), and suggested at the urging of Time Warner, is a dangerous assault to the pathway of ideas that helped build the United States. The complicated plan makes it cheaper for publishers such as Time Warner — which has about 130 titles, including Sports Illustrated, People and Time — to reach readers through the mail.

On the flip side, smaller publications such as The Nation — nearly all of its 187,000 are paid subscriptions — estimate a $500,000 yearly rate increase for postage. Any rate hike that steep for an independent publisher such as The Nation could damage its newsgathering ability or shut it down.

This is not an ideological battle. Representatives of a growing list of opinion-based magazines, ranging from The Nation to the American Spectator, have sent letters to the chairman of the Postal Service seeking reconsideration of the new schedule.

The PRC's decision is disturbing because the Postal Service suggested a less-dramatic rate increase that would still encourage the creation and sustainability of independent magazines. Instead, the PRC acted in the interest of a giant corporate entity to the detriment of democracy.

A turbulent stream of ideas and viewpoints is at the heart of American democracy. This was apparent to the writers of the Constitution, who debated whether to let magazines and periodicals be sent via the postal system for free or at a low rate.

Congress should look into the PRC's decision and ensure that America's oldest information highway continues to flow.