What the hell is Time Warner doing in this document?

http://www.usps.com/ratecase/_pdf/Mar19FINAL.pdf

http://action.freepress.net/freepress/postal_explanation.html

Answer: The Postal Service version of non-neutral delivery. So we get this very complex rate structure, phased in over time that favors the mega publishers over the smaller ones.

When does this shit end?

http://action.freepress.net/campaign/postal/

I sent mine. There is no reason to fuss with the Postal Service. It has worked very well for a very long time and is cost effective for everyone.

I sent mine too. This is an utter disgrace. Not a surprise given the current climate. Once again, our country makes corporate rights a higher priority than civil rights. If this skates through, it will be a sad day indeed.

Me too, and while I was there I sent another one regarding internet streaming--another case of big corporations trying desperately to stop all the new competition.

I've been active on that one as well.

"June 7, 2007

Dear Mr. Klopfenstein,

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns over the recent decisions by the Postal Board of Governors to increase mail rates, including periodicals and nonmachinable flats used by non-profits.

The creation of the U.S. Postal Service in 1775 by Benjamin Franklin was visionary in that it ensured an inexpensive method for communications of all kinds. It is vitally important that the postage rates stay affordable for both individuals and businesses. Earlier this year I raised this issue with the Board of Governors, noting my concerns that the sudden rate shock would severely impact the ability of non-profits and other charitable organizations to rely on their primary method of communication, nonmachinable flats.

I was contacted by the Board in April to inform me of their decisions. According the Chairman, the Board has delayed rate changes until later this summer for a few of the classifications, including nonmachinable flats. They have asked the Commission to move expeditiously with alternative proposals to give mailers a practical opportunity to plan for a rate increase that will surely come. In regards to periodicals, the Commission decided to adopt a plan which is modeled a proposal by Time Warner with many modifications. According to the Commission, the "recommended rate structure and rates provide cost effectiveness and flexibility for the future that offset the negative impact on some mailers."

Thank you again for contacting me with your concerns. I will continue to fight to keep postage rates affordable and accessible for all.

Sincerely,
Earl Blumenauer
Member of Congress"

Yes, there are some folks minding the chicken coop, not just the wolves. Thanks Earl!

Nice!

Well, it's having an impact. Just received this:

Dear Member of the Nation Community,

David CornI’ve never written a fundraising letter—not counting the few notes I sent my parents when I was in college. I’m a journalist. I write articles and books—about politics, national security, and the world around us. And I’m damn lucky; I get paid to do so by The Nation. But the magazine has been hit by a fiscal crisis—one caused by the sort of institutional Washington corruption I often cover—and I’ve been asked by our publishing team to ask you for help. Please click here to pitch in.

Last week, Teresa Stack, The Nation’s president, sent you a letter explaining this crisis. To recap:

Postal regulators have accepted a scheme designed in part by lobbyists for the Time Warner media conglomerate. In short, mailing costs for mega-magazines like Time Warner's own Time, People and Sports Illustrated will go up only slightly or decrease. But smaller publications like The Nation will be hit by an enormous rate increase of half a million dollars a year.

For The Nation, $500,000 a year is a lot of money. Believe me, I know. I’ve been working at the magazine for over 20 years. The pay ain’t great. But there are few media outlets that allow their writers and reporters the freedom to go beyond the headlines and take on the powers that be—to ask inconvenient questions and pursue uncomfortable truths.

But starting July 15, 2007, The Nation will face this whopping postal rate hike. Not to be melodramatic, but this rate increase is a threat to democratic discourse. Why should magazines that can afford high-powered lobbyists receive preferential treatment? This rise in mailing costs will make it harder for the magazine to deliver the investigative reporting and independent-minded journalism upon which you depend. (Take my word; I see the editors and publishing people in our New York office freaking out about this postal rate hike and discussing possible cutbacks.)

The magazine is fighting this corporate-driven, unfair and anti-democratic increase as best it can. It has joined forces with conservative publications in an attempt to beat back the rigged rate structure. (Imagine Katrina vanden Heuvel and Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, working together!) But even if we “win”—which, I’m told, is a long shot—The Nation will still face hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional postage.

So I’m turning to you. I’ve never asked our readers for anything—except the time it takes to read what I write for the magazine and its website. But The Nation needs you to help us cover this shortfall, and it needs that help now. Simply put, I’m asking you to send us money: whatever contribution you can, as soon as you can. Click here.

I’m not entirely comfortable writing to you as a fundraiser. Because people like you have supported the magazine, I’ve been able to do the work I enjoy for years. I appreciate that. Now I’m hoping you’ll come through in this time of need. Certainly, I’d rather be chasing kick-ass stories than worrying about magazine budget cuts and writing pleading letters. So please help us deal with this unfair rate hike, and I’ll go back to my day job.

Sincerely,

David Corn, Washington Editor
The Nation

What their not saying is what is the current levels of postage. Does time and Newsweek pay more than National review today? And does this simply even the costs?