Stamp out bad policy

Our Opinion/ 76 rural North Dakota communities are slated to possibly lose their Post Office

By John Strand
Staff Writer

Imagine that you are a resident of Mountain, ND, population 92 in 2010, and home to the country’s preeminent Icelandic community.

Founded in 1884, Mountain is a quaint community on the edge of the Pembina escarpment, one of the southern-most entrances to the Rendezvous Region in northeastern North Dakota. It has been host to the President of Iceland and even recently received ‘foreign aid’ from Iceland to help pay for their new $1.8 million community center, funded largely by private donations, federal and state grants, and sweat equity provided by its proud citizenry. Borg Home, a prime example of a basic care nursing home, always has a waiting list of folks who would simply love to spend their retirement years there.

Yet, despite all that, Mountain now is among 76 rural North Dakota communities—15 in northeast North Dakota alone—that are slated to very possibly lose their Post Office.

It’s not something those of us in bigger cities should overlook, cities like Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and Bismarck. Because, quite frankly, towns like Mountain on the short list are the essence of North Dakota’s intrinsic culture, and they are the feeder systems to our larger cities.

While we say we are flush here in North Dakota, and we are, we would be remiss to not stand up for our small towns facing outside decisions that will do little more than put a nail in the coffin of that quality of life, that way of life, that pristine example of how life used to be, how life should be.

If we only cared.

Let’s look at the bigger picture. Our politicians tout North Dakota’s economic stability. They declare that we are strong and doing well. They brag about our budget surplus amounting to hundreds of millions, even billions. They say we know how to do it right, that we are unique onto ourselves, that we are flourishing.

They, it could be said, see life through rose-colored glasses.

Keeping a Post Office open in Mountain, or for that matter Adams, Starkweather, Sharon, Lankin, and all the others facing the budget cuts and at risk to lose their Post Office, is not a battle those little towns will easily win on their own. They need our help, our voice, our commitment to sustain them and to preserve that invaluable way of life. A question to ponder: if these small towns are not worthy of mail delivery, then maybe the city folk should drive out to get their food.

When National Geographic in 2008 published an article and photo essay portraying “The Emptied Prairie” and “Ghost Towns of North Dakota” our governor and state leaders feigned anger and claimed insult.

Well, those same leaders now have an opportunity to right another wrong trickling down our way from national sources. If they truly care, or don’ t want such ghost towns or empty prairies, then they need to do something about it, starting with preserving the Post Office in our small towns now at risk to lose such essential service.

Partnerships need to be explored. Creative approaches to reinventing rural North Dakota towns need to be undertaken. Outside support needs to surface, now, and certainly not later when it’s too late.

If the Pony Express could find a way to deliver essential mail services to our small towns, one would think North Dakota could find a way to stop this hemorrhaging and save their Post Office. Our broader culture and our state is no stronger than our most rural areas. That we could stand idle and watch such public policy unfold that would do such irreversible damage alone should serve as a challenge to us to do our best and to advocate today for their tomorrows.

Because, their tomorrows are our tomorrows.

It would be a small price to pay were we to somehow or other figure out how to participate with the sustaining of our rural Post Office threat. Let’s use some oil moneys for this, being as we have so much. Let’s use some ag moneys for this, being as that is also a trough overflowing with abundance and surpluses.

Let’s stand up for Mountain and the others. That’s a true measure of North Dakota character and wherewithal.

If we don’t stand up for them now, who is going to stand up for us when it’s our head on the chopping block? Contact your congressional leaders. Reach out to countless folks’ home towns and ask what you can do to help. Stand up now or rest assured the loss will be far greater than the small costs associated with a turnaround in mindset and federal policy.

Do not give this cost-saving plan your stamp of approval, but rather rise up and contribute your heart and your best effort to do now whatever it takes to put a stop to this nonsense, before it’s too late.

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