Not much twists me more than seeing large, wealthy corporations getting larger and more wealthy by exploiting their power and wrecking the little guy in the process. This time, Time Warner is the culprit, arranging a postal rate scheme that could damage and possibly bring many small independents presses to their demise. I was made aware of this issue by one of my favorite independent publications, Bitch Magazine. Here's what's going on, in their words:
"A new postal rate scheme concocted by Time Warner could significantly lower postal rates for huge conglomerate magazines--and significantly raise them for independent mags (like, say, Bitch). Because most indepent media operates on a shoestring budget, these unfair rate hikes mean that the future of independent publications is at risk. Postal regulators have decided to extend special favors to the nation's largest publishers, like Time Warner and Hearst, while unfairly burdening smaller and independent magazines like ours with much higher postal rates. Time Warner's plan was chosen -- with no public input -- instead of another proposal that would have imposed a mostly-equal increase (approx. 12 percent) in all publishers' costs. If implemented, the Time Warner plan could force many smaller publications to the brink of bankruptcy."
So please, voice your opinion that this is unfair and CAN'T happen by going to http://action.freepress.net/campaign/postal!
