Nader: don't commercialize the Postal Service, Library of Congress,
Smithsonian
Gary Ruskin
gary@essential.org
Tue, 27 Feb 2001 13:13:34 -0500
Commercial Alert February 27, 2001
Ralph Nader and Commercial Alert sent letters today to the heads of the
U.S. Postal Service, Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution
urging them not to commercialize these entities, and asking them what
limits they have set on such commercialism. The letters are below.
Following is the letter to Postmaster General William J. Henderson.
Dear Mr. Henderson:
According to The New York Times, the U.S. Postal Service is launching
the "Postal Ad Network," to sell advertising space on mail trucks, mail
collection boxes, in post offices lobbies and on the Postal Service
Web-site.
This is not a high point in the history of the Postal Service. The
Postal Service began in our country, among other things, as a way to
keep families and communities together. Since the Continental Congress
named Benjamin Franklin our first Postmaster General in 1775, the Postal
Service has acted a kind of social glue, by helping Americans
communicate with each other through the mail.
The Postal Service's ad plans show contempt for the communities it has
helped to build. Postal Service trucks drive through nearly every
neighborhood in America. By turning these trucks into
rent-a-billboards, the Postal Service will infuse more crass
commercialism into every community in our country.
Four states currently ban billboards, as do hundreds of cities and
counties. By these local laws and ordinances, communities try to defend
themselves against the commercialization of nearly everything, and the
efforts of corporate advertisers to put an ad in front of our eyes at
every waking moment. But under the Postal Ad Network plan, every time a
Postal Service truck leaves the garage, it would violate the spirit of
these ordinances and laws. Why is it your view that the Postal Service
should ignore the wishes of citizens and their local governments?
Millions of Americans want to restore the bounds that used to keep the
mercantile impulse in check. A 1999 poll by Louis Harris & Associates
found that 39% of Americans have personally worried "a great deal" that
advertising and commercialism are too intrusive in our society. Don't we
have enough billboards already?
Still worse, under the "Postal Ad Network" the federal government and
the Postal Service would tacitly endorse the products advertised. Why
do you believe it is the proper role for the federal government to imply
an endorsement of these commercial products?
The Postal Service has issued a policy regarding commercial
advertising. Only advertising for commercial goods will be allowed.
But the policy raises more questions than it answers. For example, how
will the Postal Service select which products to promote? Will it adopt
standards regarding the conduct of the corporations whose products it
promotes? Will the Postal Service promote the products of serious
polluters? Corporate felons? Monopolists? Tortfeasors? Violators of
workplace health and safety laws? Corporate welfare recipients?
The Postal Service policy sets forth few limits regarding the extent and
scope of advertising allowed. Are there any lines you won't cross? How
much advertising will you allow? How far will you go? Will you sell
naming rights to post offices? Will you have your delivery people to
wear advertising on their uniforms? Will you sell the right to place
corporate logos on postage stamps, as was discussed and rejected by the
Postal Service in the Eighties?
Please consider what messages are precluded or crowded out. Our country
is buried in sales pitches, to the great detriment of non-commercial
messages. Is the best and most important message that the Postal
Service has to offer -- to buy still more soda pop or credit cards?
Don't more worthy messages exist? Why does the Postal Service want to
promote merchandise instead of the voluntarism and community-building
which was the hallmark of the first Postmaster General? Are you
thinking about the public backlash that may occur?
We do not believe it is the proper role of the Postal Service or the
federal government to act as a billboard for the marketeers of the
land. Please stick to your core mission of delivering the mail. We are
enclosing a report we published in 1983 on the Postal Service called The
Postal Precipice for your interest.
Sincerely,
Ralph Nader
Gary Ruskin, Director, Commercial Alert
<--------------letter ends here------------->
Following is the letter to Dr. James H. Billington, Librarian of
Congress.
Dear Dr. Billington:
On November 29th, the Library of Congress held a public ceremony for
Coca-Cola in the Great Hall of the Thomas Jefferson Building. At that
event, you invited Coca-Cola and its executives to bask in the public
splendor of the Library of Congress, in exchange for a donation of 50
years of Coke ads. On that evening, you turned the Library of Congress
into a tawdry prop for the promotion of the Coca-Cola corporate name and
its soda products.
Such crass commercialism in the Library of Congress is disrespectful to
Thomas Jefferson and his ideals. More than anyone else, Jefferson is
the founder of the Library of Congress. In 1816, Jefferson wrote "I
hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied
corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial
of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."
Following the Coca-Cola event, we would like to know the extent to which
you intend to use the Library of Congress to promote corporations or
commercial products. By what standards do you determine the
corporations and products that the Library of Congress may promote? In
your view, are there any drawbacks to the use of the Library of Congress
to promote corporations or their products? What limits you have set on
the commercialization of the Library of Congress? Would the Library of
Congress promote corporations that are polluters? Corporate felons?
Tortfeasors? Corporate welfare recipients? Corporations that pay no
taxes?
Sincerely,
Ralph Nader
Gary Ruskin, Director, Commercial Alert
<-------------letter ends here----------------->
Following is the letter to Lawrence Small, Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution.
Dear Mr. Small:
On February 12th, the Smithsonian Institution held an event with K-Mart
Inc. ostensibly to promote Black History Month. At that event, the
Smithsonian and K-Mart were "partners" in promoting a mobile history
exhibit emblazoned with giant red K-Mart signs. In effect, you allowed
the taxpayer-financed Smithsonian Institution to be used to prop up
K-Mart Inc. and its public relations efforts.
Following the K-Mart event, we would like to know the extent to which
you intend to use the Smithsonian to promote corporations or commercial
products. By what standards do you determine the corporations and
products the Smithsonian may promote? In your view, are there any
drawbacks to the use of the Smithsonian to promote corporations or their
products? What limits you have set on the commercialization of the
Smithsonian? Would the Smithsonian promote corporations that are
polluters? Corporate felons? Tortfeasors? Corporate welfare
recipients? Corporations that pay no taxes?
Sincerely,
Ralph Nader
Gary Ruskin, Director, Commercial Alert
<-------------letter ends here---------------->
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
* on the U.S. Postal Service and the Postal Ad Network, see a February 6
New York Times article "Advertising: The Postal Service Puts Ads
Everywhere" at
<http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/06/business/06ADCO.html> or a
February 24 Los Angeles Times article "Postal Service Is Putting Its
Stamp on Ads to Pay Bills" at
<http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/20010224/t000016640.html>.
* on the Library of Congress and Coca-Cola, see a column by Russell
Mokhiber and Robert Weissman "The Real Thing: Democracy as a Contact
Sport" at
<http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/corp-focus/2000/000050.html> or
Commercial Alert's news release "Commercial Alert Criticizes Library of
Congress Over Coke Ad Deal" at
<http://www.commercialalert.org/releases/loccoke.html>.
* on the Smithsonian Institution and K-Mart, see a column by Russell
Mokhiber and Robert Weissman "Blue Light Special at the Smithsonian" at
<http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/corp-focus/2001/000062.html> or
the Smithsonian/K-Mart news release at
<http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0212-103.html>.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
Ask Postmaster General William Henderson to stop the Postal Service from
advertising commercial products on its delivery trucks, in post offices
and on its website. The Postal Service switchboard is (202) 268-2000.
Mr Henderson's fax is (202) 268-4860. The email comment form for the
Postal Service is at <http://www.framed.usps.com/feedback/feedback.htm>.
Commercial Alert opposes the excesses of commercialism, advertising and
marketing. For more information, see Commercial Alert's website at
<http://www.commercialalert.org>.
Commercial Alert's materials are distributed electronically via the
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PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY
--
Gary Ruskin | gary@essential.org
Commercial Alert | Congressional Accountability Project
http://www.commercialalert.org | http://www.congressproject.org
1611 Connecticut Ave. NW #3A; Washington, DC 20009
202.296.2787 fax 202.833.2406