Everything now coming from the White House is about Trump’s reelection. While all presidential candidates want to win, they are usually able to accept the idea of a loss. Trump, though, has gone so far as to suggest delaying the election, an unprecedented step which would buy him some time in the hope a coronavirus vaccine would help the U.S. crawl out of the hole it’s in and turn his popularity around.
Talk about shooting the messenger....! Same attitude with his threat to ban Tik-Tok because the kids made him look like a clown at Tulsa. When I moved back to Paris from Washington the USPS faithfully and without charge redirected all my mail over the Atlantic for a year. The British Royal Mail wanted to charge me 250 pounds for the same service in similar circumstances without giving any guarantee of performance and the French would like to charge me 50 Euros a month just to ensure my Paris mail gets to me in Provence and IT DOESN'T WORK half the time. Saving the USPS and keeping it out of the Oligarchs' hands is an absolutely essential condition of maintaining freedom and democracy.
Stuart, you're absolutely right that the USPS must be kept public and solvent. On a personal basis we may not give the Brits or the French gold stars for charging to forward mail, but from a public perspective, do you think that it's something the US should consider? And, besides working to elect the right candidates to public office, can you suggest anything else that we citizens can do to help (e.g. the above suggestion about choice of shipping options)?
I don't know if anyone else does this, but any junk mail I receive, I shred anything personally identifiable, use the postage paid envelope to return the rest. Sometimes I have other junk mail to include also. Thereby, allowing the junk mailer to pay a small amount(according to how much I load up the envelope) to USPS! No, I'm not devious, why do you ask? And is that not a WIN, WIN?
It won't hurt anyone's pride if I keep a few extra books of stamps in my "pantry", rather than getting more when I am almost out. If a few million people did that, it would help. The Heroes Act passed by the House of Representatives includes $25 billion for the Post Office, which at least tells us that the Democrats are highly likely to turn things around if they get political control after the November election. Buying extra stamps is just to help keep the Post Office running until then.
In a time of internet people aren't writing letters to each other just "textos" and e-mails! Neither of these convey the personal stamp of real friendship. You don't go back over today's electronique messages at a later date just to feel close to someone. In my work coaching senior executives on communications strategy, NEVER good or bad news by electronic means was a standing rule. Putting pen to paper is the best way you can support USPS's business as none of their private competitors are really interested in that market. One can always help them improve their internal efficiency but they should be charging for redirecting services as there are costs involved.
So, so true. And it may seem silly, but with the great variety of commemorative stamps that the USPS produces (I do hope that continues), it can be fun to enhance the meaning of your mail messages by the stamps you choose. Just this week I bought another sheet of dinosaur stamps to use on birthday greetings, as many of my friends are even older than I. Of course, whether or not they'll notice is another question....
😂 I thought at first you were going to say you were sending birthday cards to children with those dino stamps! But then I read the rest and just started laughing! I love it and may have to steal that idea! Great subtle symbolism to poke fun at friends.
Neither senior executives nor Boomers are going to keep the USPS in business. I supervise Millennials and Gen Z. They and my young adult children NEVER send personal letters, greeting cards, or pay bills via the USPS—not when texting, emails, SnapChat, etc. are free and instantly available. Legal notices often require service through First Class Mail or Certified Mail, but that’s it. And it’s called “snail mail” for a reason.
I searched for a USPS consumer survey and lo and behold, found this Office of Inspector General Report, “Millennials and the Mail” from July 30, 2018. “Digitally native consumers” want self-service and customization. However: “Among adults aged 18 to 34, the amount of mail received per week fell from 17 mailpieces in 2001 to 10 mailpieces in 2017.“
I've read the past three days of Dr. Richardson's newsletter at a single sitting (I fell behind due to final exams and laziness) and now want to hide under the bed. But I've done that before, and have found that it gets boring after a while, makes my bones ache, and smells funny.
For some reason, the continued attacks on the Post Office grieve me more than anything else in these posts, even though some of the other recent acts by Trump and his supporters are a more direct threat to our republic. What they're doing to the USPS is a favorite oligarch scheme, one that's not just limited to Republican despots, unfortunately; although the Dems are many shades better than their Republican counterparts, they are, by no means, saints. (Hell's Bells, sometimes they aren't even "the good guys.")
It works very simply: (1) select an agency that some rich set of donors wants to buy or destroy, (2) mismanage, underfund, and place impossible demands on that agency, and (3) when it suffers the inevitable collapse, declare that it's a sign that government is inefficient and doesn't work, then (4) sell the assets to the rich donors in exchange for favors and campaign donations. This has happened at other agencies and is usually done without much fanfare, since few people outside of government service realize that the "deep state" Trump and his enablers rail about is simply the machinery of a functioning government.
I've often found it hard to think of anything I can do to support the USPS, besides vote and write letters to my representatives. After all, I don't send many letters or packages. I don't own a business that does. All I do is buy a fistful of pretty stamps every December for my annual Xmas letter, and I don't think that's going to keep them afloat.
But something did occur to me after watching an Amazon Prime truck deliver a package to my house yesterday. What if, whenever I bought something online, I chose the shipping option that routed it through the USPS? It may take a little longer (although it usually doesn't), but I'm seldom in a real rush and I'd rather support an organization that works for the whole country, instead of one, like FedEx or UPS, that works primarily for rich people.
So that's what I shall do, I shall henceforth use the United States Post Office for every shipping option. If we want the Post Office to remain, we have to use it, not just vote for representatives who may support it (although that's important, too).
I just had another idea. Everyone should log into all their accounts and elect paper billing and statements instead of paperless. That could inject a lot of money into the postal coffers and the business world would be paying for it. All we have to do is deal with the mail.
I did exactly that in March when I realized that business was a driving force for USPS. My utility providers, banks, medical providers, insurance companies, credit card issuers, etc. do NOT need to save money by my use of electronic billing. I am now forcing them all to use the USPS to send my statements. The sad part is the paper waste, but I'm good with that for the moment.
I am all for this but I worry that it will have negative repercussions for me, personally, when my bills and statements, along with my payments, start arriving late. I don’t receive medication by mail but I already worry about those that do. Of course, this is part of their plan - to make us distrust this venerable USPS and stop using it, forcing us to help seal it’s doom. I don’t have a good solution, other than get rid of these republicans, Trump especially.
I pay my bills by automatic withdrawal from my bank account, directly, and I still receive my paper statements by mail. I receive an email alert of my bill amount and verification of bill paid. I haven’t missed a utility payment in years!
Good idea, but should we wait until after the election? Don’t they have their hands full as it is? Bulking up on stamps would be quicker, but you wonder if the increased revenue would even be mentioned by the current USPS “management”.
I had to study USPS Strategic Plans for work. The throttling of USPS by Republicans is nothing new and there is ZERO reason for this agency to be in the red. All other international Post Offices out there perform identity checks for a fee, handle money orders, and a number of services that the Republicans have repeatedly blocked our USPS from doing, and all those other Post Offices are easily in the green each year. The other thing the Republicans did is they forced the USPS to set aside the funds for pensions. This is not done by any other agency, whether in the US Government or not. In short, the Republicans whine and complain about the 'inefficient' USPS and Amtrak, and the real culprit is their deliberate and wanton abuse of our Institutions. They piss all over us, yelling and complaining the whole time, screaming we have to have real businessmen running the Post Office, even as they destroy the chance for the Post Office to do any real business. The solutions are really not that complicated, and we do not have to try and prop it up. We just have to use common sense, restore a reasonable level of investment that restores and repairs this long neglected infrastructure. Oh, and btw, attacks such as this on postal services is classic autocratic crap, exactly what dictators do to weaken democratic institutions. Vote them out, every single Republican.
There is again, with simple common sense and adequate funding and support of this institution, no reason why mail-in voting shouldn't become the norm across the country--it would already be there if we weren't allowing Republicans at the state level to work so hard at suppressing ordinary citizens voting. Many states such as Oregon use mail-in voting heavily, and fraud has been claimed and investigated over and over again, with no serious evidence emerging that it is unsafe. There are things we can do to make it much more reliable, that go far beyond what we do now, such as (believe it or not) using Blockchain-based identity (called Decentralized Identity). DID allows us to have confirmed online identities with a really high degree of confidence. It could take us one step closer to voting off our phones as American citizens--but anonymously, without revealing our individual identities. But investing in such things is regarded by Republicans as a threat to their power. And if you are wondering about USPS and Nov 3 2020, I am too. I heard DeJoy has slow things down in the sorting facilities by refusing to pay overtime, which has lead to a steadily growing backlog. He does this without offering any reasons for the decisions he has made, at least none that make any sense to me. It seems the Republicans are doing all they can to make USPS seem incompetent and weaken people's trust in it doing the job well, to make it difficult to have mail-in work well. Again, the same tired old piss and poop on our institutions, throttle them and kick them and blame them for all the failures. Classic autocratic methods, once again. I guess the only thing that will help us is if people recognize this ploy for what it is.
Our individual ideas to buy stamps, choose package delivery through USPS, choose paper billing, etc. are noble. Every little bit helps. But it seems hard for us to wrap our heads around 2 facts mentioned by HCR of the systemic problem in the USPS that are out of our control—other than through the vote.
1. USPS budget problem of that absurd crippling 2006 requirement to prepay retiree health benefits, which I’ve seen described as funding people who are not even born yet.
2. DeJoy has eliminated overtime, so mail delivery is already getting backed up. A volume increase in mail items will exacerbate this problem, particularly for precious mailed in ballots for the November election.
If our hopes come true and these Trumpazoids are removed from office, the Dems are going to hve a lot of work to do, but I hope reversing that stupid pre-funding requirement is one of the first things they do.
I took the class to be an Election Inspector this week. I signed up for 2 early voting sessions and half a day on Election Day. I’m going to the post office to buy stamps even though I don’t need them. I’m going to the farmers market with a mask on to buy local. I will not let despair keep me from inaction. I will not let my ego tell me these things don’t matter and it’s a lost cause. 🙏
Although it is nice to know who the next President will be before midnight on Election Day, it is not necessary as inauguration of this person does not take place until January. If the Republicans are serious (?) about safe elections, I would think they would advocate for mail-in voting and the careful counting of the votes. I see a massive clash coming from the public as this administration seems to delve further into la-la land. And speaking of the Post Office, I, as well as many other people, get their medications through the mail. Many health insurance plans practically require this. The continuing existence of this institution should not come down to 45's jealousy of another person. I think I will write my senator, Mr. McConnell, and suggest since the Post Office is such a horror to his party, he can stop mailing campaign literature to me. (I no longer contact Rand Paul as I cannot deal with another toddler in office.)
I'm envious, you have the privilege of voting against Mitch McConnell. That was one of my main pleasures when I lived in Cobb County, Georgia; I had the privilege of voting against Newt Gingrich. I hope that privilege works better for you than it did for me!
I too get my prescriptions by mail. And dumping the cost of a privatized mail system on people who likely have suffered great harm in this economy is beyond sickening. But worse is hijacking the election. This is unforgivable, and cannot be tolerated.
Not only do I get my meds by mail, I'm semi-rural to boot! Most of my deliveries end with USPS unless it's a big package, like dog food. Guess I'll contact my Republican rep. Both senators are dems....
Yet another sickening Trump attack on an American institution. The nonprofit agency I work for publishes books. We rely on the post office for the delivery of our books to a significant number of customers. The post office has always served us well -- we prefer it to UPS. But we've seen delivery delays cropping up in the past few weeks.
Whenever someone complains about the post office, I give them a letter and 55 cents and say, "take this to Nome."
I believe the people of the United States will not allow our Postal Service to be destroyed. It should be being improved and supported, not attacked and depleted. And it should never be politicized.
Alas, "the people' will not have a voice in this. The GOP will kill the Post Office while Dems stand around and lament. That's been the case so far; why should it change. (Sorry to be pessimistic.....)
I have had relatives who have worked for USPS back to my grandfather working the postal pick up in trains. I remember him talking about mail hanging on a bar as they’d pull into a station and he’d have to exchange the bags for coming going.
Just a ridiculous travesty they’ve placed upon this government institution! I’ve been shipping packages and buying stamps. Even have a set of Last Week Tonight stamps put out by John Oliver! Attacking the Postal Service? Really? Strange stupid sad time we live in! 💙
I just realized that when Dr. Fauci testified at the House Committee yesterday, he was wearing the World Series face mask he earned from having the honor to throw out the first pitch at the Yankee game, the one trump said he was too busy for but in fact had not even been invited. How’s that for a brilliant F You from Fauci! ⚾️
Back to USPS and voting, so now we not only have to get out the vote, but we also have to get people to vote in person as much as possible. And bring water bottles, snacks, hold-the-place-in-line-for-a-restroom-break, etc. to support waiting in line.
Sounds like an excellent mission for the TikTok crew, a great way to channel their revenge for trump’s threat to ban TikTok.
Un fortunately I think we are going to have to vote in person, which in Arizona I have not had to do since 1996. However, I can drop off my mail vote at polling stations. If things continue to decline with the USPS, we ned a very clear actionable plan by state to get our votes in.
In addition to destroying the USPS to swing the election, once millions of people are kicked out of their homes, since the Senate couldn’t agree a bill to these people, their access to voting will also be at risk.
This is very concerning and I am very glad you brought this up. I didn’t realize this myself until a few weeks ago. When I did, the republican reluctance to provide more financial assistance to literally millions of Americans suddenly made a lot more sense. I have begun to believe that they are truly evil. Really. I mean, what other kind of person would withhold financial relief to suffering American families with a tangential “goal” of disrupting the upcoming presidential election? Especially when they claim to be the party of “family values”? Ugh! And that Vanity Fair piece of exceptional investigative reporting about the virus response just confirms my assessment. I am more angry with our government than I have ever been in my life.
"We are now engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure." Edit for 2020: uncivil war
All of this is a distraction from 153,000 dead from the Coronavirus and the loss of the last five years economic gain. Trump is the master of showing the next distraction to our ADHD media and population. Agree that the USPS must be preserved. Too many depend on it. Let’s get these numbskulls out in in November and start the long process of repairing the damage. And another thing! How in the heck can Trump ban TikTok? There is no country firewall like China. He has zero means of enforcement.
I am thinking the same thing. Smoke and mirrors. Coronavirus really is an uncovering for Trump, his administration and Republicans. It is impossible to hide from. I also think the Postal Service needs to be preserved and I do not think having Amazon purchase the Post Office is a good idea at all. Private/Public partnerships have proven to be a false panacea in so may cases and they never fully consider the actual customer or the common good. Only government regulated organizations can operate in a more selfless, more utilitarian manner.
We must ask for our Mail In Ballots NOW. And either Mail them NOW or return them to the secure lock boxes NOW. In Atlanta and some suburbs we have lock boxes at police precincts and government centers. Time is of the essence. If we push to have mail in voting complete by October...many will not have to stand in the lines. This IS the most important election since the CIVIL WAR. Sadly most Americans don’t see the undermining that is chipping away at our freedoms. Wish the ACLU and Stacey Abrams would sound the Alarms.
I think Jeff Bezos should buy the Trump Organization and shut it all down. Let's face it, he can afford to. He's got multiples of the billions Trump only claims to have, and it would rot Trump's socks!
Seriously, the subject of mail-away pharmacies is a significant worry. I get mine via mail, as some other commenters do. I have been making sure I order with plenty of lead time since the pandemic.
Many seniors not only get their routine meds by mail, the still get a paper check from Social Security. If McConnell, Trump and Mnuchin really want to piss off the Grey Panther contingent, just delay their Social Security check!
I hope I'm right believing they have really stepped in it with this bone-headed move. My fear is that it will have to be implemented before people wake up and see how much has been lost, and rebuilding is often harder than maintaining. And more costly.
It isn't acceptable. But we seem to have turned into a nation of people who just chase the next shiny "thing". There is little constancy. And Trump manages to throw some distraction our way almost every day. We have to look toward what we want this nation to be, not what he is trying to turn it into; a playground for the very rich with all the rest of us serving them. Email and Tweet your senators and congress people...constantly and relentlessly. Call their offices and leave messages. Tell them you won't stand for this abuse, and November is coming!!!!
My father worked for the USPS until his retirement. He started as a letter carrier then moved to clerk, assistant superintendent and finally Postal Inspector. It was a place to be promoted within the ranks based on ability. He took great pride in his work. I see so much pressure for our local postal workers. Budget cuts have driven poor sanitation in many local facilities and workers have become sick.
Our mail is already on a delayed system it seems undoubtedly driven by cutbacks.
Yes, my father had good retirement benefits, but he was also not eligible for Social Security.
You would think this would drive rural residents to vote for a candidate that would not drive up their costs. It won't lower their taxes.
I don't see why people continue to support the stereotypical GOP candidate because of one issue like abortion. But it is all about money and oligarchy.
Talk about shooting the messenger....! Same attitude with his threat to ban Tik-Tok because the kids made him look like a clown at Tulsa. When I moved back to Paris from Washington the USPS faithfully and without charge redirected all my mail over the Atlantic for a year. The British Royal Mail wanted to charge me 250 pounds for the same service in similar circumstances without giving any guarantee of performance and the French would like to charge me 50 Euros a month just to ensure my Paris mail gets to me in Provence and IT DOESN'T WORK half the time. Saving the USPS and keeping it out of the Oligarchs' hands is an absolutely essential condition of maintaining freedom and democracy.
Stuart, you're absolutely right that the USPS must be kept public and solvent. On a personal basis we may not give the Brits or the French gold stars for charging to forward mail, but from a public perspective, do you think that it's something the US should consider? And, besides working to elect the right candidates to public office, can you suggest anything else that we citizens can do to help (e.g. the above suggestion about choice of shipping options)?
I don't know if anyone else does this, but any junk mail I receive, I shred anything personally identifiable, use the postage paid envelope to return the rest. Sometimes I have other junk mail to include also. Thereby, allowing the junk mailer to pay a small amount(according to how much I load up the envelope) to USPS! No, I'm not devious, why do you ask? And is that not a WIN, WIN?
And I never do that to the 'good guys', like say, Consumer Reports(ok, semi good guys)!
We can buy extra stamps. If enough people did that, it would make a real difference to the budget.
They have a great deal of pride in their work and would certainly like to be able to deliver the stamps attached to personal letters
It won't hurt anyone's pride if I keep a few extra books of stamps in my "pantry", rather than getting more when I am almost out. If a few million people did that, it would help. The Heroes Act passed by the House of Representatives includes $25 billion for the Post Office, which at least tells us that the Democrats are highly likely to turn things around if they get political control after the November election. Buying extra stamps is just to help keep the Post Office running until then.
https://www.linns.com/news/us-stamps-postal-history/heroes-act-includes-help-for-u.s.-postal-service
In a time of internet people aren't writing letters to each other just "textos" and e-mails! Neither of these convey the personal stamp of real friendship. You don't go back over today's electronique messages at a later date just to feel close to someone. In my work coaching senior executives on communications strategy, NEVER good or bad news by electronic means was a standing rule. Putting pen to paper is the best way you can support USPS's business as none of their private competitors are really interested in that market. One can always help them improve their internal efficiency but they should be charging for redirecting services as there are costs involved.
So, so true. And it may seem silly, but with the great variety of commemorative stamps that the USPS produces (I do hope that continues), it can be fun to enhance the meaning of your mail messages by the stamps you choose. Just this week I bought another sheet of dinosaur stamps to use on birthday greetings, as many of my friends are even older than I. Of course, whether or not they'll notice is another question....
😂 I thought at first you were going to say you were sending birthday cards to children with those dino stamps! But then I read the rest and just started laughing! I love it and may have to steal that idea! Great subtle symbolism to poke fun at friends.
Neither senior executives nor Boomers are going to keep the USPS in business. I supervise Millennials and Gen Z. They and my young adult children NEVER send personal letters, greeting cards, or pay bills via the USPS—not when texting, emails, SnapChat, etc. are free and instantly available. Legal notices often require service through First Class Mail or Certified Mail, but that’s it. And it’s called “snail mail” for a reason.
I searched for a USPS consumer survey and lo and behold, found this Office of Inspector General Report, “Millennials and the Mail” from July 30, 2018. “Digitally native consumers” want self-service and customization. However: “Among adults aged 18 to 34, the amount of mail received per week fell from 17 mailpieces in 2001 to 10 mailpieces in 2017.“
https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2018/RARC-WP-18-011.pdf
My millennial kids rarely even check their paper mailbox. They may drop by every few weeks, maybe.
I've read the past three days of Dr. Richardson's newsletter at a single sitting (I fell behind due to final exams and laziness) and now want to hide under the bed. But I've done that before, and have found that it gets boring after a while, makes my bones ache, and smells funny.
For some reason, the continued attacks on the Post Office grieve me more than anything else in these posts, even though some of the other recent acts by Trump and his supporters are a more direct threat to our republic. What they're doing to the USPS is a favorite oligarch scheme, one that's not just limited to Republican despots, unfortunately; although the Dems are many shades better than their Republican counterparts, they are, by no means, saints. (Hell's Bells, sometimes they aren't even "the good guys.")
It works very simply: (1) select an agency that some rich set of donors wants to buy or destroy, (2) mismanage, underfund, and place impossible demands on that agency, and (3) when it suffers the inevitable collapse, declare that it's a sign that government is inefficient and doesn't work, then (4) sell the assets to the rich donors in exchange for favors and campaign donations. This has happened at other agencies and is usually done without much fanfare, since few people outside of government service realize that the "deep state" Trump and his enablers rail about is simply the machinery of a functioning government.
I've often found it hard to think of anything I can do to support the USPS, besides vote and write letters to my representatives. After all, I don't send many letters or packages. I don't own a business that does. All I do is buy a fistful of pretty stamps every December for my annual Xmas letter, and I don't think that's going to keep them afloat.
But something did occur to me after watching an Amazon Prime truck deliver a package to my house yesterday. What if, whenever I bought something online, I chose the shipping option that routed it through the USPS? It may take a little longer (although it usually doesn't), but I'm seldom in a real rush and I'd rather support an organization that works for the whole country, instead of one, like FedEx or UPS, that works primarily for rich people.
So that's what I shall do, I shall henceforth use the United States Post Office for every shipping option. If we want the Post Office to remain, we have to use it, not just vote for representatives who may support it (although that's important, too).
I just had another idea. Everyone should log into all their accounts and elect paper billing and statements instead of paperless. That could inject a lot of money into the postal coffers and the business world would be paying for it. All we have to do is deal with the mail.
I did exactly that in March when I realized that business was a driving force for USPS. My utility providers, banks, medical providers, insurance companies, credit card issuers, etc. do NOT need to save money by my use of electronic billing. I am now forcing them all to use the USPS to send my statements. The sad part is the paper waste, but I'm good with that for the moment.
I am all for this but I worry that it will have negative repercussions for me, personally, when my bills and statements, along with my payments, start arriving late. I don’t receive medication by mail but I already worry about those that do. Of course, this is part of their plan - to make us distrust this venerable USPS and stop using it, forcing us to help seal it’s doom. I don’t have a good solution, other than get rid of these republicans, Trump especially.
I pay my bills by automatic withdrawal from my bank account, directly, and I still receive my paper statements by mail. I receive an email alert of my bill amount and verification of bill paid. I haven’t missed a utility payment in years!
It never occurred to me that you could have it both ways! Thanks!
Good idea, but should we wait until after the election? Don’t they have their hands full as it is? Bulking up on stamps would be quicker, but you wonder if the increased revenue would even be mentioned by the current USPS “management”.
That's a great idea!
I had to study USPS Strategic Plans for work. The throttling of USPS by Republicans is nothing new and there is ZERO reason for this agency to be in the red. All other international Post Offices out there perform identity checks for a fee, handle money orders, and a number of services that the Republicans have repeatedly blocked our USPS from doing, and all those other Post Offices are easily in the green each year. The other thing the Republicans did is they forced the USPS to set aside the funds for pensions. This is not done by any other agency, whether in the US Government or not. In short, the Republicans whine and complain about the 'inefficient' USPS and Amtrak, and the real culprit is their deliberate and wanton abuse of our Institutions. They piss all over us, yelling and complaining the whole time, screaming we have to have real businessmen running the Post Office, even as they destroy the chance for the Post Office to do any real business. The solutions are really not that complicated, and we do not have to try and prop it up. We just have to use common sense, restore a reasonable level of investment that restores and repairs this long neglected infrastructure. Oh, and btw, attacks such as this on postal services is classic autocratic crap, exactly what dictators do to weaken democratic institutions. Vote them out, every single Republican.
Can you summarize what you learned about the USPS Strategic Plans that would help our thinking about voting by mail?
There is again, with simple common sense and adequate funding and support of this institution, no reason why mail-in voting shouldn't become the norm across the country--it would already be there if we weren't allowing Republicans at the state level to work so hard at suppressing ordinary citizens voting. Many states such as Oregon use mail-in voting heavily, and fraud has been claimed and investigated over and over again, with no serious evidence emerging that it is unsafe. There are things we can do to make it much more reliable, that go far beyond what we do now, such as (believe it or not) using Blockchain-based identity (called Decentralized Identity). DID allows us to have confirmed online identities with a really high degree of confidence. It could take us one step closer to voting off our phones as American citizens--but anonymously, without revealing our individual identities. But investing in such things is regarded by Republicans as a threat to their power. And if you are wondering about USPS and Nov 3 2020, I am too. I heard DeJoy has slow things down in the sorting facilities by refusing to pay overtime, which has lead to a steadily growing backlog. He does this without offering any reasons for the decisions he has made, at least none that make any sense to me. It seems the Republicans are doing all they can to make USPS seem incompetent and weaken people's trust in it doing the job well, to make it difficult to have mail-in work well. Again, the same tired old piss and poop on our institutions, throttle them and kick them and blame them for all the failures. Classic autocratic methods, once again. I guess the only thing that will help us is if people recognize this ploy for what it is.
Our individual ideas to buy stamps, choose package delivery through USPS, choose paper billing, etc. are noble. Every little bit helps. But it seems hard for us to wrap our heads around 2 facts mentioned by HCR of the systemic problem in the USPS that are out of our control—other than through the vote.
1. USPS budget problem of that absurd crippling 2006 requirement to prepay retiree health benefits, which I’ve seen described as funding people who are not even born yet.
2. DeJoy has eliminated overtime, so mail delivery is already getting backed up. A volume increase in mail items will exacerbate this problem, particularly for precious mailed in ballots for the November election.
If our hopes come true and these Trumpazoids are removed from office, the Dems are going to hve a lot of work to do, but I hope reversing that stupid pre-funding requirement is one of the first things they do.
Here is a nice graphic by a Portland artist in support of the USPS:
https://twitter.com/belcasas/status/1289619775199436800?s=21
That's a great idea!
excellent
Jeff Bezos should bail out the USPS with a few billions <pocket change>
Excellent idea.
I took the class to be an Election Inspector this week. I signed up for 2 early voting sessions and half a day on Election Day. I’m going to the post office to buy stamps even though I don’t need them. I’m going to the farmers market with a mask on to buy local. I will not let despair keep me from inaction. I will not let my ego tell me these things don’t matter and it’s a lost cause. 🙏
We salute you! ⭐️
Although it is nice to know who the next President will be before midnight on Election Day, it is not necessary as inauguration of this person does not take place until January. If the Republicans are serious (?) about safe elections, I would think they would advocate for mail-in voting and the careful counting of the votes. I see a massive clash coming from the public as this administration seems to delve further into la-la land. And speaking of the Post Office, I, as well as many other people, get their medications through the mail. Many health insurance plans practically require this. The continuing existence of this institution should not come down to 45's jealousy of another person. I think I will write my senator, Mr. McConnell, and suggest since the Post Office is such a horror to his party, he can stop mailing campaign literature to me. (I no longer contact Rand Paul as I cannot deal with another toddler in office.)
I'm envious, you have the privilege of voting against Mitch McConnell. That was one of my main pleasures when I lived in Cobb County, Georgia; I had the privilege of voting against Newt Gingrich. I hope that privilege works better for you than it did for me!
I too get my prescriptions by mail. And dumping the cost of a privatized mail system on people who likely have suffered great harm in this economy is beyond sickening. But worse is hijacking the election. This is unforgivable, and cannot be tolerated.
Not only do I get my meds by mail, I'm semi-rural to boot! Most of my deliveries end with USPS unless it's a big package, like dog food. Guess I'll contact my Republican rep. Both senators are dems....
And work to see him defeated. Please!
Yet another sickening Trump attack on an American institution. The nonprofit agency I work for publishes books. We rely on the post office for the delivery of our books to a significant number of customers. The post office has always served us well -- we prefer it to UPS. But we've seen delivery delays cropping up in the past few weeks.
Whenever someone complains about the post office, I give them a letter and 55 cents and say, "take this to Nome."
I believe the people of the United States will not allow our Postal Service to be destroyed. It should be being improved and supported, not attacked and depleted. And it should never be politicized.
I agree. But my question is this: What, exactly, are the component parts of not allowing the USPS to be destroyed?
I agree 100%.
Alas, "the people' will not have a voice in this. The GOP will kill the Post Office while Dems stand around and lament. That's been the case so far; why should it change. (Sorry to be pessimistic.....)
I have had relatives who have worked for USPS back to my grandfather working the postal pick up in trains. I remember him talking about mail hanging on a bar as they’d pull into a station and he’d have to exchange the bags for coming going.
Just a ridiculous travesty they’ve placed upon this government institution! I’ve been shipping packages and buying stamps. Even have a set of Last Week Tonight stamps put out by John Oliver! Attacking the Postal Service? Really? Strange stupid sad time we live in! 💙
I just realized that when Dr. Fauci testified at the House Committee yesterday, he was wearing the World Series face mask he earned from having the honor to throw out the first pitch at the Yankee game, the one trump said he was too busy for but in fact had not even been invited. How’s that for a brilliant F You from Fauci! ⚾️
Back to USPS and voting, so now we not only have to get out the vote, but we also have to get people to vote in person as much as possible. And bring water bottles, snacks, hold-the-place-in-line-for-a-restroom-break, etc. to support waiting in line.
Sounds like an excellent mission for the TikTok crew, a great way to channel their revenge for trump’s threat to ban TikTok.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/overnights/510060-overnight-health-care-five-takeaways-from-faucis-testimony-cdc
Un fortunately I think we are going to have to vote in person, which in Arizona I have not had to do since 1996. However, I can drop off my mail vote at polling stations. If things continue to decline with the USPS, we ned a very clear actionable plan by state to get our votes in.
I plan to vote at the Board of Elections during early voting in October.
In addition to destroying the USPS to swing the election, once millions of people are kicked out of their homes, since the Senate couldn’t agree a bill to these people, their access to voting will also be at risk.
This is very concerning and I am very glad you brought this up. I didn’t realize this myself until a few weeks ago. When I did, the republican reluctance to provide more financial assistance to literally millions of Americans suddenly made a lot more sense. I have begun to believe that they are truly evil. Really. I mean, what other kind of person would withhold financial relief to suffering American families with a tangential “goal” of disrupting the upcoming presidential election? Especially when they claim to be the party of “family values”? Ugh! And that Vanity Fair piece of exceptional investigative reporting about the virus response just confirms my assessment. I am more angry with our government than I have ever been in my life.
"We are now engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure." Edit for 2020: uncivil war
All of this is a distraction from 153,000 dead from the Coronavirus and the loss of the last five years economic gain. Trump is the master of showing the next distraction to our ADHD media and population. Agree that the USPS must be preserved. Too many depend on it. Let’s get these numbskulls out in in November and start the long process of repairing the damage. And another thing! How in the heck can Trump ban TikTok? There is no country firewall like China. He has zero means of enforcement.
I am thinking the same thing. Smoke and mirrors. Coronavirus really is an uncovering for Trump, his administration and Republicans. It is impossible to hide from. I also think the Postal Service needs to be preserved and I do not think having Amazon purchase the Post Office is a good idea at all. Private/Public partnerships have proven to be a false panacea in so may cases and they never fully consider the actual customer or the common good. Only government regulated organizations can operate in a more selfless, more utilitarian manner.
Tilt ok is just a distractor. Look for other, more serious, news that he is using it to distract from.
We must ask for our Mail In Ballots NOW. And either Mail them NOW or return them to the secure lock boxes NOW. In Atlanta and some suburbs we have lock boxes at police precincts and government centers. Time is of the essence. If we push to have mail in voting complete by October...many will not have to stand in the lines. This IS the most important election since the CIVIL WAR. Sadly most Americans don’t see the undermining that is chipping away at our freedoms. Wish the ACLU and Stacey Abrams would sound the Alarms.
I think Jeff Bezos should buy the Trump Organization and shut it all down. Let's face it, he can afford to. He's got multiples of the billions Trump only claims to have, and it would rot Trump's socks!
Seriously, the subject of mail-away pharmacies is a significant worry. I get mine via mail, as some other commenters do. I have been making sure I order with plenty of lead time since the pandemic.
Many seniors not only get their routine meds by mail, the still get a paper check from Social Security. If McConnell, Trump and Mnuchin really want to piss off the Grey Panther contingent, just delay their Social Security check!
I hope I'm right believing they have really stepped in it with this bone-headed move. My fear is that it will have to be implemented before people wake up and see how much has been lost, and rebuilding is often harder than maintaining. And more costly.
I am just tired of Republicans’ attempts to destroy the country. McConnell (And others) must go. Why is this behavior acceptable?
It isn't acceptable. But we seem to have turned into a nation of people who just chase the next shiny "thing". There is little constancy. And Trump manages to throw some distraction our way almost every day. We have to look toward what we want this nation to be, not what he is trying to turn it into; a playground for the very rich with all the rest of us serving them. Email and Tweet your senators and congress people...constantly and relentlessly. Call their offices and leave messages. Tell them you won't stand for this abuse, and November is coming!!!!
One of my senators is Marsha Blackburn. Need I say more?
And my 2 senators are Marco Rubio and the despicable Rick Scott so I have double your pain!
My father worked for the USPS until his retirement. He started as a letter carrier then moved to clerk, assistant superintendent and finally Postal Inspector. It was a place to be promoted within the ranks based on ability. He took great pride in his work. I see so much pressure for our local postal workers. Budget cuts have driven poor sanitation in many local facilities and workers have become sick.
Our mail is already on a delayed system it seems undoubtedly driven by cutbacks.
Yes, my father had good retirement benefits, but he was also not eligible for Social Security.
You would think this would drive rural residents to vote for a candidate that would not drive up their costs. It won't lower their taxes.
I don't see why people continue to support the stereotypical GOP candidate because of one issue like abortion. But it is all about money and oligarchy.