The post office says it will run out of funds by the end of Sept. Is it just a coincidence that...

[brush]

trump just rejected additional funding for them because that would stop voting by mail in November?

No.

Speaker Pelosi will have to do something.

[flying_wahini]

1. This just cannot stand. People will holler bloody murder if they try to kill it.

How about Amazon pays for their own postal and leave the USPS out of it.
Or make corporations pay what the rest of us pay. No breaks for them?

[misanthrope]

5. Um, if Amazon is using the USPS for delivery

isn't that in effect paying for the USPS services and therefore helping them make money? Are you advocating for taking more business away from USPS?

[VarryOn]

13. But, is Amazon paying USPS enough for the work they perform?

Trump contends Amazon needs to pay more for the USPS' services. This maybe one thing he's right on. My company is a major carrier for Amazon, and they go for the absolute cheapest price they can get. As a top provider, we have a good handle on costs, and we understand what our products are worth. We hold firm with Bezos and provide him the level of service his customers demand. I doubt USPS has top-notched negotiators targeting profitability like my Fortune 500 org.

[misanthrope]

37. Good point

Thanks

[brush]

17. Of course not. They need hundreds of millions no matter how much Amazon uses them.

[brush]

8. None of that matters if the post office goes out of business. What are you talking about?

[lunasun]

14. Charge commercials the rate to mail an individual letter? Itll be closed by the end of the month! No

[Cha]

2. This has been worrying me to no end. We have

to have the US Mail.

I would think amazon would be on this, too. And, All the businesses and people who receive packages and letters across the country.

I hope Nancy and the House can do something.

[misanthrope]

6. Well, its necessity is written into the Constitution

funding matters are delegated to the legislative by the original framing.

[Cha]

9. Oh right.. I has read that about The Contitution

on an earlier thread.

Thank you!

[Celerity]

31. Congress is not required to establish post offices. It merely has the power to do so.

http://postalnews.com/blog/2015/05/07/postal-myths-it-would-take-a-constitutional-amendment-to-eliminate-or-privatize-the-postal-service/

Here’s what the Constitution actually says in Article 1, Section 8

The Congress shall have Power To establish Post Offices and post Roads

That’s it! You don’t need to be a constitutional scholar, or even a lawyer to interpret that sentence- it’s very clear. Congress is not required to establish post offices. It merely has the power to do so if it chooses to. And it chose to do so in 1792 when it passed the “Postal Service Act”. That Act of Congress established the Post Office Department. All it takes to repeal an Act of Congress is another Act of Congress- not a constitutional amendment.

[misanthrope]

38. Thanks**nm

**

[UTUSN]

3. K&R

[denbot]

4. K&R

[spicysista]

7. I think many in the private sector will...

I think many in the private sector will have to step up the pressure on trumplethinskin. I also think congressmen from rural areas (representing both parties) will have much to say on the matter, too. A lot of rural people throughout Louisiana (and other regions of the country) are only serviced by the USPS. This will concern the tRump voter, too.

[Cha]

10. That's been my thought, too, spicysister..

This will concern trump voters, too.

[spicysista]

16. Hi, Cha!

Hope you are well. It looks as if we may see some more bipartisanship on capitol hill. Congressman Adrian Smith (Nebraska, R) has previously written about the need to shore up the USPS. Hopefully he hasn't changed his tune.

Here's an article written by the congressman from 2012...
https://thenebraskasignal.com/postal-reform-must-preserve-rural-mail-service/
From the article:
Without prudent, long-term changes, the Postal Service’s debt will balloon to nearly $100 billion in potential liabilities for U.S. taxpayers by the end of 2016. In these challenging fiscal times, the American people certainly have no appetite for another massive bailout. If there is one thing on which everyone agrees, it is the status quo is unsustainable and meaningful reform is desperately needed.

~snip~

I proposed an amendment to the postal reform bill currently in the House of Representatives – H.R. 2309 – which would cap rural post office closures at no more than 5 percent of total closures in any given year, and offer more guarantees USPS will maintain universal service.
.

[Cha]

20. Aloha, spicysista!

Mahalo for that from Rep Adam Smith(Nebraska R).

Talk about the "Economy" falling apart.. it seems it mostly certainly would if we weren't able to send our necessary mail. So many people get things from amazon that aren't available In the stores and it's cheaper.. especially over here on Kauai.

I'm doing ok so far.. I hope you and yours are doing well!

[spicysista]

22. It's not too bad in San Diego, yet...

We're all doing pretty well. Thank you for asking. Take care, Cha.

[Cha]

23. Ah.. you're in

San Diego.. I wondered where you were.

I used to live all over San Diego county for 15 years from 1974 to 1990ish.

Loved it! My daughter was born there.

[SKKY]

36. I genuinely don't think so. Whatever 45 says, his followers push the "I believe" button...

...If he said the USPS is being obliterated by Amazon and needs to be shut down, his followers will believe it 100%. No questions asked. And I have yet to see anything, by any elected official on the right side of the aisle that leads me to think they would do anything to stop this.

[brush]

12. Yep, the post office is the only delivery service whose reach covers every address in the entire...

country. UPS and FEDEX don't want that responsibility. In fact, they use the post office too so they don't have too.

Without the post office we'd be picking up our mail in centralized mail facilities and prices to mail anything would quadruple or more.

[spicysista]

19. Yes, I was thinking about my extended family all throughout the south.

The last time I sent my grandmother something from Amazon (fulfilled by amazon), it was delivered by the USPS. Most of my older relatives live in unincorporated/rural areas. Many have P.O. Boxes and they all depend on the services of the USPS.
Thanks for this thread, brush. This is a very important issue.

[customerserviceguy]

34. Exactly

And they should pay a fair price for using USPS facilities. Also, I keep saying, raise the rates on sending junk mail. It's a wasteful use of resources to begin with, and subsidizing it is foolish.

[jimfields33]

11. It was June. Give congress more time now. That's good.

[StTimofEdenRoc]

15. It is all part of a plan to privatize the USPS, their retirement funds.

Their retirement funds are far too big a cheery not to pick.

[brush]

21. Yep, repugs have been trying to get their hands on that for years.

[aeromanKC]

18. Many people get their Unemployment and Stimulus checks via USPS

Ya, just try and fuck with that Trump!!

[Blue Owl]

24. K&R for the USPS

[Stonepounder]

25. Not only are the financial costs and delivery services at stake,

The USPS currently employs 600,000 people, a large proportion of whom are military vets. The average salary for a postal employee is around $60,000 plus generous benefits. Also, the USPS is a non-profit organization.

Does anyone think that FedEx of UPS would pay its employees that much?

[brush]

26. Good points. That puts a new light on it. I don't think the repugs will want to dump 600k...

Last edited Sun Apr 12, 2020, 02:01 PM - Edit history (3)

additional workers unto the unemployment line a month and a few days before the election.

Dumb ass trump might, as he just rejected funding for the post office and knows it employs many POCs. Moscow Mitch will have sit his stupid behind down and tell him it's not a good idea to shut down the post office even though he if it could stop mail-in voting.

[Jim_S]

27. Please remember that the only reason the P.O. is in the mess

Is that the Bush administration back in 2006 did this!
...[The Postal Service is not losing money because of Amazon. It’s losing money because in 2006, the Republican-led Congress passed a law forcing it to prepay its pensions for 75 years, which no other corporation does.

This was meant to bankrupt it so it’s business could be privatized for profit. Without this law, the Postal Service would be turning a profit.]...

Also, this effort began when the P.O. began exploring the option of 'electrifying' most of it's fleet of vehicles. That freaked out the fossil fuel industry. Not to mention that there are so many 'unionized' workes in the post office. The GOP wants to destroy all unions. No other corporation is required to prepay for pensions for people that are not even born yet! Call your congress-person. NOW!

[brush]

35. Yes, I remember that. They handicapped the P.O. and if nothing is done now...

they may finally be successful.

[DFW]

28. We can come up with $4.5 TRILLION that we don't even have, but can't sustain our postal service?

I would say, "gimme a fucking break," but asking that of Repubicans in an election year is like asking a great white shark to go vegan.

[duforsure]

29. Just a ploy for trump to use

Against Jeff Bezos. Pick a fight , deny funding , hurt Americans , and weaken our country for putin and him to plunder. That's what trump is all about. Putins helping him too.

[chowder66]

30. We can help. Buy stamps and send letters or cards.

It may not be enough but it is something we can do.

Dingus J McGee, ESQ*
@lildipshit3
·
8h
PS: If you're reading this and want a much easier, more direct way to help us out? Volume is down right now by considerable amounts (our office is 50% lighter some days during COVID-19!). Go online, buy some stamps. Have them delivered. Write an old fashion card to a friend today


This is a really great thread;

Link to tweet

[Hortensis]

32. What a simple and good idea. I'm going to go buy stamps.

Last edited Sun Apr 12, 2020, 06:53 AM - Edit history (1)

[Hortensis]

33. The Republicans have been after the giant USPS cookie jar

for decades. Established by Benjamin Franklin, part of the warp and woof our nation, mail carriers once an important part the life of every neighborhood in the nation, in 2020 still delivering birthday cards for less than the cost of a candy bar.

And that's the problem. Private business can make so much more from it. From us.

As part of reclaiming the soul of our nation, we should hire a million new carriers and restore delivery to the door once again. We've always gotten more than just mail from it.