Letter To The Editor: The USPS Belongs To The People Of The Community It Serves

[Omaha Steve]

http://nhlabornews.com/2015/02/letter-to-the-editor-the-usps-belongs-to-the-people-of-the-community-it-serves/

By NH Labor News | February 11, 2015

(This letter is in response to the post “Through Rain, Sleet, and Snow The Mail Must Go Through, So Why Is Congress Trying To Destroy The USPS?” by Bill Brickley on Feb 10th, 2015)

In conclusion myTo The Editor,

view is the problem not only Congressional meddling, rather it’s a failure on the part of Congress to ensure the Post Office belongs to the American people. We must insure that the Post Office is managed in a way that benefits people, communities, and businesses in positive ways. Instead of enabling Postal Executives (Postmaster General) it sells off public treasures like the Bronx GPO, destroys hundreds of thousands of good jobs, undermine service standards and raises rates.

Congress has an affirmative responsibility to oversee the Postal System and the Postal Network to ensure that it continues to provide solid service at fair rates while providing meaningful employment and supporting intangible values like binding the nation together.

This anti-government stance is a result of Grover Norquist’s comment “making the Federal Government small enough to ‘drown’ it in a bathtub” over two decades ago. This philosophy has fueled the Republican obstructionists. He was influential and convincing enough to have Republican Senators, Congressmen and Republicans in state houses to sign his petition.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Bender
George Hafner

[guillaumeb]

1. thanks for the post Omaha Steve

As a retired postal worker I must say it is good to see the occasional voice of sanity on this issue.

I had a disagreement with a Tea Partier recently about the USPS. I made the point that the USPS is specifically mentioned in the Constitution as a needed Federal agency. That talks to the "original intent of the Framers" argument that Tea Partiers like to bring up. He had no idea what to say.

Plus rarely mentioned are:
1) the USPS was making money until the Postal Reform and Accountability Act was passed by the GOP in 2006. After the act was passed the USPS went from running a profit to running a 5 billion yearly deficit. Coincidence?

2) Prior to 2006, the USPS was looking into the large scale purchase of electric vehicles. Could there be a Koch connection between this and the passage of the 2006 Act that bankrupted the USPS?

[XOKCowboy]

3. Unions

Not to mention that the USPS is also the largest unionized federal agency and we know what Republicans think of unions.

[Panich52]

5. It also employs a sizable number of veterans

And would be a good way to keep tabs on shut-ins, just to name one community benefit.

Yall know UPS is considering charging for delivery to your house?

--

Article I, Section 8 of US Constitution mandates postal routes.
..

[tech3149]

4. I'll second your thanks and applaud your points

I made a point a few years ago to make up a poster exposing all the ways that some have been trying to kill the Postal Service for decades. I posted them in all my local rural PO's. I figured most people have no idea of what's at stake and how it will affect them. Our generally available "news" sources do nothing and feel no obligation to provide needed or accurate information, so most people don't know.

[Panich52]

7. Rebub attacks on USPS cost jobs - one thing they campaigned on in 2010, 2012, & 2014

In January, Congress' war on USPS caused stoppage of overnight shipments and closed 87 distribution plants.
.

[Jefferson23]

2. K&R

[world wide wally]

6. Their #1 reason for sabotaging the USPS is for their corporate cronies to make money with

privatization.
Screw the Founding Fathers and Benjamin Franklin if there is a profit to be made.

[BrotherIvan]

8. AMEN!

And these Republicans must not like the Constitution very much wherein the post office is specifically mentioned. I'm so sick of these shits ruining everything.