“The deliberate delaying of Americans’ mail delivery would be a stunning act of sabotage against our Postal Service.”
Postal workers and their allies in Congress are vowing to fight back after the new head of the U.S. Postal Service—a major donor to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party—moved this week to impose sweeping changes to the popular government agency as it faces a financial crisis manufactured by lawmakers and exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Washington Post reported late Tuesday that Postmaster General (PMG) Louis DeJoy, who took charge last month, issued memos announcing “major operational changes” to the USPS “that could slow down mail delivery, warning employees the agency would not survive unless it made ‘difficult’ changes to cut costs.”
“With our states now reliant on mail voting to continue elections during the pandemic, the destabilizing of the post office is a direct attack on American democracy itself.”
—Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr.
“Analysts say the documents present a stark reimagining of the USPS that could chase away customers—especially if the White House gets the steep package rate increases it wants—and put the already beleaguered agency in deeper financial peril as private-sector competitors embark on hiring sprees to build out their own delivery networks,” the Post noted.
According to the internal USPS memos (pdf) obtained by the Post, “DeJoy told employees to leave mail behind at distribution centers if it delayed letter carriers from their routes,” a change critics said could threaten access to absentee ballots at a time when vote-by-mail is more important than ever.
“If the plants run late, they will keep the mail for the next day,” reads a document titled, “New PMG’s expectations and plan.”
“The deliberate delaying of Americans’ mail delivery would be a stunning act of sabotage against our Postal Service,” Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-N.J.) said in a statement. “If these reports are accurate, Trump and his cronies are openly seeking to destroy the Post Office during the worst public health crisis in a century.”
“With our states now reliant on mail voting to continue elections during the pandemic, the destabilizing of the post office is a direct attack on American democracy itself,” Pascrell added. “It has been 59 days since the House passed $25 billion to keep USPS alive. The Senate must pass it now. Democracy hangs in the balance” […]
Yes been waiting for that to happen here in NZ, it’s slowed already over the years. A deterrent from.
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Indeed, Pam, and DX, formerly known as Pete’s Post, is all poised to take over from NZ Post. Here in New Plymouth, all the GPs, banks, and even Council use the private postal service (DX), rather than NZ Post. Do you have DX in Rangitikei?
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Hmmm, wondered recently about the Pete’s post as hadn’t seen it for a while. I think it still is around here though. However that’s a new twist had not realized that they were taking over nz post Stuart. Last bastion of private communications I guess. Can’t have that.
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Reblogged this on Alexanders' Blog.
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Our mail still right on time in MN… But I am sure Gov. Walz would be happy to fix it for us… He sees Lil’ COVID Crittters crawling out of the woodwork… Can we call that COVID Derangement Syndrome?… lol.. Sorry, just tired of being punished by my State Gov… And I feel so bad for the elders in the neighborhood- Afraid of their family and refusing to leave the house and ‘disinfecting their mail!’.. They are dying of lonliness and I mean it literally… This is an epidemic of depression in older people right now – Has anybody, besides me noticed it???
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Here’s a really interesting interview with Catherine Austin Fitts, Deb, in case you haven’t seen it. I don’t agree with everything she says, but I like her explanation for the lockdown – that the real reason for it was the economic benefit of the corporate elite, and not for public health:
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Will check it out, I like Catherine… Seems like lockdowns are a plan to destroy the economy a bit to defeat Trump… Makes PERFECT SENSE – destroy a whole economy and the livelihood of million to take down 1 man?.. As of yet nobody is admitting the REAL reason for lockdown but I guarantee it has NOTHING to do with public safety… NO masks for me – they cramp my style – benefit ONLY the company who make them!.. According to the science, the only mask that will stop a virus as small as C-19 is the HAZMAT full head gear get up they use in bio labs.. Of course we are not supposed to locate that info!
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