I get everything you're saying, and you aren't wrong...but, it doesn't matter at this point. The Senate and Trump aren't going to change anything, hell, they might even increase what they are doing, but nothing will happen to any of them at this point unless they are voted out. We can go on and on about ethical issues, about conflicts of interest, about everything that Trump is doing...but it doesn't matter in the end...unless he's voted out. It's fine to be outraged about it, but energy and focus needs to be used to get the word out on how to vote and getting people to vote. We see it all the time where there are long lines on election day...we've seen them during this pandemic. I get that there are efforts to vote as early as possible, but are they effective? We'll have to wait and see, I guess.
What Trump is doing is essentially a coup and an attempt to usurp democracy. Now we see how he plans to fix the election. This can not stand. If he succeeds in suppressing the vote, I believe there will be civil war.
"Two Democrats call for criminal inquiry of postmaster general": https://thehill.com/homenews/house/...ll-for-criminal-inquiry-of-postmaster-general
related "Separation Anxiety: Rep. Pascrell Sends “Criminal Referral” To Investigate Trump and Postal Service For Interfering With The 2020 Election": https://jonathanturley.org/2020/08/...rvice-for-interfering-with-the-2020-election/ excerpt: So Pascrell is suggesting that a president who balks at billions in new funding is committing election crimes despite the fact that he has been railing against the Postal Service since he first ran for office as a failed agency. He would also be investigated despite stating that he would approve the funding if the Democrats dropped other demands. There has been coverage of the decommissioning of sorting machines by the Postal Service. The Service has insisted that this is part of a program started in the Obama Administration and reflects a retooling of machines to adjust for increases packages and decreased letter traffic. That is precisely the type of thing that congressional oversight can investigate and hearings are being planned. That is a good thing. If the Trump Administration refuses to share information, a court would likely expedite orders to force production. However, this meritless referral is a continuation of the criminalization of politics where every dispute is converted into a matter for prosecution. This has been fueled by legal experts who have advanced wild extensions of the criminal code to feed an insatiable appetite for criminal theories against Trump and his family. more at the link
Oh but let the facts show that every member but one of the GOP has said something about it the dam hypocrisy.
I'm guessing that any of the slowdown and cutbacks at USPS will suddenly be reversed in late November for Christmas..
I agree some of this might be overblown but Dejoy definitely is implementing a plan, how do you explain the widespread dismantling of the sorting machines?
Bottom line is the USPS is warning states they won't be able to return absentee ballots on time due to the large increase from the pandemic. No matter what was started under Obama and what Trump's war on the post office has been, the fact remains that our election system is at risk, and if a fair election where people can't trust their vote will count is not there, we are no longer a democracy outside of name only.
I think he's being honest in that he's trying to cut costs. He was installed in that role about two months ago and he immediately came out and said that the Post Office is losing $9B a year and is about to lose $11B a year. Maybe he is instituting a plan that comes from Trump, but it could also just be that he's gung-ho about cutting costs and looking for inefficiencies around the country. I agree, though, that it's a bad time to be doing this and the administration is getting push-back over there. According to NPR, they are also halting moving forward with removal of any further plans. I don't know, I think this is being way overblown in regard to the impact of how it will affect voting this fall...but, I think this was a bad look for Trump and the administration. If he doesn't make the comments about not wanting to fund the postal service because it will hurt his election chances, this story probably dies. Instead, Trump is an idiot and makes a stupid statement that backfires and now it's becoming a Benghazi type issue for the Dems to pounce on. I don't know, I'm just tired of all the outrage. It's fine to constantly be on guard, but I'd rather the party try and turn the message into trying to get out the message to vote, instead of trying to look into illegal doings right now. Nothing's going to happen right now on that front...nothing...it's just a big waste of time until the Republicans blocking everything in the Senate and Trump get voted out. Once they do, hell, go full bore into pressing charges and bringing everyone to justice, but at this point, focus on getting there first.
My issue is this is nothing new at the USPS so why leading up to the election is this now a priority? I then Trump lied that he did not speak with him. I have outrage fatigue as well but that has been the plan all along keep stirring **** up and then the real damage can be done. This stuff can definitely swing an election and is potentially the most dangerous thing Trump has done in 4 years. Don't sleep.
Being practical is absolutely in my lane, over being idealistic. I really have no idea how much outrage there is, but I see that there is good news coverage. To me, I think the coverage which help with awareness of the problems IS more effective than efforts themselves to get people out to vote early, in-person or mail-in. If outrage helps drive that, so be it - but I doubt so. Just the right amount of attention that bring good awareness to it would be great. Thus, I support investigation into the problems, attempt to get answers and attempt to hold those that are accountable accountable --- all of that might not actually yield changes for the better, but they do help bring awareness to the problem, and hopefully we get a better idea of the scope of the problems. As of today, we don't have anywhere near a complete picture of what's going on.
If you want to fix the post office, repeal the law that prohibits the post office from setting its own prices on stamps. Stamp prices have been fixed since 2006 (barring minor changes for inflation). This was part of the infamous bill that mandated that the post office pre-fund their pension and health care obligations for 50 years. The Republicans forced the post office to lock in the price of stamps at a time when mail volume was substantially higher than it is today. You can't complain that the post office has no money if the USPS has no ability to price stamps at market value. The pension and health care pre-funding conditions are also pretty onerous as well. And for most of the post office's history, it has operated as a loss as the post office was always considered an essential service. It's only since the 1970s that the Post Office was able to turn profits without government aid. But mail volumes have collapsed and the post office is stuck on an obsolete pricing structure that makes it impossible to ever break even on mail.
That might be one option, or, it should just be tax dollar supported, like the military. I like the hybrid model - some funding from customers + tax supported. Heck, I would love it if our military and other essential services move to THAT model, provided that it is required by law to provide on-time and high quality service.
That's how Amtrak operates today. And I think Amtrak is much less important than the USPS. Amtrak has full freedom to price tickets on trains while receiving a government subsidy. But apparently, the USPS gets no money from the government and has no ability to appropriately price mail.
