# This bullshit with the post office has got to go
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [August 22, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765 "2020-08-22T18:46:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/1 "2020-08-22T18:46:55Z")
As a showman, Trump must know that messing with the post office isn’t going to make him popular. But as a crooked would-be dictator, he doesn’t care. All he has to do is suppress mail-in voting just enough among anti-Trump voters in swing states to eke out 270 electoral votes.
And in the process of sabotaging the mail, he’s fucking with all of us. [Delays](https://www.newsweek.com/usps-delays-leave-82-year-old-texas-man-without-heart-medication-trump-withholds-funding-1525611) [in delivering medication](https://radio.wosu.org/post/ohio-s-postal-service-problems-cause-dangerous-delays-medication-delivery#stream/0) and [livestock that die in shipping](https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/thousands-chicks-arrive-dead-farmers-amid-usps-turmoil-72485796) are the tip of the iceberg.
I rely on the post office. I need it in order to run my business. I’m finding ways to stay viable despite the slowdown, but I shouldn’t have to–especially during a pandemic, when many of us are relying more than ever on getting and making shipments for pretty much everything. Oh, and all the effort I’m putting into working around the USPS is effort taken from many other things–like improving my website, finding and learning to use new online tools, etc. Shitty postal service is making it much harder for me to stay viable. Fuck this.
All the Republican yammering about the lack of profitability of the USPS is pure BS. The USPS isn’t meant to be profitable. It’s meant to provide a service in the public interest, like the national parks or the FBI. And the USPS would demand a lot less federal money if they didn’t have the ludicrous requirement to fund retirement costs decades in advance–a requirement no other federal agency has.
Like almost everyone else in the US right now, I’m already exhausted. I’m like a duck–afloat and gliding gracefully on the surface, but with tons of frantic paddling underneath. This bullshit with the post office makes my paddling–and that of so many other people–an awful lot harder.
Fuck DeJoy. Fuck the USPS board of governors. Fuck Trump, whose lackeys the board and DeJoy are. And fuck every single senator and representative who voted for the [Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postal_Accountability_and_Enhancement_Act) of 2006, which helped pave the way for Trump and Co. to undermine the USPS–and maybe close it down entirely, if they can manage it. Fuck them. Fuck them all.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/2 "2020-08-22T18:55:28Z")
I feel ya; please vote.
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### Author:  [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/3 "2020-08-22T19:02:54Z")
Of course I’m voting. But I’m in New York. New York is definitely going blue, and the state just passed [legislation making mail-in voting much easier,](https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-signs-law-sweeping-election-reforms) even with the USPS slowdown. My vote isn’t the issue.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/4 "2020-08-22T21:18:41Z")
> [@Scribble](#):
>
> As a showman, Trump
He is not a showman. He’s a bullshitter. There’s a fucking big difference between the two.
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### Author:  [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/5 "2020-08-22T21:20:24Z")
He’s a helluva lot more than a bullshitter, he’s a pathological liar and he’s dangerous because of it.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/6 "2020-08-22T21:23:36Z")
True. But he’s certainly no showman.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/7 "2020-08-22T21:42:54Z")
> [@Monty](#):
>
> But he’s certainly no showman.
But it’s somewhat entertaining to see what shit he pulls next. It’s really quite unbelievable.
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### Author:  [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/8 "2020-08-22T22:45:57Z")
Horrifying, not entertaining.
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### Author:  [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/9 "2020-08-23T02:22:05Z")
[Honest government ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klUweWE-u6A) about the postal service.
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### Author:  [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/10 "2020-08-23T02:55:36Z")
And [hooray for civil disobedience!](https://www.reddit.com/r/USPS/comments/iep4qf/washington_postal_workers_defy_usps_orders_and/)
Apparently, managers in the Seattle/Tacoma area and Dallas have decided to use the sorting machines, despite DeJoy’s orders. Good for them! I hope the people who decided to defy DeJoy don’t get fired or prosecuted for having backbones and making sure the mail goes through.
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### Author:  [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/11 "2020-08-23T03:09:45Z")
> [@Scribble](#):
>
> I rely on the post office. I need it in order to run my business. I’m finding ways to stay viable despite the slowdown, but I shouldn’t have to–especially during a pandemic, when many of us are relying more than ever on getting and making shipments for pretty much everything. Oh, and all the effort I’m putting into working around the USPS is effort taken from many other things–like improving my website, finding and learning to use new online tools, etc. Shitty postal service is making it much harder for me to stay viable. Fuck this.
I agree with every word. My business is also dependent on an efficient postal service, and my clients are nervous about mail arriving timely to us. My posties are wonderfully dedicated and will move planets to make sure I receive my mail. They once told me that my mail volume was one of the primary factors that their post office was not subsumed into a larger one some years ago. But they can only deliver what they receive. So if there are slowdowns in other parts of the country, there are also slowdowns for us.
This illegitimate, corrupt “administration” has fucked with my life in almost every conceivable way since it wrested control of the government into their grubby mitts 4 years ago. I can’t wait to see the backs of every one of them. Preferably in cuffs, ankle bracelets and orange. May as well color coordinate for the many legal proceedings.
I hope Oregon follows Washington’s example of civil disobedience!
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### Author:  [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/12 "2020-08-23T04:15:01Z")
Here are some [things all Americans can do](https://www.reddit.com/r/thinkards/comments/iaycmv/meaningful_action_you_can_take_to_save_the_usps/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) to save the USPS and protect the vote this November.
Contact your senators, your representative, and your state attorney general. Oh, and tell all the members of the USPS Board of Directors to fire DeJoy and restore our postal service.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2020, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/13 "2020-08-23T08:27:43Z")
It’s not just a government service, but one of the few explicitly established in the Constitution. They’re shitting on the Founding Fathers when they go after it.
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### Author:  [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/14 "2020-08-23T18:52:26Z")
Did all those. Twice, once before DeJoy’s testimony and again afterward when I saw reports that they were still disassembling sorting machines.
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### Author:  [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/15 "2020-08-23T19:36:34Z")
[House passes $25B Post Office relief bill](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-passes-25b-bill-block-usps-ahead-election/story?id=72528681).
> Blockquote
> Moments after the House officially passed its bill, McConnell issued a statement calling the bill a “stunt” and stating that the Senate will not pass it.
Come Wednesday when I get a check, I’m tossing $100 into Amy McGrath’s pot.
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### Author:  [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2020, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/16 "2020-08-23T23:24:39Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#):
>
> > [@Scribble](#):
> >
> > … I hope Oregon follows Washington’s example of civil disobedience!
>
> Former ethics official Walter Shaub makes a plausible case for the importance of protesting now, instead of closer to Election Day:
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > Maybe saving the post office seems like a bureaucratic issue to some people, so let me break down for you why this may be Armageddon.
> > …
> > 4. He doesn’t have to succeed in destroying the post office. He has to succeed only in having a little impact on mail service. A little may be enough to tip the balance in close districts where voter suppression is already hard at work. But even that doesn’t have to happen.
> >
> > 1. All he has to do is sow chaos and create doubt. **He just needs a hook for the White House, Barr & McConnell to hang their hats on. They call for an investigation to look into the election. They use that as an excuse to sow more doubt and more chaos, maybe destroy records.**
> >
> > 2. At the same time, he tells the folks he calls his “second amendment people” a coup is happening. It’s true. He is staging a coup. But he tells them it’s the other side that’s staging a coup. They grab their guns and start occupying state capitals. Maybe burn some buildings.
> >
> > 3. Russia and the Republicans sow more doubt and scream about the lawlessness (that they created). Trump sends in troops and unmarked law enforcement. Meanwhile agitators run false flag operations and agitate both sides. All hell breaks loose.
> >
> > 4. At this point, we are in the worst crisis the nation has seen in a century and a half, and the demagogue runs rampant. If you wait until then to protest, you’re going to be sorry. There will be blood. That’s why we protest now to save the post office.
>
> [https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1297569309854703617](https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1297569309854703617)
> (I’m not sure if there are copyright issues with posting a set of tweets, but I trimmed the thread just in case.)
> The bolded (by me) part seems particularly likely, given the characters of the people Shaub names.
> .
> .
> .
>
> [quote=“DesertDog, post:15, topic:918765”] …
>
> > Blockquote
> > Moments after the House officially passed its bill, McConnell issued a statement calling the bill a “stunt” and stating that the Senate will not pass it.
>
> Come Wednesday when I get a check, I’m tossing $100 into Amy McGrath’s pot.
Good show. McConnell does seem to be glorying in his fundamental loathsomeness, doesn’t he?
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### Author:  [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/17 "2020-08-24T14:09:50Z")
I’ve wondered if he lays awake at night, scheming how he can violate US norms even further.
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### Author:  [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/18 "2020-08-24T17:53:27Z")
> **[Live updates: US Postmaster general testifies before House committee](https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/postmaster-general-dejoy-house-testimony/h_eb89662a9eeeb2b0a6ddf757b9226fa8)**
>
> Postmaster General Louis DeJoy will testify before a Democratic-led House committee this morning following accusations he is intentionally undermining Postal Service operations. Follow here for the latest.
> Today, Lynch asked bluntly about the machines. Here’s the full exchange:
>
> **Lynch:** “Will you put the machines back?”
> **DeJoy:** “The rest of your accusations are actually—”
> **Lynch:** “Will you, will you put the high-speed machines back?”
> **DeJoy:** “No, I will not”
> **Lynch:** “You will not?”
> **DeJoy:** “Will not.”
> **Lynch: "** You will not? Well there you go."
---
### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/19 "2021-02-09T15:25:24Z")
Bumped.
> **[Trump's Postmaster General wants to stay on the job, but his days in the...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/09/politics/usps-louis-dejoy-biden/index.html)**
>
> Embattled Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has told those close to him he wants to stay in his role under the new president, two sources tell CNN, despite his troubled tenure at the helm of the US Postal Service and his background as a supporter and...
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### Author:  [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/20 "2021-02-09T15:49:54Z")
Dejoy is the one Trump official where I’d be the most mad if he never does time.
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