# This bullshit with the post office has got to go **URL:** \ **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:** 2
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/21 "2021-02-09T15:55:57Z")
> ### [What Biden and the Democrats have planned for the USPS](https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2021/business/usps-performance-whats-next-biden/) > > Democrats have already begun discussions on major legislation — and forcing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy from office. > The nation’s mail service is slower and more erratic than it’s been in generations, via the confluence of an abrupt reorganization and pandemic-era anomalies that has fueled demands for reform and fundamentally different ideas on how to achieve it. > > On one side is Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who, with the backing of the U.S. Postal Service’s governing board, is expected as soon as next week to outline a new vision for the agency, one that includes **more service cuts, higher and region-specific pricing, and lower delivery expectations**. > … Hey, leave him in long enough and it will cost $5.00 to mail a letter across town that never arrives at its destination. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/22 "2021-02-09T16:08:37Z")
Follow the money. Which companies will profit from the destruction of the USPS, and who holds a financial interest in these companies? ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/23 "2021-02-09T16:10:33Z")
I could be wrong about this, but if the Democrats can fill all of the vacancies in the board of governors, they can get a majority in the USPS board of governors and force him out, correct? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/24 "2021-02-09T17:04:19Z")
I believe that is the plan. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/25 "2021-02-09T19:30:38Z")
“You’re letting me go?” “No, we’re firing you. But we are _not_ letting you go.” ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2021, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/26 "2021-02-09T21:52:35Z")
It takes a bit more than that. They also have to fill the open position with people who support DeJoy’s ouster, and also convince the Democrats currently on the board to accept his ouster as well. I’m honestly not sure whether or not that is a done deal. All of the governors currently on the board (including the Democrats) were appointed by Trump. Its also possible, given the disaster of DeJoy’s tenure whether some of the Republican board might be convinced to drop him. Basically I’m not sure what Republican and Democrat really means when it comes to the board member’s allegiance. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/27 "2021-02-13T16:00:11Z")
> **[Washington Post: Postmaster expected to consolidate first-class mail in...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/12/politics/dejoy-first-class-mail/index.html)** > > Postmaster General Louis DeJoy plans to lump all first-class mail into a single delivery category as part of his decade-long plan for the agency in a move that would slow the transit of such mail, The Washington Post reported Friday. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/28 "2021-02-13T17:01:33Z")
“We Republicans believe that government is the problem. Put us in charge and we’ll prove it.” ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/29 "2021-02-13T17:06:04Z")
I want Dejoy fired. I want criminal investigations started. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/30 "2021-02-13T17:34:23Z")
There has to be a way to fire a Postmaster General. No one is above getting fired. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/31 "2021-02-13T18:02:27Z")
That’s untrue. Many government officials can’t be fired (judges, elected officials, etc.) but that’s what impeachment is for. The Postmaster General can be impeached and removed from his position, theoretically. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/32 "2021-02-13T22:46:21Z")
The Postmaster General is not an impeachable position, so impeachment is not an option in theory or in reality. As the USPS is currently constituted, the Postmaster General is more of the CEO of the company, though the USPS is not precisely a corporation in that sense. The Board of Governors of the USPS does have the power to remove him, but seeing as they are the ones who put him in that position and the fact that most of them were Trump appointees, this appears unlikely for the moment. There are several vacancies on the board and a couple more on the way. Enough, that if all the declared Dems plus filled vacancies all voted to remove DeJoy, he’d be out on his ass. More than a few Dems have been calling exactly for this to occur. The timing is less than ideal, however, as the process to fill sufficient seats would take the better part of this year. Those board seats require Senate confirmation, so the Dems winning the Senate was critical as well. Also, the Dems currently on the board voted to install DeJoy, so this isn’t exactly a foolproof plan. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/33 "2021-02-13T22:53:49Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > The Postmaster General is not an impeachable position Do you have a cite for that? The Constitution states that any “civil officer” can be impeached. I don’t believe that there has ever been a ruling about whether the Postmaster General could be deemed impeachable. So what are you basing this on? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/34 "2021-02-14T02:39:09Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Do you have a cite for that? The Constitution states that any “civil officer” can be impeached. I don’t have a cite, but it’s also incredibly unlikely to come up. The concept of which positions constitute “civil officers” is not defined. You’d think this should include, for example, sitting members of Congress. But the current understanding is that they aren’t ‘civil officers’ in the meaning of the Constitution (only one member of Congress has ever been impeached, which was in the 18th century and the Senate subsequently declared members of Congress weren’t civil officers in that sense and the impeachment invalid). Also, once you go low enough down the chain, impeachment has never been used. It’s been used for federal judges, Presidents, and in only one case a Cabinet secretary. So, I may have overstated. It may be possible for the Postmaster General to be impeached, but it’s not all that clear cut, and it is extremely unlikely that the House would do this if there are any other viable alternatives. Certainly the President can’t just fire the Postmaster General. That is for absolute certain. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/35 "2021-02-14T03:18:11Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > So, I may have overstated. It may be possible for the Postmaster General to be impeached, but it’s not all that clear cut, and it is extremely unlikely that the House would do this if there are any other viable alternatives. > > Certainly the President can’t just fire the Postmaster General. That is for absolute certain. I agree 100% on both points. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/36 "2021-02-14T03:49:43Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > and the fact that most of them were Trump appointees, Actually based on looking at their [biographies](https://about.usps.com/who/leadership/board-governors/), all of them are Trump appointees. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/37 "2021-02-14T04:02:15Z")
They are Individual-ONE appointees because Mitch blocked Obama when the appointments were due. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/38 "2021-02-14T05:03:30Z")
It’s a real fucking shame because the postal service has been an incredibly successful example of a type of service that can be provided as a public service both efficiently and relatively cheaply yet something the private sector cannot provide at either the same cost or quality. It’s not like anybody is claiming everything is better when government runs it, but mail service has long been one of those things, and it’s not open to legitimate debate. I know there are some who believe this is the intersection of two fundamental contradictory things, and yet the bumblebee flies (and yes, I know the source of that meme is also wrong). It is perhaps hoping beyond reason that human beings can somehow actually come to figure out that sometimes choosing the greater good over the individual profit motive can somehow be more profitable overall and yet more efficient, but the alternative is accepting we’re ultimately doomed. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/39 "2021-02-24T14:01:25Z")
> **[Democrats now at odds over whether to immediately seek postmaster general's...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/politics/postmaster-general-dejoy-democrats/index.html)** > > To Democrats last year, he was the ultimate boogeyman: Louis DeJoy, the man they believed mounted a brazen campaign to slow down the mail and thwart Joe Biden's presidential hopes. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765/40 "2021-02-24T23:51:58Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > . > [https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/politics/postmaster-general-dejoy-democrats/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/24/politics/postmaster-general-dejoy-democrats/index.html) That CNN story is more than a little disingenuous. They love their “Dems in disarray” stories and clearly want this to be one----but they name only ONE Democrat who’s not in favor of ousting DeJoy as quickly as possible: > [@](#): > > …House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat who is working behind the scenes with DeJoy on a potential reform bill that has eluded Congress for more than 14 years, according to multiple Democratic sources. Her goal: Secure backing from DeJoy and win over Republicans whose support they’ll eventually need in the Senate to push the bill into law. … Again, that is literally the ONE Democrat named in the story as being kinda sorta willing to let DeJoy stay. Every other Democrat named wants him out asap. So “at odds” is stretching it. (Manu Raju, co-author of this misleading story: I’m looking at you, you with your apparent ambitions to be courted by Fox News as a means of gaining promotions and raises at CNN…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-bullshit-with-the-post-office-has-got-to-go/918765.md?page=3)