Addendum: Because I tend to blame our Constitutional Overlords for everything wrong in America toward the Working Class; I offer this to finalize this blog post ...
"Yes, the United States Constitution give Congress broad power over the United States Postal Service (USPS). Article I, Section 8, Clause 7, also known as the Postal Clause or Postal Power, grants Congress the power to establish post offices and post roads; designate mail routes, and regulate the mail. Congress also has the power to set postage rates, designate non-mailable materials, and pass laws to criminalize postal abuses.
Congress exercised these power in 1792 with the passage of The Post Office Act, which made the USPS a permanent part of the federal government."
In case you missed that ... it does say that the USPS is in fact party of the Federal Government so why are we, the people, asked to bail this out? I ask you?
Original Blog Post:
Okay, not that it's important but it's a Sunday; I have virtually nothing to do that's important and that gives way to Social Media and more thoughts.
First thought; The United States Postal Service.
I tend to take a longggg time to commit to anything. I feel I always have one foot on the ground and one foot in the stirrup and that's not a good way to go. Either get in the saddle or don't. I keep working on this, as I know it's a problem.
Well, USPS; are you a government agency? private business? or have you been riding the middle ground this entire time?
I am confused because when I say to people it's a Government Agency; they tell me no. But then I read posts and they say to save the USPS, a government agency?
We all (I would wager) use the USPS on a yearly basis. I can attest that not all my mail has come to me, timely or otherwise (specifically my SCE billing which I did put on paperless delivery) but for the random issues with the Post Office, I find it dependable and comforting.
Speaking of MMT (Modern Monetary Theory), the US Govt., if in fact they felt the USPS was part of their circle of influence, could easily offset and fund.
But if the USPS is just a business, like any other; why did it not apply for a PPP Loan? Based on it's branches and the loophole, that the other multi-million dollar companies used, it could have easily been funded. If it is not part of our American Government System, they why would you not?
Instead, this happened,
"By Jacob Bogage, The Washington Post
July 29, 2020 at 11:36 a.m. CDT
The Treasury Department agreed to loan the U.S. Postal Service $10 billion in emergency coronavirus relief funding Wednesday ..."
So I am guessing the USPS is just a business and without much business sense because how on earth could they allow themselves to function like this?
With time comes change. Sometimes for the better and sometimes not. I love the USPS and I want them to be around for a long time BUT they need to get their shit together and change with the times for survival.
This country is at a turning point and we can turn that for the better or just stay in the same Hell that's been created for us. I speak of the bigger view here; my life is not Hell but only because I've sacrificed and worked toward the end of my life which, still not certain will end well; but the point is that I work on it. I don't just show up to the party. I feel the USPS has been in a gray area and they need to pick a direction and form a good plan.
ADDENDUM 8/18/2020
Well, apparently NPR's Marketplace had the same questions as me and got answers. So here is what we know:
"The U.S. Postal Service is supposed to be self-funded — not getting any government money. Congress is still very much in the picture, however. In 2006, it passed a law requiring the Postal Service to prepay health benefits for its retirees.
“Congress ordered the Postal Service to pay, for 10 years, about $5.5 billion per year into this prepayment fund,” said Jim Campbell, lawyer and consultant on the Postal Service. The thinking was that by funding benefits in advance, the money would be there when retirees need it.
But, Campbell said, federal agencies don’t have to make these prepayments. And the Postal Service started defaulting on them in 2012. To make matters worse, Congress capped post office price increases for letters and circulars at the rate of inflation. First-class mail fell into steep decline. And the rise in online shopping continues to present a host of challenges.
Recently appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has agreed to testify on Capitol Hill next week about changes that have interfered with mail delivery nationwide. The House of Representatives is scheduled to come back from its summer recess later this week to vote on USPS legislation." On the surface, my takeaway is 'once again' Congress messing things up. And since I haven't really heard first hand anyone speak about defunding the USPS, I cannot comment more until I do research. But on the surface I don't see Trump taking the full blame with what's happening with the USPS.
I will once again say that things are all shook up and, while it's easy to blame Trump, the heart of the matter is that these things have been off for a long time and they are now all coming to a boil it appears. So far I got no love for Congress ... no love.
#stopfundingthewealthy
OMG, but wait ... there is even MORE news about Congress and this entire USPS Mess.
Can Congress do anything to help fix the Postal Service before the election? from ProPublica.com
The Postal Service is ordinarily a self-funding operation, but there are things that Congress can do in this unique situation.
Here are three options:
Get rid of a burdensome law. Congress could relieve the Postal Service of its obligation under a 2006 law to pre-fund decades’ worth of worker benefits, returning it to a more standard “pay as you go” model. The Postal Service has been warning for years that its business model is not sustainable in large part because of that requirement, a burden that has not been placed on other agencies. Without the 2006 requirement, the Postal Service would likely have been profitable in some years over the last decade, according to the Trump administration’s own estimates.
Pay the USPS some of the money it is already owed. Congress has neglected to appropriate more than $1 billion that it owes the USPS for the discounted mailing service the agency provides to nonprofits, local newspapers and disabled Americans.
Spend some new money. The biggest thing Congress could do is simply cut a few very large checks. As of Monday, House Democrats are finalizing a $25 billion bill to fund the Postal Service.
