Reposted: Trump's New Postmaster General Big GOP Donor — Mail-in Ballots May Be in Jeopardy

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night 

stays these couriers from the swift completion 

of their appointed rounds”

(Not official motto but one well-known)

Major Update of the following story:

Postal reform remains in that awful bill passed into law in 2006. It has in many ways caused the current USPS financial woes. Rep. (now retired) John McHugh (R-NY) (who BTW was my member of Congress and whom I ran against in 1994 and lost) was Chairman of the Oversight Committee Post Service Subcommittee for six years.

He worked to pass legislation to significantly reform the U.S. Postal Service for the first time since it was demoted from a Cabinet-rank department with passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (Pub. L. 109–435) in 2006. 

Outcome of that law: The USPS went from green (profits) to billions (red) in major losses after that bill came into full view and force (law here .pdf format)

John Oliver on his weekly show (HBO) lays out good coverage of this problem in this 18-minute video – a must watch:

From his May 10, 2020 show

The highlights to keep in mind from that awful 2006 law that now has the USPS with $90 billion shortfall is worrisome. What is badly needed now to prevent a major reduction in our mail service is help from Congress (fill that shortfall and make changes to the law that caused and keeps causing the USPS problems). 

For example:

1. That law makes USPS self-funding, i.e., gets its funding basically from sales of products not from congress.

2. After the 2006 law took effect USPS income fell from a nice profit of $900 million in 2006 to losses that totaled $3.8 billion by 2009 (three short years). Why – a few major reasons:

a. USPS had to pre-pay health care for employees out for 50 years, i.e., set aside $5 billion per year for 10 year stretch.

b. They had a legal massive obligation (by the law) with mandatory price cap on sales that caused the huge billions in lost revenue.

c. It is illegal for USPS to “price set for parcel delivery below is cost” (that is packages passed to them from FedEx, UPS, and shippers like Amazon) for delivery to their last leg addresses (lots of rural areas).

My 2 cents: The fly in the ointment in all this is simple and its name is, yep, you got it: Donald J. Trump and along with like-minded GOPers, they still want to privatize USPS. That would be a very, very bad move. The DEMS must allow that to happen.

As I said, they must provide the badly needed funds now and make changes to that awful 2006 law that caused the problems outlined above.

The public will not tolerate disruption or disruption in their mail service and rightly so. So, to all the Republicans in Congress, get off your hands and help solve this problem before Trump turns it into a bigger mess than it is now.

You want a real-life conspiracy-in-the-making. Well, this story just might be it. As for me, I hate BS conspiracies; sometimes however there are real ones that are criminal and with very bad consequences. This might qualify for that label.

First, this Washington Post via MSN story (May 8, 2020):

As I noted below in the main post below, more reporting on this important topic is coming into picture re: The future of USPS and our mail system might be in big trouble under Trump’s newly appointed Postmaster General as seen in is update.

The highlights:

The selection of Louis DeJoy — a NC businessman and top Republican fundraiser — puts a White House ally at the helm of an agency that Trump has long agitated to change, deriding it as a “loser and delivery boy for private shipping companies, particularly Amazon” (whom Trump hates since Jeff Bezo also owns the Washington Post).

With DeJoy’s appointment and the resignation of David C. Williams, vice chairman of the board of governors and a foil to Mnuchin’s borrowing terms, some postal advocates worry that the changes Trump wants will not only materialize, they will be made without any benefit of additional funding — or the promised loan — for an agency whose already shaky financial footing has grown weaker during the coronavirus pandemic.

Main point and my initial concern stated in my original post – Trump plan and tactics to win in 2020 anyway possible – e.g., blame mail-in ballot process that he uses while saying it is corrupt – how ironically pathetic is that? I’d have to say it pretty much takes the proverbial cake doesn’t it?

Advocates worry that Trump’s move will politicize the independent agency, leaving USPS wounded in the run up to a presidential election that in many states may be conducted through the mail.

Main story continues here. 

Have you all been following Trump's war on the USPS - he wants basically them the way he runs a casino or resort or golf course with his TRUMP name on every post office in America ... and how? A new postmaster general appointment. He just appointed a political crony and bigtime GOP political donor to take over USPS. Part of this story from the Washington Post here.

Do you see any pattern here: I do. Trump hates government unless it's his version (or not Obama-related). Trump wants to take control of it all and run it like a typical Trump criminal cabal now well-known.

The new Postmaster General is Louis DeJoy (NPR story).

FYI: He contributed more than $1.2 million to the Trump Victory Fund, and millions more to GOP organizations and candidates (re: FEC records). 

He was also in charge of fundraising for the RNC.

His appointment was immediately criticized by Democrats.

Recall that Trump once called the Postal Service “a joke,” and also said the agency should quadruple the amount it charges for shipping packages for companies such as Amazon. 

(Note: Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos also owns the Washington Post, a frequent target of Trump's criticism).

FYI: DeJoy's NC-based firm repaired Postal Service equipment including mail bags and hampers in the past.  He told the Triad Business Journal that in 2016 his company was “was awarded a government contract that wound up being a $3.5-$4 billion program.” He sold his company for $615 million in 2014.

My 2 cents: That’s the cabal pattern I mentioned – the only way Trump knows how to operate – criminally, with lots of cover and people take the heat and blame away from him.

He is great at that and has been is whole adult life. He had a great teacher in his own father, Fred Trump.

With all he has done in three years and now this, well shame on any Trump loyalist still sticking by him. I say, boy have they been conned and hoodwinked, and now with this is his latest (and very big) con.

A logical word of caution: Watch your mailbox since mail-in ballots just happens to be a very big issue for 2020 voting. However, all that could come under fire now with this crony in charge. 

Thanks for stopping by.