Postage goes up a whole penny today. Watch the media make that seem like a big deal.

[No Elephants]

The Post Office has been begging the Commissioners for a 50 cent stamp for years but they have been refusing.

Being a city apartment building dweller, I have a mailbox in the building where I live. I can put a note to my Los Angeles political buddy in it any time night or day and it will arrive in his building within a day or so. Well worth 50 cents, which would not even buy me half a cup of coffee at a diner.

Meanwhile, environment killing, mailbox clogging catalogues, etc. travel via the USPS very cheaply, even though most people order from the paperless and more up to date online catalog.

And, trying to trace a order I placed that had a FEDEX tracing number, I learned that FEDEX uses USPS, too. Calls it "Smart Mail" or something like that. I hope to heaven USPS isn't giving FEDEX a discount on that.

The U.S. Post Office is in the Constitution. Modern technology, like faxes and emails, have kicked it in the groin. So have politicians. Let's do all we can to make sure it is not privatized, a goal toward which both Parties seem to be working.

[Enthusiast]

1. Constitution? Hah, it's just a piece of paper.

What did the President say? "In the 1980s I would have been considered a moderate Republican." It was something like that.

The 1980s Republicans wanted to do away with the postal service, so we shall accommodate them!

What else did the 1980s Republicans want to do? Look out, it's coming. They have emasculated the SEC, the EPA and the FDA. They are working on the NLRB, ATF and other agencies 1980s Republicans considered problematic for their agenda.

[No Elephants]

2. Indeed, Obama appointed to the Commission the Republican who practically wrote the 2006

postal destruction bill. Er, I mean the postal reform bill.


The publication of the Postal Workers ran an article titled "What were you thinking, Mr. President? Obama nominates Hammond to the PRC"


From a post I made here on December 4, 2011:

Are you referring to the 2006 postal reform legislation? If so, you might be interested to know

that President Obama appointed one of the architects of that act to the Postal Commission.

You know, the Commission that, among other things, gets to decide if the Post Office may raise the price of stamps, the way that the Postal Service raises revenue?

President Obama did not have to appoint another Republican to the Commission when he nominated Taub. He could have nominated a Democrat--or a Republican who had not played a major role in the 2006 "reforms," he nominated Taub.

The current members, who serve 6 year terms. are:

Chair Ruth Y. Goldway (D) (nominated by Clinton, re-appointed Dummya and elevated to Chair by Obama a year later);

Commissioner Nanci E. Langley (D) (nominated by Dummya)

Vice Chairman Mark Acton (R) (first nominated by Dummya, then by Obama)

Richard G. Taub (R) (nominated by Obama replace Dan G. Blair (R))

One seat is technically vacant, because the term of Tony Hammond (R) expired in October. However, Obama has re-nominated him. If confirmed, the Commission will have three Republicans, just as it does under Republican Presidents, one of which Republicans was a major architect of the 2006 "reforms."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=5079858&mesg_id=5080212

[Enthusiast]

4. Yup

Republicans started talking seriously about doing away with the USPS in the 1980s. We must appoint more Republicans if we are to achieve their goals. :grr:

[bikebloke]

3. And once they privatize the Postal Service

It'll cost $10 to send a letter.

They removed the mailbox on the corner that served our entire neighbourhood trying to streamline service.

[Divine Discontent]

5. they want to kill one of the largest institutions that have a union

it's rather obvious when you watch them stick a knife into the post office with that "reform" crap they passed forcing them to cover retirement funding for employees not even born yet! They hate that there's a giant employer with union protections and moderately high salaries. They want control of the mail, as they will reap billions from the takeover. It's disgusting, and one of the things about Pres. Obama that makes you go WTF?

[Enthusiast]

9. Precisely.......nt

[femrap]

6. I was told that

many of the mail boxes were removed due to 'terrorism.' I'm not kidding. After 911, mail boxes disappeared like crazy.

And if the private Corporations take over, we'll never get our mail...why? So the other corporations can charge for late payment of your bills. They're all in it together. The Business Round Table makes sure of that.

[Divine Discontent]

7. yes, they'll screw everything up

and an institution that nearly always gets us our mail, will disappear and be replaced by a private company that says we must be lying if we say we didn't get the letter they surely sent us say we were going to pay double if we didn't pay by a certain date... yep, I can totally see it. I hate greedy bastards...

[No Elephants]

8. That mailbox was a union troublemaker, though. So, I can understand it.

Not only is our mailbox still there, but the tiny post office branch in our little neighborhood still stays open until 3 on Saturday. There is now a handwritten sign up that you must be finished with your business by 2 because that is when the truck picks up and the truck has to stay on schedule.

I guess you can still buy stamps between 2 and 3, but I have never tested that theory.