07/09/2020
The American Prospect
For 50 years, multibillionaire Charles Koch has nudged Washington toward his dream of privatizing the United States Postal Service. A new study from True North Research shows how the coronavirus crisis may present an opportunity for Koch to finish the job that he started in 1970, putting 500,000 jobs at risk and risking the efficacy of the 2020 election.
07/29/2020
The New Yorker
By Steve Coll. The American system for organizing elections is a crazy quilt of decentralization. More than eight thousand counties and towns administer voting. There is something admirably earnest and grassroots about the network of town clerks and gray-haired volunteers who fuss over the mechanisms of our democracy. Yet, because the system is embedded in local politics, even in this era of relatively clean local administration (by the standards of American history), it remains susceptible to bribery and scams.
07/14/2020
Washington Post
Analysts say the memos recast the USPS as a business rather than a government service
The new head of the U.S. Postal Service established major operational changes Monday that could slow down mail delivery, warning employees the agency would not survive unless it made “difficult” changes to cut costs. But critics say such a philosophical sea change would sacrifice operational efficiency and cede its competitive edge to UPS, FedEx and other private-sector rivals.
07/29/2020
NPR
On his first day on the job last month, new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy addressed the nearly half-million U.S. Postal Service career employees in a video message.
He talked of a “trajectory for success” and said that “we will focus on creating a viable operating model that ensures the Postal Service continues fulfilling its public service mission.”
05/31/2020
News & Record
On Jan. 6, a coalition of 90 organizations, A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service (AGA), presented to Brennan more than 400,000 signatures on a petition demanding that the Postal Board of Governors appoint a postmaster general “who is fully committed to universal service and the public ownership of the Postal Service.” And, in 2016, the AGA held a public hearing in Greensboro, where a panel of community leaders took community testimony following comments from area economists, historians and others. They were virtually unanimous in appreciation of the cherished role of this venerable institution. Our keynote speaker on that occasion, U.S. Congresswoman Alma Adams, put it well: “The People’s Post Office belongs to all of us. Whenever someone tries to steal what is yours, you have to fight to keep it.”
Blog Post
On Point from Boston’s WBUR spoke with Lynn Norton, a substitute rural letter carrier in Platsburg, Nebraska.
“The Postal Service, for many people, is a trusted constant that they can rely on. This pandemic has pushed the Post Office into even more of a crisis than it was before. People are going to get worried. There’s going to be stress. How will I get my medications? What’s the cost?”
05/16/2020
Louisville Courier Journal
Randy Bradley, Opinion contributor
I’m a postal employee and union leader who has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 21 years. Today, I take pride in serving on the front lines of this unprecedented national crisis. Despite risks to our own health, more than 500,000 dedicated postal employees like me are continuing to show up to work to process and deliver the increasing demand for mailed goods.
04/15/2020
By Risa Mickenberg
The Postal Service is the largest employer in some states. It delivers 48% of the world’s mail, including social security checks, stimulus checks, voting ballots, medication, and hospital supplies.
04/24/2020
Politico
President Donald Trump said Friday that he would not approve any bailout for the U.S. Postal Service unless it dramatically increases its prices.
The Postal Service, which Trump called “a joke,” has warned of its serious financial distress for years. But with the U.S. economy staggered by the coronavirus, USPS reported a 30 percent decrease in volume. The service has requested as much as $75 billion in cash, loans and grants to stay afloat.
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