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THREAD: Which Constitutional thing do you take most for granted? Probably the Post Office. Literally created in the Constitution, the Post Office is a critical part of our American fabric. But now it's in danger. 1/
Why have we taken the #USPS for granted? Well, it's usually quick, reliable, and low cost. Literally all of those things are at stake now -- its speed, reliability, and price. Why? And what can you do about it? I'll get there. 2/
The Post Office was self-sufficient for 200+ years. It paid for itself and had the highest approval of any federal agency. Not bad. This changed in 2006 w/ the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. You might've heard about this on @LastWeekTonight: 3/
This law required the Post Office to pre-fund retirement for the next 50 yrs (!) and took away its ability to set prices. Doesn't make much sense, right? Congress passed this bill as a money grab to bring down the national debt. All it accomplished was financial ruin for #USPS 4/
Every year since this law was passed, the #USPS has gone deeper and deeper into a financial hole. It's unsustainable. Who has the power to fix this? Congress does. But wait, now let's add #coronavirus to the equation... 5/
In the early days of #COVID19, Congress created a bipartisan (!) plan that would give $13B to the Post Office. Both sides of the aisle agreed that this was a critical issue. But Trump nixed it. In fact, he said he'd refuse ANY funding for USPS. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/10/us/politics/postal-service-trump-coronavirus.html 6/
And then there's DeJoy. In June, Trump appointed Louis DeJoy to be the Postmaster General. Does your nose tickle? That's probably the swampiness reeking off him. DeJoy is the first person ever appointed Postmaster General who was not a letter carrier. But wait, there's more... 7/
Not only is DeJoy a *major* Trump donor and fmr treasurer for the Republican National Convention, but he and his wife "own $30.1 million to $75.3 million in assets in USPS competitors or contractors." @CREWcrew We don't know if it's been divested. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/trump-s-2020-usps-appointment-could-corrupt-key-institution-ahead-ncna1234125 8/
So the new guy in charge of the #PostOffice has potentially millions upon millions in financial conflicts of interests. In fact, DeJoy and his family could benefit greatly from privatizing portions of the public #USPS. 9/
In the past month have you noticed mail taking a lot longer? Bad, spotty delivery service? The #PostOffice not running as smoothly as it usually does? You're not going crazy- these are DeJoy's policies already in full swing. 10/
DeJoy got rid of overtime and has actually encouraged postal workers to go *slower.* (An internal memo says workers should now have a "different mindset" about putting speedy delivery first). Fast, efficient mail has been deprioritized. https://apnews.com/59c25efd4d325c4895f8ba85517f9bfd 11/
Not only is slower mail annoying, it has far-reaching ramifications. You know those absentee ballots from this year's primary elections? 65,000 were rejected for late arrival despite being mailed timely and properly. https://www.npr.org/2020/07/13/889751095/signed-sealed-undelivered-thousands-of-mail-in-ballots-rejected-for-tardiness 12/
Does anyone actually benefit from this mail slowdown? Trump does. Bad, unreliable mail fuels his unsubstantiated vote-by-mail fraud claims. The worse the mail gets, the more people might start to distrust the mail and take Trump's claims seriously. 13/
This is a problem. Nov 2020 is a presidential election and like it or not, #coronavirus will still make it unsafe for older and vulnerable people to go to the polls in person. We *need* reliable absentee and vote-by-mail options, and the #USPS is a critical partner. 14/
Trump has not hidden his disdain for the #PostOffice. He has no stake in its survival and in fact his top donors would benefit immensely from its privatization, so that is exactly what he is going to do. 15/
As mail service gets worse over the next few months, the public's frustration and increasing distrust of the at one time most trustworthy federal agency will feed into Trump's narrative that privatization is the only option. 16/
Who better to herald in #PostOffice privatization than Mr. DeJoy, who stands to gain millions in profit? Under DeJoy's continued leadership, the #USPS will continue to spiral into an unrecognizable shoddy shell of its former self. 17/
So what can you do to fix this? It's simple- call your congressperson. Don't like speaking on the phone? That's fine- most offices have automatic voicemails set up so you most likely will not speak directly with a person. Now, what do you say... 18/
There are 3 main asks: 1) approve emergency #USPS funding; 2) call for a @OIGUSPS investigation into DeJoy and his conflicts of interest; 3) repeal the pre-funding requirement of the 2006 Postal Accountability Act 19/
Thank you so much for making it to the end of this thread. The #PostOffice NEEDS our help now more than ever. Call your representatives and share with your friends, family, and co-workers. The legitimacy of our American institutions and elections are at stake. 20/20
