Seditionist cult leader Donald "Mango Mussolini" Trump's stooge and straw donor cheat Postmaster General Louis "Delay" DeJoy is proposing significant changes in how the U.S. Postal Service will operate going forward, changes which will increase costs, cut post office hours, and reduce delivery times and service. Although DeJoy's plan has some sweeteners, the overall import will be diminished service and higher postal rates, something that their competitors in the private sector will applaud.
It's well to remember how DeJoy did his level best to sabotage the USPS last year in the run up to the election. Realizing that mail-in ballots would increase turnout by millions, something that Rethugs fear, DeJoy supported his Dear Leader by rigging the system by off-lining sorting machines, removing post office boxes in hundreds of locations, and otherwise undermining the ballot process that would advantage Dems. It's almost certain that he'll do something similar in the 2022 election if given the opportunity.
A key problem burdening the Postal Service is the Republican-designed requirement that they prepay their employee benefits far into the future, something the Postal Service's competitors don't do. According to the Washington Post article linked above, some $119 billion was owed in future benefits at the end of 2019. Over the years, wide use of cell-phones and electronic technology have cut down on the demand for postal services, causing additional fiscal pressure.
President Biden can't fire DeJoy as much as he'd like to. The USPS's 9-member board of directors can, but it is stacked with Trump appointees. Biden has named three appointments, and some members of Congress are calling on him to fire the other board members "for cause", citing mismanagement and conflicts of interest. Along with passage of the For The People Act (H.R.-1), it'll be a test of how much we're willing to fight voter suppression before the 2022 mid-terms.
(photo: DeJoy wears a mask like he runs the USPS. Graeme Jennings / AP)
