What's Happening with the USPS?

This isn't being talked about enough.

When I created this blog, I knew I wanted to use my blog to talk about some of my personal interests, like access to medicines and animal welfare, but I also recognize that there are some news topics that simply are not being discussed on mainstream media as they should be and I want to highlight those the best I can.

Let's delve deeper into this. I'll keep it short and sweet, but this should make you angry! This affects everyone. This is voter suppression.

What is the problem?

Back in April, the USPS notified Congress it would be out of money by September and requested $89 million in funding. The USPS RECEIVES ZERO TAXPAYER DOLLARS. While Dems have requested $25B in the stimulus negotiations, it is up to President Trump to accept this request.

President Trump has been advocating for the privatization of our mail service. Mail service should not be privatized. Private shareholders shouldn't have any influence in a public service. Thousands will lose their job, incarcerated people may lose their ability to communicate, marginalized and remote communities will be impacted by an unaccessible and unfair system, and so forth. The effects would be devastating.

Whose problem is this?

EVERYONE'S. The USPS delivers to 160 million addresses in the U.S, including rural communities, those living in poverty, the incarcerated, the elderly, and those disabled. The USPS is one of the largest employers in the country and unlike private companies, the USPS is legally required to service all people, no matter how remote the location.

Why not invest more money in Fedex or UPS?

The USPS is the only postal service constitutionally protected under Article 1 of the Constitution (mail service is essential). Only the USPS has lawful postmarking status. Therefore UPS, FedEx and other private parties cannot technically be involved in shipping ballots. The USPS handles 48% of the world's mail and UPS and FedEx both route a majority of their mail through the USPS.

How will this affect voters?

Given the pandemic, voting by mail is one of the safest ways to participate in the election come November. For many people living in small towns, voting by mail is the ONLY option for voters.

This past Thursday, President Trump said he opposes additional funding for the USPS, stating the funding would allow for a surge in mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic (that's a form of voter suppression)! President Trump also made the unfounded claim that mail-in voting would lead to massive voter fraud in the November election (despite these claims, both President Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, requested mail-in ballots for Florida's primary election).

This also begs the question: why does our president seem more concerned about the .0025% mail-in voter fraud rate than the 1.3% death rate from COVID-19?

What can you do?

This isn't and shouldn't be a political issue. I know it can be hard to believe that you, as one individual, can shift the tide but I ensure you that this mindset collectively will make all the difference. Here are some things you can:

- Buy stamps at http://store.usps.com/.

- Text USPS to 50409 to send a letter using Resistbot.

- Sign the petition at http://change.org/SavetheUSPS to support postal workers and save the USPS.

- Call, email, or tweet your representatives and tell them to they need to provide emergency funding for the USPS to help conduct safe and fair elections and ask them to cosponsor The USPS Fairness and Vote by Mail Acts (I used to work for my congresswoman and they are required to keep track of how many messages per issue they receive).

(find a template on https://restoretheusps.com/ at the bottom of the page).

- Stay updated on social media. My favorite account on this topic is: @restoretheusps.

- Sign this petition: https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/board-of-governors-of-the-united-states-postal-service-remove-louis-dejoy?source=twitter-share-button&utm_source=twitter&share=80c95104-8fd7-431f-9517-724a741fb96c&fbclid=IwAR3sp6eeQgBSKcI3AvZnPxRn-_bY43_j2DxK804rVZoU5RouMAtbK9XYv54

- Use the hashtags #restoretheusps and #saveUSPS when talking about the USPS.

- Lastly, register to vote/check your registration status at vote.org!

President Obama said it best:

"Everyone depends on the USPS. Seniors for their Social Security, veterans for their prescriptions, small businesses trying to keep their doors open. They can't be collateral damage for an administration more concerned with suppressing the vote than suppressing a virus."

Shoot me a message if you want to talk about this further or have any questions or thoughts! Stay tuned for an Access to Medicines 101 post in the next few days :)

We are once again witnessing how the global capitalist economy prioritizes profits over human lives. The USPS should be fully funded. Pass it on.

*Credits to @bydivya and @felizcreatives on instagram for the above images.