No, this is not going to be a long winded diatribe against Trump tub duckie Louis DeToy. Biden has already nominated three new names to the Postal Service Board of Governors who will help to Godspeed DeToy on his way. No, this is something more serious, especially in light of Biden’s signing today of the Covid Recovery Act.
The United States Postal Service goes all the way back. For God’s sake, Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General. It is enshrined in the US constitution. And since the GOP is massive campaign check beholden to private companies like DHL. FedEx, and UPS, of course they hate it.
The Alfred E Neuman of the White House, George W Bush, came up with a plan to help to privatize the postal service, so that those fat cat donors could stuff their pockets. It was called the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. And hidden in all of the other hundreds of pages of legislative flotsam and jetsam of the act, was what Bush hoped was the death knell for the United States postal service;
 It reorganized the Postal Rate Commission, compelled the USPS to pay in advance for the health and retirement benefits of all of its employees for at least 50 years,[4] and stipulated that the price of postage could not increase faster than the rate of inflation.
Make no mistake about it, there isn’t a private company in the United States that could survive under the onerous restrictions of this law. Fuck me! my own company, United Airlines, purposely ignored required pension contributions to the plan, and then bailed on it in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, costing me 56% of my pension.
There is an important reason why I bring up this semi ancient history. Because coming out of this global pandemic, the USPS is going to have an important part to play, and no, I don’t mean getting you your Publishers Clearing House promo ads. In fact, it is vital to make a top priority of the new Biden administration to pass a bill that removes those over the top restrictions on the USPS oversubscribing their pension plans.
Here’s what I’m talking about. With the fact that President Biden signed the Covid relief act a day early, reports say that the $1400 relief checks could be direct deposited into accounts as early as this weekend. And the $300-a-child-Child-Tax-Credit payments will begin going out within weeks.
But here’s the problem. There are millions of lower class, and lower middle class workers out there, who by their financial circumstances, don’t qualify for a traditional checking account with a bank. Which means that millions of the most vulnerable Americans, the ones that the Biden government wanted most to get the relief to soonest, will have to wait for paper checks from the Treasury Department to be delivered by DeToy’s pathetic postal service.
It has long been a progressive dream to turn your local post office into a federally insured local bank! because it would be a federal facility, it would not be intended to make a profit, but it would not carry the restrictions for accounts that for profit banks do. A postal service bank could offer basic checking and savings accounts, and offer loans of up to $500 to people who qualify.
This would be a critical lifeline to the lower and lower middle class people who need help the most. It would give them access to simple, basic checking accounts that would not only allow them to get their federal assistance direct deposited, but even allow them to get their paychecks direct deposited, saving them the fees that check cashing places charge.
It is long past time for the United States Postal Service to be reformed, but with the impetus being to make the postal service a profitable, stable department again. Remember this, if the postal service turns a profit at the end of the year? They are forwarded to the United States Treasury. The postal service isn’t in the business of making money, it’s in the business of delivering the fucking mail! And if we can turn the post office into a local bank that allows those the most in need to access services that improve their lives, then so much the better. After all, isn’t the entire point of the Government to make peoples lives better?
Follow me on Twitter at @RealMurfster35
Over here in Belfast, Norn Iron, our local Post Office is inside a local suppermarket and, besides selling stamps, accepting parcels, etc, it also pays out unemployment benefit, state pensions and can also accept deposits and withdrawals from a bank debit card. In short, it’s a mini-bank with no fees attached
Sounds like you are championing the likes of Sam Drucker of Hooterville or Ike Godsey of Walton’s Mountain who ran the General Store/Post Office and Bank for their communities. Sam would even switch hats for the task at hand!!!
I live in France. Along with a long list of beneficial social programs run by the central government, its postal service is also a bank. Among other benefits, this means that almost every small rural village, no matter how isolated, has a bank, because it already has a post office. And the (non-profit) postal service is excellent.
Privatizing the USPS is a pipe dream. For the simple reason that UPS, FedEx, DHL et al subcontract to the USPS themselves for many deliveries. If the USPS fails, ceases to function? None of those companies could exist in their current form. Mailing a letter would cost $50. Not every address in the USA is in a private carrier service area. None of those services will transport small livestock.
And I think it’d be great if the USPS expanded into local small-time banking. Watching your tiny minwage paycheck eaten up by banking fees has GOT to be rage inducing, and $500 lo/no interest short term loans would save some families from ruin.
However, trying to make the USPS “a profitable and stable department again” is off the mark. The USPS is first and foremost a *service* and profitability should be the last priority. Yes, it’d be nice if it were a profit stream but honestly? I’m fine with it running consistent deficits so long as the mail gets thru on time. THAT is the #1 mandate, and the reason it was created. Everything else, from pretty stamp issues to banking is secondary.
An irony of Trumpism and its bevy of incompetents is that it’s given us the opportunity to do things that before seemed impossible. This should be one of them.
Warren should head the push. Not just because she’d be good for that, but because it’s drive the right even crazier. Tucker might finally just explode…literally…into a million Tucker bits.
These are great ideas for the post office. Just getting back to their service levels of 2 years ago would make me happy though.
I regularly send out certified mailing, return receipt requested. We knew we could always count on the green card coming back after the item was delivered, up until about 6-8 months ago. In one day I mailed two items. The clients did not receive the letters. I called the post office and was told that the first item was delivered to the proper address, they don’t know why the card hasn’t been returned (or why the client didn’t receive it!). For the second item they said that there was a forwarding address, and it was being delivered to the forwarding address. But it wasn’t there yet. Except there wasn’t a forwarding address. I was so aggravated! Cards not found.
The move to privatize the USPS started back around *Nixon* – when it was turned into a semi-public organization (like Amtrak), instead of being completely government (and covered by Civil Service rules: no union, but job security, and postmasters were confirmed by Congress).
The GOP, in its zeal to privatize every part of government that can make money, has pushed it for a loooong time.