17132
716
8
And by “privatize” I mean steer billions to themselves and their friends, ending programs that serve those with the least under the guise of “efficiency".
For more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/12/14/trump-usps-privatize-plan/
q2grapple
So much for getting mail ever again. I’ll add it to the list of things that will be leaving in the next few years like ability to pay for groceries and freedom
METROlD
For fuck sake. The post office will never be profitable, thats not the point6. It never has been. Just like any public transportation system.
nimeton0
theomni
They want to destroy America so they can sell it off for parts.
Photeus
USPS is 'so bad' that private carriers have to contract USPS to carry their packages and deliver. USPS does their work in the most affordable way possible with a fleet of ancient vehicles. Ain't no way it'll be cheaper without literal slave labor, which is probably the plan.
ryukochan
Does no one else remember elementary school social studies? The first things our nation was proud of were public libraries, public schools, and public post! The USPS is a year older than the Declaration of Independence! I hate rethuglicans.
Rrrrgrr
UPS doesn't want the USPS privatized, there are many addresses that aren't "worth" delivering to. That is what the US Postal service is for.
LittleAzie
There is one glaring problem with the privatization of USPS or mail delivery - once USPS no longer exists, no body has protected from a carrier going 'Nope, not profitable enough to deliver there'
djangojazz
Trump (insert some unspeakable thing to make him money using public funds to private). Stupidity won in 2024 in the US. We may lose our entire way of life. But hey at least we didn't go with a black female president ammirite? /S
LeviathanOmega
Fun reminder for folk - because Trump tried to sabotage the US Postal Service during his first term, Royal Mail downgraded them to being Zone 3 - this means it is more expensive for someone in the UK to send mail to the US than it is New Zealand or Australia or those remote little islands in the Caribbean or Pacific that only get once a week flights!
Sonicschilidogs
You mean the service that is specifically outlined in the constitution!? But I thought he loved and respected the constitution!?!?
PurifiedInTheWatersOfLakeMinnetonka
Superchief86
It's allowed to make losses. It's a service, not a business.
smindigo
Don't do it, the tories privatising the post office in the UK was (a predictably) awful thing, now we get a lot worse service at a much higher price, but a bunch of rich people are making even more money
ps238principal
The only reason private shipping companies have managed to stay profitable is they're skimming the cream of the crop when it comes to deliveries. The USPS has to deliver to EVERY address, 6 days a week. NO PRIVATE COMPANY would do that. This is going to be yet another Trump disaster.
channelranger
Yeah if you live in poor, rural areas, the elimination of USPS would mean you probably would have to start paying a subscription to see your mail, or drive into town to get it. Oh and don't forget extremely important things like summons to go to court or be arrested come in the mail, and if you don't get them in time you get to take a ride in the back of the wee woo wagon.
TeamToasterNeverForget
Not only is it a service and therefore costs money, but also the only reason they are running at a loss is that they are legally required to offer that service to everyone, even places where it would never make financial sense.. also they are required to put up a massive amount of money for some retirement fund whenever they hire someone new or something like that.. I don’t remember the details but it was done specifically so that they would also lose money
tgeliot
My understanding is that the USPS is forced to use an accounting standard different from any other organization in the world. Specifically, they must put aside each year enough to fully find all future pension requirements. It could be argued that all organizations that offer pensions should do this, but until they are, saying that the USPS has losses is an apples-to-oranges comparison.
Madderrs
Yeah, its like fully funded pensions for 70 years from now. Like, the parents and grandparents of these hypothetical future employees haven’t even been born yet, but the USPS has to have their pensions covered already. Ridiculous.
ProfFurryPaws
That intentional. It's a two-pronged approach to breaking the postal service. First they burden it financially, all while claiming it's unprofitable. And secondly they rob the pension fund that is set up with no intent to repay.
NewtGinGrinch
Efficiency wasn't the goal when DeJoy removed sorting machines right before 2020. It's targeted under the guise of election security.
majortool
Louis Dejoy is still the Chair
miklkit
Remember when Bush said our Constitution "is just a piece of paper" and we all laughed? The Post Office is written into our Constitution.
DanOrtega
AGAIN. Because DeJoy tried, but found itself against the lot of the postal workers. He is counting on finding them exhausted and demotivated.
skwint
I assume Amazon paid them to do this?
Bystandr
Is a SERVICE. No one says "The army loses money!" Its a service. And the orange stain used Dejerkwad to make it uncompetitive, too, last
Bystandr
term he was in office before Biden. Its a fire sale and everything must go in the USA. After Trump its going to take decades to clean up.
JustDriftingAboutTheInterWebs
It's not like we didn't know this was their goal the moment dejoy was put in there. His job was to break the system for the sole purpose to make it go private. That's the republican goto model for most everything.
Break it, blame democrats, tell everyone only they can fix it, their ignorant base gets angry at the democrats, rinse, repeat.
DocNitro
Isn't the guy who was enthroned under Dolt45 high up in the ownership circles of a major private delivery service? Totally no conflict of interest there, nooooo.
almostalone
I used to use the usps service for everything at work. Within months of him being in charge verizon dropped all contracts with them. We suffered so much bcuz of shipping issues and they still do. But they don't care. All my customers are rural and their biggest complaint was the mail issues. It was sad af.
DarkSock
catherinecc
And then Biden left Dejoy in the role...
DarkRedCape
Biden didn’t have the authority to remove DeJoy, only the board of executives at the UPS could do that, and for whatever fucked reason they had for not removing him, Biden never had the numbers.
CleverGroom
Compare and contrast with Christopher Wray's resignation as FBI director.
Trump's legal authority to fire the director in the middle of his 10-year term is no longer in question. He can immediately appoint any Senate-confirmed person already within the government as interim director, or find the most MAGA madman out of hundreds of senior FBI personnel and appoint them.
It could even make Kash Patel's confirmation easier because shit, what's the difference? It's already over.
The701
And I'm sure he'd just have fired Wray anyway, because "hey that's illegal!" doesn't apply to #45.
CleverGroom
Probably. But he doesn't even have to, because that's how much it doesn't apply.
It's yet another demonstration of how our laws and institutions can't/won't save us: Where there's a will to thwart the law, there's a way. What law reliably does well is protect DeJoy from Biden.
Also compare it to Garland's nomination to SCOTUS: Scalia died practically a year before Trump's inauguration, yet he gets to install Gorsuch at his leisure. Law is "Heads I win, tails you lose," for authoritarians.
kittyanya
Forever stamps are $14.60 and it KEEPS going up. There are companies in red states that ONLY take check, else you get FEES. FFS.
tehmarjamies
Wouldn’t this also complicate by-mail-voting / make it easier for trumpetists to tamper
daojones75
Bingo
freshbetty
Would likely remove the ability for mail in voting altogether
Toodamagedtocare
He and Dejoy are both lying 🤥 asswipes.
OkButWhyWereTheyFilming
The USPS is a service. It is not supposed to make money.
INeverReadTheTOS
"Financial loss" it's a government service, it's not SUPPOSED to turn a profit. It's supposed to be one of those things taxes do.
Tuttutlookslikerain5
It’s gonna be the greatest grift in history! No one is going to grift better than me! I’m gonna be the greatest grifter in US history!
Weehuahua512
The military losses so much money every year.
hogeyegrex
It’s the only government department explicitly mentioned in the Constitution. You don’t get to just sell it off. Fuck.
Mechlai
Americans don't like it when things aren't privatized
jakedafish
Losses out in place due to mismanagement by his appointed shitmonster, dejoy.
Richter12x2
He's been setting this up since he appointed the head of UPS to run the thing into the ground intentionally
brownribbon
Whenever I see someone use that argument, I always ask them what the Navy’s profit margin is. They never have an answer and usually they short circuit.
The701
"it's not SUPPOSED to turn a profit."
KenKorte
DeJoy isn't there to make USPS successful (like it has been since inception, as the only self funding agency in government) he's there to run it into the ground so it can be privatized
kracker55
Biden dropped the ball not removing DeJoy
GemsAreOutrageousTrulyTrulyTrulyOutrageous
EXACTLY THIS! WHAT A FUCKING MORON! D:<
SirSmurfalot
Ironically, it actually was profitable, but they kept fucking with things and then put a postmaster in with the express goal of undermining.
tetondons
SEE! Government doesn't work! Just like we said! No option but to privatize. Damn shame really. Who could have seen this coming. Truly a wonder. /s
INeverReadTheTOS
That's the eternal Republican game-plan.
Take over Government, break it so it doesn't work, then push for privatization to "fix" the things they broke.
blaghart
It also turns a profit, Republicans have had to saddle it with a bunch of debt to pretend it's not making money
DejDek
I hate the conservatives more than a lot of things in this world. The American brand of conservatives infuriate me.
TheGhostofElizabethShue
In the constitution too, I heard? Not that that’ll matter.
Bunnies007
cONsTitUtiOn? wHat cOnsTuTUTioN? “Do you throw the Presidential Election Results of 2020 OUT and declare the RIGHTFUL WINNER, or do you have a NEW ELECTION? A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” - Trump, Truth Social, Dec 4 2022
brownribbon
It’s authorized by the constitution, but not mandated.
TheGhostofElizabethShue
Still, *sounds important* doesn’t it?
brownribbon
Oh, for sure. When I say to people that I “back the blue” I’m specifically referring to USPS. It’s one of the best things this country has done.
ImmaCatImmaSexyCat
Imagine if they thought of the military this way. The military operates on an ENORMOUS loss because it's not a for-profit business. But that isn't treated the same way.
Kotarisu
It is a for-profit business, for the defense contractors. The DoD is more of the display showroom.
ImmaCatImmaSexyCat
I'm sure the contractors turn a profit, but the DoD operates on nothing but truly massive losses. But the right doesn't care about that.
sloomoo
Post Office got some funds to finance the electric vehicles that will make up 10 % of its fleet. And they got $8.64 billion of taxpayer funds to offset some of its losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remember those Covid tests everyone could order free of charge? But their normal day to day operations are self-funded. The main drain on USPS finances has been being forced to pre-fund its future retirees’ health benefits at a cost of approximately $5.6 billion per year since *2006*
kracker55
And whose fault is that
TheGreatAndPowerfulDerp
But it's the only "service" that is self-supported. It only get's government help in special situations. I agree with you, it's not supposed to make a profit.
Heavenissize17socks
Of course the postal service is showing losses, they replaced all their delivery trucks! https://news.usps.com/2024/08/07/take-a-look-at-the-postal-services-new-fleet/
crypresthesia
Well not taxes but the fees for the services and products it provides.
lackinglife
What's crazy is it operates at a profit, the repubs just passed a law requiring they have funds set aside to pay for the retirement of future employees. As in have money set aside for people who don't even work there yet. It's something like 50 years worth they are required to have ready
NoNameFred
Have money set aside for people who don't even work there yet? They have to fund 70 years in advance, when Retirement Age is set at 67: they have to set money aside for people who haven't even been BORN yet. (And, unless IVF is involved, haven't even been conceived yet either…)
lackinglife
Ah admittedly it's been awhile since I read up on it thanks for clarifying
Baconlovesyoutoo
Unpopular, but it wasn't just the Republicans. In fact, the bill was co-sponsored by two Democrats. It passed the House under a voice vote so no record of voting was kept. It passed the Senate under unanimous consent which means no one objected to its passage.
Exyr
Look up the Oshkosh scandal of lotus dejoys. Gave a multimillion dollar contract for electric mail trucks to a company he bought stock in the day before....they've produced 93 trucks so far...
Arbitrarynamehere
I just applied to Oshkosh the other day...
Exyr
Well at least you know they're funded for a while if you get the job.
johnnothing
“Locust” DeJoy. Fixed it for ya.
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
Frankly I am shocked ANY trucks have happened... How many are still running?
Exyr
They just get them like last month. They were supposed to be at 80/day now but they've only delivered 93...probably all still running. Apparantly some informants are saying that they have no idea how to make trucks because they're an amrmoroued personal carrier company. 3 billion dollars for 93 trucks...
IMakeLotsOfReferencesAndRemakes
So enough money to take serious chunks out of homelessness, student loan debt, child hunger, etc. But just foisted upon this company for.... reasons. Truly we live in the best economic system! /s
DiracsDelta
Just wait till they learn how much financial loss goes into firefighters and administrating the motor vehicle department.
QuitLookinAtMineAim
And it actually does but they work the numbers to look like it doesn't
GemsAreOutrageousTrulyTrulyTrulyOutrageous
Might explain why my basic AF PO box is $200/yr now when it was $120/yr like 4 years ago.
EaNasirsExcellentHighGradeCopper
republicans have been trying to destroy the postal service for decades. They hate that its successful example of government operation, even
EaNasirsExcellentHighGradeCopper
in the face of their constant sabotage and fuckery.
LurkMasterP
"But it's an essential service? A service that happens to generate a profit? A profit that doesn't go into our pockets? Must be privatized."
conjuratio
One of the very few departments actually in the Constitution.
erinaceus
yes. privatizing it would require an act of congress, not the executive.
Heavenissize17socks
Executive act. The POTUS can do whatever he wants.
MCNewYorkLives
Man, thank God we can trust the upcoming Congress to do their job properly and follow and protect the constitution! /S
chewybrian
If not, then surely the Supreme Court would, uh...
gingen
Thankfully would still require a massive majority vote to even remotely begin overturning an amendment. While the house and senate are red, they don't posses a super majority at least. So not only would they have to vote to repeal an amendment (something like 2/3rds) they'd have to propose a replacement which is also under the same rules as a brand new amendment (3/4ths).
gingen
I don't know all the specific details or number requirements, but it's a huge long process that requires essentially an entire house and congress to be in agreement.
r0b0tc0rpse
A constitutional convention.
rickrickles
They’ve been working toward having that power too
GiantFlyingLabia
Which means that the Republican controlled Congress will do it.
Exyr
Doesnt an amendment take a 2/3 vote plus then the states voting on it?
GiantFlyingLabia
Actually yes, so literally privatizing the USPS would be damn near impossible (thanks only to Democrats, who look out more for the rural conservative voter than the party those people vote for). But what Republicans have been doing for years is weakening it so much that people get fed up with the shitty services, ultimately driving business to their donors that run private shipping companies. Crippling the USPS is probably within reach