USPS tomfoolery brought to you by Trump and the coward Postmaster General Louis DeJoy

[TradeTheBeal!]

 

[China]

Gaetz, House Republicans introduce bill to defund Postal Service covert operations program

 

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and a group of other House Republicans on Friday introduced legislation to end funding for an arm of the U.S. Postal Service that carries out online surveillance. 

The legislation was rolled out in response to a March bulletin, reported by Yahoo News earlier this month, distributed by the Postal Service’s Inspection Service’s Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP). The bulletin cited iCOP concerns about potential “significant” protests planned for March 20 based on “online inflammatory material” and posts on social media platforms Parler and Telegram.

 

“iCOP analysts are currently monitoring these social media channels for any potential threats stemming from the scheduled protests and will disseminate intelligence updates if needed," the agency wrote in the bulletin.

 

The new bill backed by almost a dozen House Republicans would prohibit federal funds from being used for iCOP. The legislation’s text accuses the organization of being “politically motivated in its target,” and the USPS of “operating a clandestine domestic surveillance program of Americans’ social media activity.”

 

Other bill sponsors include GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Scott Perry (Pa.), Greg Steube (Fla.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.).

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Cooked Crack]

 

[China]

Is there anyone associated with Trump that isn't a criminal?

[TheDoyler23]

33 minutes ago, China said:

Is there anyone associated with Trump that isn't a criminal?

Probably Ben Carson. He’s more of a clueless evangelical than an opportunist one. 

[Ball Security]

I don’t get people like DeJoy.  Had a long run as a CEO.  Has his own business prior to going to USPS.  Now he has a target of the FBI.  I understand greed and the lust for power, but he was set up for some smooth golden years.  

[Cooked Crack]

51 minutes ago, China said:

Is there anyone associated with Trump that isn't a criminal?

He's got some pretty young grandchildren. I'm sure they don't know what crime is yet.

[The Evil Genius]

1 hour ago, TheDoyler23 said:

Probably Ben Carson. He’s more of a clueless evangelical than an opportunist one. 

 

The same one that spent $31,561 for dining room furniture for his HUD office? And then lied about not being involved with the purchase? 

Edited June 3, 2021 by The Evil Genius

[TheDoyler23]

12 minutes ago, The Evil Genius said:

 

The same one that spent $31,561 for dining room furniture for his HUD office? And then lied about not being involved with the purchase? 

 

OOF. Forgot about that. 

[NoCalMike]

They all thought the actions they were taking were going to ensure Trump's re-election.  That is pretty much what I am assuming.  They figured it didn't matter what kind of rules they were breaking because Trump would make sure they faced zero repercussions.  WHOOPS.

[Larry]

1 hour ago, NoCalMike said:

They all thought the actions they were taking were going to ensure Trump's re-election.  That is pretty much what I am assuming.  They figured it didn't matter what kind of rules they were breaking because Trump would make sure they faced zero repercussions.  WHOOPS.

They figured Trump would pay them, after they did the work. 

[PokerPacker]

11 hours ago, China said:

Is there anyone associated with Trump that isn't a criminal?

His prosecutor.

[China]

On 3/13/2021 at 6:47 PM, China said:

Lawmaker demands U.S. Postal Service turn over vehicle contract

 

The chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Friday demanded the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) release a contract it awarded to Oshkosh Corp that could be worth $6 billion to build up to 165,000 next-generation delivery vehicles.

 

Some Democrats in Congress have been critical that the USPS awarded a multibillion-dollar, 10-year contract to Oshkosh Defense, a unit of Oshkosh Corp, to build a mix of gasoline-powered and electric delivery vehicles instead of choosing Workhorse Group Inc to build an all-electric fleet.

 

Representative Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat who chairs the committee that oversees the USPS, said “a thorough review is warranted to ensure the award process is free from undue influence and potential interference.”

 

She demanded USPS release the final contract, all offers submitted, records of negotiations and evaluation factors by March 26.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Workhorse Sues USPS over $6 Billion Oshkosh Mail Truck Deal

 

In February, the U.S. Postal Service awarded a deal for up to 165,000 new mail trucks worth up to $6 billion to defense contractor Oshkosh. The search for new delivery vehicles took the USPS around seven years, and once the Internet learned what the quirky new van would look like, much merriment ensued. Not everyone was happy, though.

 

Workhorse, formerly known as Amp Electric Vehicles, was one of two other contractors bidding for the USPS contract (the other was Karsan). This week, Workhorse sued the postal service over the terms of the deal, especially whether or not the mail carrier ever seriously considered Workhorse's electric vehicles as suitable replacements for the Grumman "Long Life Vehicles" that are commonly seen delivering mail today.

 

Workhorse's lawsuit—the version that the public can see, anyway—is vague, as the company said the revealing all of the contract information would release details about its bid for the contract and the company's EVs that would be helpful to competitors. Alongside the court filing, Workhorse issued a media statement that said Workhorse representatives met with the USPS in early March to "discuss the award and further specifics of the USPS selection process," but that the details of the meeting "cannot be disclosed at this time."

 

Nonetheless, we can get a feel for what the issue is based on anonymous sources who have spoken to the Washington Post, and it seems to all come down to the level of electrification the USPS is actually interested in. The February announcement included language about EVs but also made clear that gas-powered mail trucks would still be part of the USPS.

 

Workhorse insiders told the Post that they believe the USPS didn't seriously consider Workhorse's bid, in part because it leaned so heavily on electric vehicles.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Josh Mandel Falsely Claims US Postal Service Is Unconstitutional, Vows to Eliminate It

 

Ohio Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel spoke Saturday at a “Party In The Park,” an annual event hosted by Ohioans for Concealed Carry in Powell, Ohio, where he once again declared that if elected to office, he’ll work to ensure that Americans with “Judeo-Christian values” are “instilling God” in all aspects of society.

 

“In this country right now, we’re in a fight,” Mandel said. “We’re in a fight against the radical left, who are trying to take away our guns. We’re in a fight against the secular left, which is trying to take God out of all aspects in our life. My feeling is we shouldn’t be watering down our Judeo-Christian values; we should be doubling down on those Judeo-Christian values and instilling God in all aspects of the classroom, of work, and of society.”

 

“When I get to Washington, I’m going to make decisions with two documents in hand,” he added. “With the Bible in one hand and the Constitution in the other.”

 

Following his remarks, Mandel took questions from the audience, including one from an attendee who called for the abolition of the U.S. Postal Service because he was upset about having “to wait for our neighbor to bring our mail over.”

 

Mandel sympathized, falsely claiming that the existence of the U.S. Postal Service is unconstitutional and vowing to work to eliminate it if he’s elected to Congress.

 

“I agree that [it’s] completely incompetent and could never stand up in the private sector,” Mandel said. “But there’s a bigger issue here. And this is what I’m going to do when I get to Washington: I’m going to post on the wall of my office the United States Constitution, and right next to it, I’m going to post an organizational chart of the federal government. And for every agency, sub-agency, bureau, department—all these departments we’ve never even heard of in the bowels of the federal government—I’m going to work with people like [Sen.] Rand Paul and [Reps.] Thomas Massie and Jim Jordan and others to try to eliminate all these departments that are never called for in the Constitution.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[skinsmarydu]

Remember when Rick Perry couldn't name 3? 

Good times. 

[China]

Can a post office be a bank? New services test a progressive priority

 

The U.S. Postal Service has quietly begun offering a handful of new or expanded financial services in four cities, a potential first step toward a return to postal banking, which advocates say could help rescue the agency's finances and assist millions of people who have limited or no access to the banking system.

 

Tatiana Roy, a spokesperson for the Postal Service, said in an email that the pilot program — a collaboration between the Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union — began Sept. 13 and that it aligns with the goals set out in the 10-year plan the Postal Service announced in May.

 

Postal banking was not explicitly called for in the plan, which Roy said would help the agency "achieve financial sustainability and service excellence," but it is a longtime desire of progressive politicians and advocates whose attempts to push it through Congress in recent years have been met with little success. It would require an act of Congress to re-establish postal banking beyond the limited services the Postal Service is beginning to test, but the pilot program could act as a proof of concept.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

I knew the post office was having delays with the mail, but this seems a little ridiculous:

 

Mystery 50-year-old postcards from around the world come in the mail to Royal Oak couple

 

A Royal Oak woman has been receiving postcards from the 1970s in the mail to her apartment - addressed to the woman who no longer lives there.

 

"We got one early last week and we thought it was junk mail - and then all these showed up on Saturday," said Shelby Vince.

 

Postcards - they are a fascinating read - and they were sent to the right address, but they weren't addressed to Shelby Vince and her boyfriend. In fact, they weren't even born when these postcards were sent.

 

"They were postmarked in the 1970s so - it's crazy," she said.

 

Addressed to Chris and Frankie Plummer - from Ray and Wilma - the postcards are from Aruba, Bermuda, Finland and the Netherlands detailing concerts and song festivals and appearances on the BBC.

 

One of them, postmarked February 7th, 1973, reads "Leaving for East Berlin for TV and concerts - will be the first Australian artist to work there since they are opening up to western artists."

 

"They lived a great life, whoever Wilma and Ray are, and we wanted to make sure we got it to the right person," Vince said.

 

FOX 2 did, too, so we did some research.

 

FOX 2: "Wilma's still alive and in Australia."

 

"How crazy," Vince said.

 

Wilma Reading has lived quite a life. A jazz singer from Australia, she lived in Europe, toured the world, made movies with football great Jim Brown, and even sang with Duke Ellington.

 

All the while sending postcards to her sister, Frankie Plummer - who had also left Australia - and was living with her family, in Royal Oak.

 

"We're very happy about this - the discovery of the letters," said Frankie. "I had no idea that anything had gone astray."

 

Frankie was supposed to receive those postcards nearly 50 years ago.

 

"They wrote to each other all the time - but clearly Frankie wasn't receiving all of Wilma's cards... and it's not known why they took so long to arrive at their destination.

 

Click on the link for the full story

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by China

[Larry]

 

[China]

Attorneys general take aim at DeJoy's USPS service slowdowns

 

U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's plan to make some mail service "permanently slower" is not exactly popular. Paul Steidler, senior fellow at the Lexington Institute and an expert on the postal service, recently described the new U.S. Postal Service policies "disastrous," adding that mail service will be slower in the 2020s than in the 1970s.

 

The question is what, if anything, can be done about this. As NPR reported, a sizable group of attorneys general has an idea.

 

Quote

Attorneys general in 19 states and the District of Columbia filed an administrative complaint Thursday seeking to block U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year budget-cutting plan that includes slower deliveries, more expensive mailing rates and reduced hours for post offices. The complaint brought by the 20 attorneys general demands that the Postal Regulatory Commission thoroughly review DeJoy's plan in detail before fully rolling out the proposed changes that will affect service nationwide. The process would allow U.S. Postal Service customers to provide comments during a hearing before the commissioners.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Renegade7]

Why has Biden not canned this fool yet?

[China]

11 minutes ago, Renegade7 said:

Why has Biden not canned this fool yet?

 

It's not up to him.  It's up to the Board of Governors:

 

Quote

The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service is comparable to a board of directors of a publicly held corporation. The Board normally consists of up to nine governors appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate.

 

The nine governors select the Postmaster General, who becomes a member of the Board, and those 10 select the Deputy Postmaster General, who also serves on the Board. The Postmaster General serves at the pleasure of the governors for an indefinite term and the Deputy Postmaster General serves at the pleasure of the governors and the Postmaster General.

 

Now why Biden hasn't pressured the Board of Governors to replace him I don't know.

[TheGreatBuzz]

2 hours ago, China said:

Now why Biden hasn't pressured the Board of Governors to replace him I don't know.

Just another notch on his list of failures.

[China]

DeJoy: Postal Service to add 45 facilities ahead of holiday season

 

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said that the United States Postal Service was going to add 45 extra facilities to handle more packages ahead of the holiday season, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

 

The extra facilities, which will be used primarily for additional shipping volume and package overflow, is a part of a larger effort by the delivery service to avoid delays that occurred last year during the holiday season.

 

“We’re going to kill it,” DeJoy told the newspaper. 

 

Other initiatives that the Postal Service is taking include adding 40,000 seasonal workers and more than 100 package sorting machines.

 

DeJoy told the Journal that a package volume forecast was crafted in February, giving officials enough time to use it as a road map later in the year. He said that in comparison, last year that forecast was delayed as late as October.

 

The postmaster general added that with the new preparations in place, the Postal Service would be able to handle 50.1 million packages in the peak part of the season — a figure that is up 35 percent from last year, according to the Journal. 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Hersh]

I don't get how this guy still has a job. 

[China]

And they're still at it: