Thanks so much for going through the very complicated process of electing USPS board members. It would be a great relief to finally be shed of DeJoy ahead of the election but whether or not that could happen in time enough to remedy the damage he’s done to the postal service remains to be seen. He has been a disaster all the way around. Good riddance if and when it finally happens.
I had to file a formal request for insurance compensation on a lost priority mail package (first ever claim for me using usps for past 60+years). That process took several months and several attempts but i persisted. Who knows that for the standard $100 included insurance you get with each priority package you only get $25 reimbursed? Now you all do.
My package, a print from Sweden, which had a value of $1,000 but I only paid $100, made it from Stockholm to Springfield, Ma when it dropped off the face of the earth. My fault for using USPS. I’m sure it went into unclaimed and was eventually sold to scrap buyers. Then the same thing happened to another package sitting in a Chicago depot. After 4 days, I called their inspector general and accused them of having roving gangs of thieves stealing our mail and the package was found, unstuck from the depot and delivered to my door within 3 days. I will always use that accusation in the future when and if any package remains holed up more than 3 days. I didn’t do that for first package and it subsequently dropped off the face of the earth. Accuse them of thief and you will always get your packages. Banana Republic behavior.
Thank you, Lynn duffy, for this info about the automatic limits on insurance reimbursement for priority mail packages. I use priority mail for shipping my watercolor paintings to purchasers. I will now adjust the value on each when shipping in case the worst happens. Again, many thanks!
I learned It is a private (of course) insurance company that covers insured losses for usps - it is somewhere in the many many pages of fine print you don't even know about until you file a claim. It really was an exasperating experience. Like i said, it took me months of perserverence to finally recieve a check for (surprise!) $25 on a package that "comes with standard $100 insurance". Not sure if it was always like this or a recent thing with the corrupt takeover but it sure stunk.
Lynn, I'm guessing that the declared value of the claim was $25 which might explain why the 'standard $100 insurance' was not paid. I'm simply curious is all. Sounds like a real hassle filing a claim no matter the value of the item.
Nope, i declared the value of $100. Had to send in a picture of a crisp $100 bill.
For you all taking notes, the other thing i learned was to take a picture of every item in the box. Receipts showing what you paid for it (nevermind created pieces of art), you have to argue the value. In this case it was rare old books and a gift card to barnes and noble. The postmaster.in boston (where the tracking was last tracked to, then "it was out for delivery" and never received) seemed to care less, and told me, "file a claim!"
I, too, appreciate this explanation of how the USPS board is put together, and why DeJoy hasn't been removed. I've seen many calls for his dismissal, but never knew why nothing seemed to happen .
Our latest USPS incompetence concerned a package shipped from Illinois which made it to our city's distribution facility, and instead of going out for delivery, it was diverted to a city in Texas, 2,000 miles away, from there eventually back to our city and finally delivered, two weeks later.
(Re: The USPS is) "converting the federal bureaucracy from a cadre of career professionals into a group of conservative sycophants." What a wonderful phrase. We have a litany of complaints to make against USPS. On three different occasions, I mailed a card to my granddaughter, who did not receive it. For each complaint, I was told the cards probably fell off the sorting belt and into a machine that shreds them. (WTF?)
The Cosmo Demonic Post Office has lost more of my packages and letters than I care to count. After losing one piece from Europe even after the last recorded check in at Springfield, MA depot on July 4 of all dates, 2020, I found one way to insure delivery is to call their security office if the package is held up more than 3-4 days and explain that they have roving gangs of thieves stealing my mail. Only then do they or have they insured delivery. No one likes to be labeled a thief but this has been my recourse.
I am glad now that when I want to send things to my sister, that she insists on using UPS. UPS seems to be able to make it to her house in any weather, where USPS is unreliable. I just hope that when we are finally rid of De Joy, that whoever takes over will make the post office reliable again. I am also grateful that where I live the mail seems to be handled well - our workers care about doing a good job.
I am hoping that Judge Chutkan goes on the war path of witness testimony to determine official versus private acts and allow these to be public and televised. Is this tipping the scale. Given the SCOTUS corruption I would say this would be “balancing” the scale. Just like the statue of Lady Justice.
Yes! In all the other news, this was lost a bit. There really is something significant she can do to move this case along, or at least public awareness. It would be fantastic if it could be televised or at least broadcast. Since it isn't the actual trial proceeding but gathering evidence on how to proceed, it may get a different perspective on how public it can be. I so hope it is. Then the bs nooz might even tell the trumpanzees about it.
I actually am starting to think their coverage of the orange Cocksplat is starting to shift a little. Reading the writing on the wall perhaps, or just knowing it will get them more viewers.
Jen Andrews, there is a lot of increased, and heartening, conversation among people posting on Threads about the shift in opinion about the "orange Cocksplat." HAHA! Great moniker!
Growing up in suburban So Cal, our postman was a conduit to the entire neighborhood. He knew when families were on vacation, who had a birthday, when a child went off to college, and when there was a death. He carried sticks of Wrigley’s gum to distribute to us kids, and he put a stray dog in the backyard if the owner wasn’t home. He had no fear of dogs.
I’ve always considered the mailman, letter carrier, postal worker, whatever they are now called, to be an essential part of a community. My current letter carrier is a gentleman named Marco and he brags about how many steps he gets in each day. I receive more than mail, which is mostly tossed in the recycling bin, from him. I receive a smile and a sense of safety. He knows the neighborhood.
It offends me that the Postal Service, a most essential and benign government service, was politicized by the now convicted felon. I'm glad to see that President Biden is mitigating that damage. I will happily vote for Kamala Harris by mail in November.
Our mail carrier knew everyone in our neighborhood as well. All the kids loved him and he always had time to chat for a few minutes. He, and later a female carrier, absolutely contributed to a sense of community. They are true public servants and I mean that in the most respectful way!
I was @ my son's home babysitting one quiet weekday morning. The next door neighbor's house caught fire. The mail carrier saw it, called 911, made sure the elderly man who was home alone got out, then went house to house alerting the neighborhood. The fire was spreading through dry leaves to my son's backyard and garage. I grabbed a garden hose and soaked things to stop it. I'm not sure the few bystanders or some of the fire department folks when they arrived 10 mins or so later totally appreciated that.
Ditto. Different part of the world but without what we call the Postie, many in our semi rural community would be without any daily human contact and no alarms would be raised if they were in need of support. Local heroes.
A dear lady, long passed now, told how her family had a little dog when she married and it stayed with the family when she and her new husband moved about 10 miles away (this is in a rural mountain farming community).
Imagine her surprise when one day the mailman arrived, and the family dog hopped out. She said it would stay for a few days, then wait for the mailman by the mailbox, and get a ride back home. According to Mrs E, this went on for over 2 years, until the dogs death. Now if that doesn't warm your heart, I don't know what will.
I, too, have a wonderfully friendly and supportive mail carrier here in Worcester, MA. He keeps saying he's planning to retire, but then extends his "tour of duty." I am so impressed with his careful attention to service, and his professional demeanor.
Our previous regular carrier was also someone who knew the neighborhood, and was friendly with everyone. I remember that when the woman next door died, she was passing out fliers about funeral service and the like. She has gone elsewhere now, sadly. We miss her. I don't think our most regular guy now is into getting to know the neighborhood, but at least he rings the bell when he leaves a package. I'm amazed by how many delivery drivers no longer do that, and just leave the package anywhere, not caring how visible it is to passers by.
They can all go on in the background while the world watches the welcome respite of the Olympics. Only to spring back into consciousness in a couple of weeks.
Thank you for the explanation about the process of electing USPS board members and the Postmaster General. It's a very complicated process. It's unfortunate that people on social media and elsewhere have been so very quick to blame Biden for not "firing" DeJoy (as well as condemning Garland) when they obviously have no idea how any of this works. Running the government isn't like play acting on The Apprentice.
Thank you for calling out the issues with the USPS and how the board of governors works. Living as I do in a state that is entirely vote by mail for well over two decades - Oregon conducted the first primary for a federal election in the late 1990s and the first general election for president totally by mail in 2000 - I have a strong interest in mail-in ballots being received. We are a firmly blue state for presidential elections and not big enough to matter in the electoral college math but it matters to us.
In recent years I’ve taken to using ballot drop off locations at the library or sheriffs office, even though I live in Portland and it’s unlikely my mail would be delayed the way a rural area would. We’ve known vote by mail works for decades. (Side note for the curious: if someone really wants to vote in person they can go to their local election office, but this rarely happens.)
We haven't had any issues with voting by mail in our part of Texas. Maybe it's because we live in the bastard step child part of the state, where people care about doing a good job.
I’ve voted by mail in AZ for at least 20 yrs., but this is the first year that I received notification from the county that my ballot was received and later notification that my ballot was counted!
While I'd love to see DeJoy FIRED, that wish pales to my hope the democrats swamp the republicans up and down the tickets in this election, with the "cherry on top" being Trump and his Project 22025 sent to the history books, right next to Benedict Arnold where they belong. And, as far as all these pro Trump court decisions, it will likely take years to recover from them. That's why I tell anyone within earshot "we the people" MUST vote against republicans for the next 20 years (at least). They are like dry rot, if you don't get rid of it, it just continues to spread - until it destroys EVERYTHING. They are closer than I ever imagined would be possible!
Thank you for reminding everyone that we're not just voting for the top of the ticket. We all need to spread the word that we need to vote all the way down the ballot AND on the proposed laws, acts, and other initiatives on the ballot.
State Legislatures are very important. Heritage Foundation would like to have themselves call a Constitutional Convention to propose amendments to support the “conservative” [actually radical extremist, maybe “monarchist“] Agenda. See two papers by john malcolm on the HF site.
Now that the Republican Party has been taken over by extremists it is not safe to vote for any Republican. Even a good Republican, if you can find one, if elected could be counted in to forming a Republican majority that can do serious damage to the republic.
Wow! I don't think that anyone has mentioned their intention to push for a Constitutional Convention. Please post/share this information on every site.
Yes, state legislatures are VERY important! In addition to the Constitutional Convention threat, the state legislatures are a path for Criminal Trump to challenge the popular vote. Also, ALEC spreads its sample extremist law language on various issues to members of other state legislatures to submit in their respective states. Like David Pepper writes, states are the Laboratories of Autocracy.
The States Project researches which state legislatures are flippable or have a narrow margin that Democrats must keep. 100% of our donation dollars goes to those campaigns
Subterfuge by having confusing language for ballot measures and R candidates with similar names to D candidates are two tactics. ALEC writes the language for far right bills to be filed by legislators who are often too inexperienced and/or busy with their other job to have the expertise to write such bills by themselves. And no, Democrats do not have an organization that is a counterpart to ALEC.
Most members of today's Republican Party have shifted from upholding the rule of law pursuant to the Constitution and government by consent of the governed to prioritizing political power in protection of privilege and wealth.
Common Cause has successfully blocked a bill in Colorado that would have had CO join in the call for an Article V constitutional convention. A total of 34 states are required for calling an Article V Convention of States.
This effort has been ongoing for decades. From linked Common Cause article below: "Too few Americans are even aware that a constitutional convention can be called, let alone that there would be no checks on its scope and further that the process to call one is well underway and being underwritten by some of the nation’s richest individuals."
note: convention of States appears to want to propose a limited discussion of amendments. Arguable such a convention can be so limited.
Note2. JD Vance’s endorsement is currently the banner headline on the convention of states home page. I saved a copy, anticipating that will be soon gone.
"Appears" is the operative word here. As I understand it, there is no limitation on what could be brought forward. I wouldn't believe them if they swore on a stack of Bibles.
The Nation article very good. John Malcolm describes one such mock convention in the “reconsidering” article linked in my original posting on tbis subject above.
Louise, and we have to remind people to get informed as much as possible and not from Fox not Nearly News. That is especially important for special questions and issues on ballots. Lately there has been an effort to write those measures in confusing language so voting one way may have an opposite outcome than what one expects.
Thank you for reminding everyone about DeJoy. I hope we see some movement on that soon. Thanks for all of the updates. So much going on. I appreciate you.
Thank you so much for explaining the process of appointments to the Postal Service Board of Governors and for pointing out the consequences of trump’s appointment of DeJoy with the intent of gumming up the works, especially the delay of ballots (and chicks). In Montana, DeJoy has just announced that we will have no more airmail service. In a state that is large and largely rural, that is inexcusable.
OMG you got me at “killed thousands of day old chicks. “ That’s death penalty worthy in my books. You are correct, Joyce. This is only the beginning. I do see that the Post is now reporting more on Vance and his weirdness. And the recent statement by Trump about elections. I was on the call Thursday that broke Zoom and will be on tomorrow’s call. I have signed up for Gavin Newsom’s team of texters. Who knew there were teams? But they reached out to me. This is a leave nothing on the table election for us. And you are right to point out the Postal Service, an every day service that we should never take for granted.
I am hoping the VP pick, the Convention and Trump’s sentencing will have us looking in the rear view mirror at Trumps campaign by late September
Thanks for update on getting rid of Postmaster General. I’ve been wondering what was going on with that since all the problems in 2020, thanks for keeping it on your radar.
I actually thought nothing was getting done with replacing governors and working on ousting DeJoy...thanks for bringing all of this to light...seems that Biden was working hard on stuff like this all the time, juggling so many problems and also solving some! Kudos to Joe!
Serious q? Is there a way to sue the government because dejoy didn't do his job? Because it's meds that people couldn't get/had to pay a lot more for at the local pharmacy instead of a mail in. It's the checks that never arrived that should have. It's your chickens. Not everyone can just go to the store and get whatever. Some need that via mail. It's voting absentee. It's also about how to prevent this from happening again.
Thanks for keeping people as sane(ish) as possible the last few years. It's appreciated more than you realize.
Hope I am wrong but can’t see Biden appointments being confirmed right away. The gop doesn’t want the post office to be more efficient before the elections. Delay the mail! Thanks for great information as usual.
Menendez will not resign until August 20 (when he receives a paycheck!), and then the governor of New Jersey has promised to appoint a replacement immediately, which he can do unilaterally.
It would have been nice to see Louis gone a long time ago. However. it would have never happened until the Board membership had changed. Atlanta Georgia. July 7 here is what took place according to Steve Hutkins a fellow writer.
"April 16, Georgia’s Senator Jon Ossoff questioned Postmaster General DeJoy about the persistent delays that followed the opening, in February, of the new regional processing center in Palmetto, outside of Atlanta.
DeJoy said it would take about 60 days for service performance scores to return to normal. Ossoff told DeJoy that if the problems weren’t fixed in weeks, not months, “I don’t think you’re fit for this job.”
We now have the performance data for the 60 days since that hearing, and the scores are nowhere near normal. Yes, they have improved since bottoming out in March, but they are still very poor, and by most measures, completely unsatisfactory."
First Class Mail although improved. is still arriving days late.
Thanks for input on commissioners. Something to write about tomorrow at Angry Bear.
He moved it from Atlanta sorting facility to Palmetto and none of the employees were trained so they had to bring in Atlanta people back in April. Follow WSB-TV for all the articles on it. The Fulton county courthouse had months of bins that were never processed and it caused people to be evicted and get locked up for failure to show for traffic cases. My neighbor mailed her April car payment and it was never received so she had to pay a cancelled check fee in May and submit the payment online at her bank cause she doesn’t have a computer or knows how to use email on her phone (yes she’s 18 years my senior). When I moved from Florida to Georgia last year I switched my bills to paperless so all I receive now is my light bill and my Medicare insurance plan. Has really cut back on personal clutter as I’m still unpacking boxes.
I read that also on Save The Post office. Steve has written about the move. I am not in Atlanta and am in Arizona. This is tragic. Sorry for all the issues you are having. I write checks so "I" can track things rather than rely on others to tell me if they received my payment or not.
Louis is incompetent and a trump appointee who was picked for political reasons. I believe Biden is going to replace him in the next 6 months while he is still the Pres. After Biden leaves, everything will be up for grabs and will probably be delayed while Kamala learns and makes decisions.
Steve Hutkins writes on the USPS at Save the Post Office and has been doing so for years. I (Angry Bear) post his commentaries to draw attention to the issues, He is up to date on where much of this is going. Ossoff is leading the charge on this.
I do not recall (tired) if Prof. Heather or Joyce Vance mentioned Pres, Biden appointed 2 more members to the USPS board. Once they are approved by the Senate, there should be a majority on the Board to remove DeJoy. It is time consuming at best and was made so, so as to protect the Postmaster from political interests.
This was another action by trump to bring about a less effective Post Office from which mail-in ballots are delivered to constituents. Repubs are messing with voting practices.
Thanks for the clarity about the postmaster Louis De Joy. Hopefully Biden’s nominations to the USPS Board of Governors will be confirmed. Hopefully, before the mail-in ballots go out for the November 5th election De Joy will be a thing of the past with ballots being delivered and sent back in a more timely manner.
I am so pleased how much enthusiasm there is for Kamala. The donations and people willing to volunteer is just tremendous.
So much going on. The trials. SCOTUS really threw in a monkey wrench. I’m glad Jude Merchan and Chutkan are so strong. I hope it is proven beyond a doubt (meaning the end of DELAYS) that justice of the people will prevail and don will have to face the music.
Thanks so much for going through the very complicated process of electing USPS board members. It would be a great relief to finally be shed of DeJoy ahead of the election but whether or not that could happen in time enough to remedy the damage he’s done to the postal service remains to be seen. He has been a disaster all the way around. Good riddance if and when it finally happens.
It took a letter several weeks ago to traverse across Tucson five days to arrive! Everything Traitor Trump touches DIES, everything!!!
I had to file a formal request for insurance compensation on a lost priority mail package (first ever claim for me using usps for past 60+years). That process took several months and several attempts but i persisted. Who knows that for the standard $100 included insurance you get with each priority package you only get $25 reimbursed? Now you all do.
My package, a print from Sweden, which had a value of $1,000 but I only paid $100, made it from Stockholm to Springfield, Ma when it dropped off the face of the earth. My fault for using USPS. I’m sure it went into unclaimed and was eventually sold to scrap buyers. Then the same thing happened to another package sitting in a Chicago depot. After 4 days, I called their inspector general and accused them of having roving gangs of thieves stealing our mail and the package was found, unstuck from the depot and delivered to my door within 3 days. I will always use that accusation in the future when and if any package remains holed up more than 3 days. I didn’t do that for first package and it subsequently dropped off the face of the earth. Accuse them of thief and you will always get your packages. Banana Republic behavior.
I have mailed several important items requesting a signed return receipt. To date I have received none of them!
Thank you, Lynn duffy, for this info about the automatic limits on insurance reimbursement for priority mail packages. I use priority mail for shipping my watercolor paintings to purchasers. I will now adjust the value on each when shipping in case the worst happens. Again, many thanks!
Do we know where/who the other $75 goes to? This is really strange.
I learned It is a private (of course) insurance company that covers insured losses for usps - it is somewhere in the many many pages of fine print you don't even know about until you file a claim. It really was an exasperating experience. Like i said, it took me months of perserverence to finally recieve a check for (surprise!) $25 on a package that "comes with standard $100 insurance". Not sure if it was always like this or a recent thing with the corrupt takeover but it sure stunk.
Lynn, I'm guessing that the declared value of the claim was $25 which might explain why the 'standard $100 insurance' was not paid. I'm simply curious is all. Sounds like a real hassle filing a claim no matter the value of the item.
Nope, i declared the value of $100. Had to send in a picture of a crisp $100 bill.
For you all taking notes, the other thing i learned was to take a picture of every item in the box. Receipts showing what you paid for it (nevermind created pieces of art), you have to argue the value. In this case it was rare old books and a gift card to barnes and noble. The postmaster.in boston (where the tracking was last tracked to, then "it was out for delivery" and never received) seemed to care less, and told me, "file a claim!"
Lynn, TY...Now I can only assume they kept the $75 as an admin cost. That sure seems fraudulent on their part.
I, too, appreciate this explanation of how the USPS board is put together, and why DeJoy hasn't been removed. I've seen many calls for his dismissal, but never knew why nothing seemed to happen .
Our latest USPS incompetence concerned a package shipped from Illinois which made it to our city's distribution facility, and instead of going out for delivery, it was diverted to a city in Texas, 2,000 miles away, from there eventually back to our city and finally delivered, two weeks later.
6,000 miles total.
There is no joy here for DeJoy.
(Re: The USPS is) "converting the federal bureaucracy from a cadre of career professionals into a group of conservative sycophants." What a wonderful phrase. We have a litany of complaints to make against USPS. On three different occasions, I mailed a card to my granddaughter, who did not receive it. For each complaint, I was told the cards probably fell off the sorting belt and into a machine that shreds them. (WTF?)
The Cosmo Demonic Post Office has lost more of my packages and letters than I care to count. After losing one piece from Europe even after the last recorded check in at Springfield, MA depot on July 4 of all dates, 2020, I found one way to insure delivery is to call their security office if the package is held up more than 3-4 days and explain that they have roving gangs of thieves stealing my mail. Only then do they or have they insured delivery. No one likes to be labeled a thief but this has been my recourse.
Sheesh, Bill Katz -- this sounds horrific. Another frustrating reveal of dysfunctions in the system...
I am glad now that when I want to send things to my sister, that she insists on using UPS. UPS seems to be able to make it to her house in any weather, where USPS is unreliable. I just hope that when we are finally rid of De Joy, that whoever takes over will make the post office reliable again. I am also grateful that where I live the mail seems to be handled well - our workers care about doing a good job.
I am hoping that Judge Chutkan goes on the war path of witness testimony to determine official versus private acts and allow these to be public and televised. Is this tipping the scale. Given the SCOTUS corruption I would say this would be “balancing” the scale. Just like the statue of Lady Justice.
Yes! In all the other news, this was lost a bit. There really is something significant she can do to move this case along, or at least public awareness. It would be fantastic if it could be televised or at least broadcast. Since it isn't the actual trial proceeding but gathering evidence on how to proceed, it may get a different perspective on how public it can be. I so hope it is. Then the bs nooz might even tell the trumpanzees about it.
I actually am starting to think their coverage of the orange Cocksplat is starting to shift a little. Reading the writing on the wall perhaps, or just knowing it will get them more viewers.
Jen Andrews, there is a lot of increased, and heartening, conversation among people posting on Threads about the shift in opinion about the "orange Cocksplat." HAHA! Great moniker!
Growing up in suburban So Cal, our postman was a conduit to the entire neighborhood. He knew when families were on vacation, who had a birthday, when a child went off to college, and when there was a death. He carried sticks of Wrigley’s gum to distribute to us kids, and he put a stray dog in the backyard if the owner wasn’t home. He had no fear of dogs.
I’ve always considered the mailman, letter carrier, postal worker, whatever they are now called, to be an essential part of a community. My current letter carrier is a gentleman named Marco and he brags about how many steps he gets in each day. I receive more than mail, which is mostly tossed in the recycling bin, from him. I receive a smile and a sense of safety. He knows the neighborhood.
It offends me that the Postal Service, a most essential and benign government service, was politicized by the now convicted felon. I'm glad to see that President Biden is mitigating that damage. I will happily vote for Kamala Harris by mail in November.
Our mail carrier knew everyone in our neighborhood as well. All the kids loved him and he always had time to chat for a few minutes. He, and later a female carrier, absolutely contributed to a sense of community. They are true public servants and I mean that in the most respectful way!
I was @ my son's home babysitting one quiet weekday morning. The next door neighbor's house caught fire. The mail carrier saw it, called 911, made sure the elderly man who was home alone got out, then went house to house alerting the neighborhood. The fire was spreading through dry leaves to my son's backyard and garage. I grabbed a garden hose and soaked things to stop it. I'm not sure the few bystanders or some of the fire department folks when they arrived 10 mins or so later totally appreciated that.
Ditto. Different part of the world but without what we call the Postie, many in our semi rural community would be without any daily human contact and no alarms would be raised if they were in need of support. Local heroes.
A dear lady, long passed now, told how her family had a little dog when she married and it stayed with the family when she and her new husband moved about 10 miles away (this is in a rural mountain farming community).
Imagine her surprise when one day the mailman arrived, and the family dog hopped out. She said it would stay for a few days, then wait for the mailman by the mailbox, and get a ride back home. According to Mrs E, this went on for over 2 years, until the dogs death. Now if that doesn't warm your heart, I don't know what will.
I, too, have a wonderfully friendly and supportive mail carrier here in Worcester, MA. He keeps saying he's planning to retire, but then extends his "tour of duty." I am so impressed with his careful attention to service, and his professional demeanor.
I love your description.
Our previous regular carrier was also someone who knew the neighborhood, and was friendly with everyone. I remember that when the woman next door died, she was passing out fliers about funeral service and the like. She has gone elsewhere now, sadly. We miss her. I don't think our most regular guy now is into getting to know the neighborhood, but at least he rings the bell when he leaves a package. I'm amazed by how many delivery drivers no longer do that, and just leave the package anywhere, not caring how visible it is to passers by.
All these pieces in the air and too many for most of us to keep our eyes on. Once again, thank you
They can all go on in the background while the world watches the welcome respite of the Olympics. Only to spring back into consciousness in a couple of weeks.
Need more popcorn.
Why I have wine with my popcorn
Red, white or rose?
Red. As dry as I can stand it. You?
I generally prefer red.
I do have to admit that i’ve never tried any pairing with popcorn though
Maybe champagne soon.
Thank you for the explanation about the process of electing USPS board members and the Postmaster General. It's a very complicated process. It's unfortunate that people on social media and elsewhere have been so very quick to blame Biden for not "firing" DeJoy (as well as condemning Garland) when they obviously have no idea how any of this works. Running the government isn't like play acting on The Apprentice.
Thank you for calling out the issues with the USPS and how the board of governors works. Living as I do in a state that is entirely vote by mail for well over two decades - Oregon conducted the first primary for a federal election in the late 1990s and the first general election for president totally by mail in 2000 - I have a strong interest in mail-in ballots being received. We are a firmly blue state for presidential elections and not big enough to matter in the electoral college math but it matters to us.
In recent years I’ve taken to using ballot drop off locations at the library or sheriffs office, even though I live in Portland and it’s unlikely my mail would be delayed the way a rural area would. We’ve known vote by mail works for decades. (Side note for the curious: if someone really wants to vote in person they can go to their local election office, but this rarely happens.)
The same in Colorado, all mail but a huge number of drop boxes. Every library and police department has one.
Now if Texas would only let their people vote.
We haven't had any issues with voting by mail in our part of Texas. Maybe it's because we live in the bastard step child part of the state, where people care about doing a good job.
I’ve voted by mail in AZ for at least 20 yrs., but this is the first year that I received notification from the county that my ballot was received and later notification that my ballot was counted!
Dare I say it? Things are starting to feel normal again.
Permian- hold on to that thought.
I have great hope and encouragement but I feel a long way from comfort.
Precisely. As I said elsewhere today:
Don't forget to Vote Blue,
So this Fairy Tale Comes True.
🌊
While I'd love to see DeJoy FIRED, that wish pales to my hope the democrats swamp the republicans up and down the tickets in this election, with the "cherry on top" being Trump and his Project 22025 sent to the history books, right next to Benedict Arnold where they belong. And, as far as all these pro Trump court decisions, it will likely take years to recover from them. That's why I tell anyone within earshot "we the people" MUST vote against republicans for the next 20 years (at least). They are like dry rot, if you don't get rid of it, it just continues to spread - until it destroys EVERYTHING. They are closer than I ever imagined would be possible!
Thank you for reminding everyone that we're not just voting for the top of the ticket. We all need to spread the word that we need to vote all the way down the ballot AND on the proposed laws, acts, and other initiatives on the ballot.
State Legislatures are very important. Heritage Foundation would like to have themselves call a Constitutional Convention to propose amendments to support the “conservative” [actually radical extremist, maybe “monarchist“] Agenda. See two papers by john malcolm on the HF site.
Now that the Republican Party has been taken over by extremists it is not safe to vote for any Republican. Even a good Republican, if you can find one, if elected could be counted in to forming a Republican majority that can do serious damage to the republic.
Wow! I don't think that anyone has mentioned their intention to push for a Constitutional Convention. Please post/share this information on every site.
Louise,
Here are some relevant links.....
https://conventionofstates.com
HF Articles by John Malcolm
https://www.heritage.org/the-constitution/report/consideration-convention-propose-amendments-under-article-v-the-us#
https://www.heritage.org/the-constitution/report/reconsidering-the-wisdom-article-v-convention-the-states#
Thanks!! I will share this with everyone I know.
Yes, state legislatures are VERY important! In addition to the Constitutional Convention threat, the state legislatures are a path for Criminal Trump to challenge the popular vote. Also, ALEC spreads its sample extremist law language on various issues to members of other state legislatures to submit in their respective states. Like David Pepper writes, states are the Laboratories of Autocracy.
The States Project researches which state legislatures are flippable or have a narrow margin that Democrats must keep. 100% of our donation dollars goes to those campaigns
https://statesproject.org/
Thanks for the States Project link! I was happyy to contribute.
And GREAT POINT about confusing language being deliberately inserted on ballot questions. BE CAREFUL to understand what YES/NO votes mean!!
Subterfuge by having confusing language for ballot measures and R candidates with similar names to D candidates are two tactics. ALEC writes the language for far right bills to be filed by legislators who are often too inexperienced and/or busy with their other job to have the expertise to write such bills by themselves. And no, Democrats do not have an organization that is a counterpart to ALEC.
I agree Barbara. It isn’t “safe” to vote for any Republican because they will be subjected to
intense pressure to vote how corrupt Republican
officials want them to vote on everything. I honestly think the Republican Party is being run by people who’ve lost touch with reality.
Most members of today's Republican Party have shifted from upholding the rule of law pursuant to the Constitution and government by consent of the governed to prioritizing political power in protection of privilege and wealth.
I hadn’t thought about it that way Ellie, but you’re right.
Do you know Heather Cox Richardson's Substack or her History of the Republican Party? She's another fabulous person, as is Joyce Vance!
https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson8891
Common Cause has successfully blocked a bill in Colorado that would have had CO join in the call for an Article V constitutional convention. A total of 34 states are required for calling an Article V Convention of States.
This effort has been ongoing for decades. From linked Common Cause article below: "Too few Americans are even aware that a constitutional convention can be called, let alone that there would be no checks on its scope and further that the process to call one is well underway and being underwritten by some of the nation’s richest individuals."
Right now, it appears that 19 state legislatures have signed on; 12 others had done so but rescinded their approval. Here's a link to the Convention of States website page with a map and list of states so far signed on for an Article V Constitutional Convention. https://conventionofstates.com/states-that-have-passed-the-convention-of-states-article-v-application
This Common Cause article is from 2023 and the number of states signed on has changed since the article was published; it appears that more states have rescinded their legislative approval since the date of the article. https://www.commoncause.org/resource/u-s-constitution-threatened-as-article-v-convention-movement-nears-success/#
Another article of interest (and warning); they allow a small number of free (non-subscriber) articles. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/convention-states-constitution/
THANK YOU, Judith
note: convention of States appears to want to propose a limited discussion of amendments. Arguable such a convention can be so limited.
Note2. JD Vance’s endorsement is currently the banner headline on the convention of states home page. I saved a copy, anticipating that will be soon gone.
"Appears" is the operative word here. As I understand it, there is no limitation on what could be brought forward. I wouldn't believe them if they swore on a stack of Bibles.
The Nation article very good. John Malcolm describes one such mock convention in the “reconsidering” article linked in my original posting on tbis subject above.
Louise, and we have to remind people to get informed as much as possible and not from Fox not Nearly News. That is especially important for special questions and issues on ballots. Lately there has been an effort to write those measures in confusing language so voting one way may have an opposite outcome than what one expects.
Like Ohio's constitutional amendment for abortion…
It started with the appointment of the moron W by the Extreme Court in 2000. We emboldened the mf'ers by not raising bloody hell then.
Thank you for reminding everyone about DeJoy. I hope we see some movement on that soon. Thanks for all of the updates. So much going on. I appreciate you.
Thank you so much for explaining the process of appointments to the Postal Service Board of Governors and for pointing out the consequences of trump’s appointment of DeJoy with the intent of gumming up the works, especially the delay of ballots (and chicks). In Montana, DeJoy has just announced that we will have no more airmail service. In a state that is large and largely rural, that is inexcusable.
KARMA
Or Karmala?
OMG you got me at “killed thousands of day old chicks. “ That’s death penalty worthy in my books. You are correct, Joyce. This is only the beginning. I do see that the Post is now reporting more on Vance and his weirdness. And the recent statement by Trump about elections. I was on the call Thursday that broke Zoom and will be on tomorrow’s call. I have signed up for Gavin Newsom’s team of texters. Who knew there were teams? But they reached out to me. This is a leave nothing on the table election for us. And you are right to point out the Postal Service, an every day service that we should never take for granted.
I am hoping the VP pick, the Convention and Trump’s sentencing will have us looking in the rear view mirror at Trumps campaign by late September
In my town, animal cruelty is a crime. Does 1000s of BABY chicks qualify?
It should.
Hope so
Thanks for update on getting rid of Postmaster General. I’ve been wondering what was going on with that since all the problems in 2020, thanks for keeping it on your radar.
I actually thought nothing was getting done with replacing governors and working on ousting DeJoy...thanks for bringing all of this to light...seems that Biden was working hard on stuff like this all the time, juggling so many problems and also solving some! Kudos to Joe!
Just another example of Joe Biden, quietly and competently doing the real work of the President, without media acknowledging it.
Serious q? Is there a way to sue the government because dejoy didn't do his job? Because it's meds that people couldn't get/had to pay a lot more for at the local pharmacy instead of a mail in. It's the checks that never arrived that should have. It's your chickens. Not everyone can just go to the store and get whatever. Some need that via mail. It's voting absentee. It's also about how to prevent this from happening again.
Thanks for keeping people as sane(ish) as possible the last few years. It's appreciated more than you realize.
…And abortion pills in states that ban abortion
My bet is he’s enjoying the chaos as much as his lord and master is.
The smirk on his face says it all. 🤬
You can't. And the prep is Don-old. There's always the Myopia Firing Squad.
Hope I am wrong but can’t see Biden appointments being confirmed right away. The gop doesn’t want the post office to be more efficient before the elections. Delay the mail! Thanks for great information as usual.
I think these appointments require only a majority in the Senate, and the Dems have that majority at least until January 5, 2025.
Remember Menendez is out which means all four independents need to vote Dem. Which they do .
Menendez will not resign until August 20 (when he receives a paycheck!), and then the governor of New Jersey has promised to appoint a replacement immediately, which he can do unilaterally.
Christine - it could still happen. I live with hope especially now ❤️🙏🕯️🥁🗽💙
It would have been nice to see Louis gone a long time ago. However. it would have never happened until the Board membership had changed. Atlanta Georgia. July 7 here is what took place according to Steve Hutkins a fellow writer.
"April 16, Georgia’s Senator Jon Ossoff questioned Postmaster General DeJoy about the persistent delays that followed the opening, in February, of the new regional processing center in Palmetto, outside of Atlanta.
DeJoy said it would take about 60 days for service performance scores to return to normal. Ossoff told DeJoy that if the problems weren’t fixed in weeks, not months, “I don’t think you’re fit for this job.”
We now have the performance data for the 60 days since that hearing, and the scores are nowhere near normal. Yes, they have improved since bottoming out in March, but they are still very poor, and by most measures, completely unsatisfactory."
First Class Mail although improved. is still arriving days late.
Thanks for input on commissioners. Something to write about tomorrow at Angry Bear.
He moved it from Atlanta sorting facility to Palmetto and none of the employees were trained so they had to bring in Atlanta people back in April. Follow WSB-TV for all the articles on it. The Fulton county courthouse had months of bins that were never processed and it caused people to be evicted and get locked up for failure to show for traffic cases. My neighbor mailed her April car payment and it was never received so she had to pay a cancelled check fee in May and submit the payment online at her bank cause she doesn’t have a computer or knows how to use email on her phone (yes she’s 18 years my senior). When I moved from Florida to Georgia last year I switched my bills to paperless so all I receive now is my light bill and my Medicare insurance plan. Has really cut back on personal clutter as I’m still unpacking boxes.
Rusty:
I read that also on Save The Post office. Steve has written about the move. I am not in Atlanta and am in Arizona. This is tragic. Sorry for all the issues you are having. I write checks so "I" can track things rather than rely on others to tell me if they received my payment or not.
Louis is incompetent and a trump appointee who was picked for political reasons. I believe Biden is going to replace him in the next 6 months while he is still the Pres. After Biden leaves, everything will be up for grabs and will probably be delayed while Kamala learns and makes decisions.
Provided the last 2 appointees get confirmed in time.
A given Rusty
Yeah Atlanta is a hot mess. I’ve been dealing with it since March 1st.
Rusty:
Steve Hutkins writes on the USPS at Save the Post Office and has been doing so for years. I (Angry Bear) post his commentaries to draw attention to the issues, He is up to date on where much of this is going. Ossoff is leading the charge on this.
I do not recall (tired) if Prof. Heather or Joyce Vance mentioned Pres, Biden appointed 2 more members to the USPS board. Once they are approved by the Senate, there should be a majority on the Board to remove DeJoy. It is time consuming at best and was made so, so as to protect the Postmaster from political interests.
This was another action by trump to bring about a less effective Post Office from which mail-in ballots are delivered to constituents. Repubs are messing with voting practices.
Thanks for the clarity about the postmaster Louis De Joy. Hopefully Biden’s nominations to the USPS Board of Governors will be confirmed. Hopefully, before the mail-in ballots go out for the November 5th election De Joy will be a thing of the past with ballots being delivered and sent back in a more timely manner.
I am so pleased how much enthusiasm there is for Kamala. The donations and people willing to volunteer is just tremendous.
So much going on. The trials. SCOTUS really threw in a monkey wrench. I’m glad Jude Merchan and Chutkan are so strong. I hope it is proven beyond a doubt (meaning the end of DELAYS) that justice of the people will prevail and don will have to face the music.