FACT CHECKING 10 MYTHS ABOUT THE POSTAL SYSTEM
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FACT CHECKING 10 MYTHS ABOUT THE POSTAL SYSTEM
In 2020, we’re used to seeing falsehoods and misinformation spreading like wildfire online. Typically, they’re linked to breaking news, hot-button social issues, or scandals.
The biggest focal point for online political drama today is an unlikely one; namely, the U.S. Postal Service. Representatives from both parties, conspiracy theorists, and even singer Taylor Swift are weighing in on the unsexy subject of mail.
Make no mistake: The Postal Service faces real challenges that require congressional action to solve. Yet, while genuine differences exist between the left and the right about how best to address the problems, that’s not an excuse for melodramatic rumor-mongering. . . .
MYTH No. 1: The Postal Service is removing sorting machines to sabotage delivery.
Postmaster General DeJoy is decommissioning 671 USPS letter sorting machines, according to an internal document obtained by @NBCNews.
The machines can individually sort 35,000 letters per hour. Their absence would hinder delivery of election-related post https://t.co/PZSvQtBSos
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 14, 2020
REALITY: The volume of mail has plunged in recent decades, due to the spread of electronic communication. As a result, the amount of infrastructure needed to manage the flow of mail also has declined. . . .
MYTH No. 2: The Postal Service is removing collection boxes to block mail-in ballots.
They’re legit taking the mailboxes off the street. Cheating 101. pic.twitter.com/hkXcV5vtBH
— Isaac Hayes III (@IsaacHayes3) August 14, 2020
REALITY: The Postal Service has more than 141,000 blue collection boxes spread across the country. Those boxes are moved regularly from low-demand to high-demand areas to maximize efficiency.
Photos of those boxes on the backs of trucks are part of standard operating procedure, rather than proof of a nefarious, anti-election plot. . . .
MYTH No. 3: The Postal Service is locking collection boxes to prevent public access.
Burbank, California:
In your entire life have you ever seen a LOCKED mailbox at the USPS?
Now you have.
A disgrace and immediate threat to American democracy. Shame on them. Shame on the GOP.
Where are you @senatemajldr ? pic.twitter.com/YcbVUTnv37
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) August 17, 2020
REALITY: Locked caps are sometimes put on collection boxes in areas where there is a rash of mail theft. Employees place the caps after the final pickup of the day and remove them in the morning, since collection box theft is overwhelmingly done at night. . . .
MYTH No. 4: The Postal Service could go bankrupt before the election without a $25 billion bailout.
As Trump dismantles @USPS, he's not only suppressing the vote, he's making it harder for people to get their meds, apply for jobs, and stay connected to loved ones. We're doing all we can for @USPS in the House. Help us urge @SenateGOP to do the same.https://t.co/Nz5dGydAO9
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) August 15, 2020
REALITY: Although some were concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic would push the Postal Service over the financial edge, revenues have been stable, thanks to a big increase in package deliveries.
In addition, Congress provided a $10 billion loan to the Postal Service earlier this year.
As a result, there’s virtually no scenario where the Postal Service goes bankrupt this year, meaning that a proposed $25 billion bailout has no reasonable connection to the coming election.
However, Congress shouldn’t view this fact as a reason to be complacent when it comes to passing reforms.
MYTH No. 5: The Postal Service plans to triple postage rates on mailed ballots.
The Postal Service has informed states that they’ll need to pay first-class 55-cent postage to mail ballots to voters, rather than the normal 20-cent bulk rate. That nearly triples the per-ballot cost.https://t.co/d9bsW7pM05
— The American Prospect (@TheProspect) August 8, 2020
REALITY: The Postal Service provided commonsense guidance to state and local governments regarding how to handle time-sensitive ballot requests. This guidance was already in the works before Postmaster General Louis DeJoy began his job.
Most mail-in ballot requests are made weeks or even months in advance, and thus can safely be sent using low-cost, second-class mail.
However, some places allow for mail-in ballot requests a mere four days before the election. In those situations, it makes sense to use full-cost, first-class mail to ensure that voters get their ballots on time. . . .
MYTH No. 6: Postal Service delivery changes are illegal “sabotage” by the postmaster general.
The law is clear: it’s illegal to willfully slow mail delivery, or to interfere in elections. @RepJeffries & I, as Members of the Crime SubCommittee of @HouseJudiciary, are urgently requesting the @FBI to investigate Postmaster General DeJoy & the Board of Governors. https://t.co/XjQ7M3vWZi pic.twitter.com/Gvv96Tv0LD
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) August 17, 2020
REALITY: DeJoy, who assumed the postmaster general’s post in June, was selected in large part due to his decades of experience as CEO of New Breed Logistics, a supply chain company.
The logistics industry’s focus is on maximizing cost-efficiency and on-time performance, both of which the Postal Service needs to improve. With that in mind, DeJoy has undertaken initiatives aimed at reducing costs and improving service levels.
It’s too early to tell whether these changes will be successful, and DeJoy has announced a suspension until after the election. While the media reliably reports alarming anecdotes from postal union officials who oppose cost-cutting efforts, data shows that postal performance has not yet experienced a significant change under DeJoy.
Representatives from both parties have expressed disapproval of efforts to pull the Postal Service out of chronic annual deficits. . . .
MYTH No. 7: The Postal Service needs more money to process mailed ballots.
Leaders of both parties wrongly have suggested that the Postal Service lacks the resources to handle the millions of ballots that will be sent through the mail this year—meaning that it will require additional taxpayer funding.
REALITY: The Postal Service handled about 2.75 billion items per week in 2019, with spikes at various times of the year, such as the holiday season.
Mail-in ballots will represent at most a few percentage points of total volume this fall, even with an expected increase in requests due to COVID-19. . . .
MYTH No. 8: The postmaster general “massacred” Postal Service management.
BREAKING: Last night while you were sleeping, Trump's Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, went on a rampage, getting rid of 23 USPS executives and displacing 2 of the top executives. He is seizing complete control in order to sabotage our election.
This is a Friday Night Massacre!
— Mrs. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) August 8, 2020
REALITY: When DeJoy took over in June, there was a modest amount of personnel change within the top levels of Postal Service management. Much of that involved internal promotions. Senior departing staff were replaced by experienced employees.
New leadership at the top of a large organization almost always includes some amount of change underneath, and the Postal Service is no exception.
The change is similar to what happened when previous postmaster generals took over, rather than a heavy-handed “takeover.”
MYTH No. 9: The Constitution requires a government-run Postal Service.
The USPS is an essential government service guaranteed to us by our Constitution.
It should be treated accordingly. https://t.co/zpigkhSTUn
— ACLU (@ACLU) August 15, 2020
REALITY: Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution authorizes Congress to establish post offices and to provide for “postal roads.” That doesn’t mean that post offices and roads are mandated, or that badly needed cost savings are a constitutional crisis.
MYTH No. 10: The Postal Service loses money only because of unfair funding requirements.
Congress created crisis at @USPS. 2006 law required USPS to create $72 billion fund to pay for post-retirement health care costs, 75 years into the future. This burden applies to no other federal agency or private corporation. Mend it, don’t end it! https://t.co/XzU23JJtPY
— Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) August 16, 2020
REALITY: The Postal Service is weighed down by exceedingly high employee compensation costs, which averaged more than $97,000 per worker in 2019. Part of that includes a retiree health plan, which has obligations similar to a pension.
Bipartisan legislation passed in 2006 required that the Postal Service prefund the retiree health plan like a pension plan, with money deposited as an employee earns future benefits. That’s intended to ensure that there’s money to provide for the health coverage when employees retire.
Unfortunately, the Postal Service has failed to uphold its funding obligations, leaving the plan $69 billion in the hole as of last fall.
Furthermore, the Postal Service would have lost more than $4 billion in 2019 alone even if it had not paid a penny into the health plan.
Claims that the health benefit prefunding is “unfair” ignore the fact that retiree health benefits are uncommon (especially outside government) and ignore the fact that postal employees are entitled to the benefits.
One alternative to prefunding is allowing the health plan to accumulate massive liabilities, which would guarantee an even bigger financial crisis than what the Postal Service is already facing. . . . .
The other alternative to prefunding would be to turn the Postal Service into a standard government agency, which is the stated goal of many Democrats.
The Postal Service is not supposed to pay for itself. It’s a government function. Thank you.
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) August 15, 2020
A federal bailout of the Postal Service would be the first step toward placing yet another massive burden on U.S. taxpayers.
Rather than allowing costs and deficits to grow unchecked, Congress should pass reforms that would enable the Postal Service to raise revenue and lower costs, stabilizing its shaky finances.
From there, we should have a robust debate about the future of the Postal Service and whether its current structure makes sense. . . . .
(Excerpt from The Daily Signal. Article by . Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons.)
Share your comments on these 10 myths being debunked below!
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Comments
Every Response against all the false statements made perfect sense to me. Why is it Democrats always seem to be trying to stir up trouble where there is none?
Did you see Dejoy today alot of blinking….
Anyway he verbalized he had no intention of returning sorting machines so yes they were removed. Also also stated they were not needed.
US congressman Gianforte of Montana also questioned the removal of mail boxes. Is it logical or common sense that all of this just occurred by accident maintenance of all of these mail boxes different states needed maintenance.
the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.
Passed by a Republican-led Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush,
The Postal Service’s billions of debt is a direct result of the mandate
Trump on Fox Business Thursday morning, Trump stated he doesn’t want universal mail-in voting to be possible.
Trump
“They need that money in order to make the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” referring to funding requests for vote-by-mail and the postal service he and Capitol Hill Republicans have stood against in coronavirus relief negotiations. “But if they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting.”
Democrats, he claimed, “need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots” — something that Trump apparently views as a bad thing
This is very un-American vote by mail absentee ballots no difference
Father, we pray for an honest and fair election. In spite of all the negative media reporting of President Trump and the enemies plans to upset his coming re-election, we pray that he would have a landslide victory. We believe that You will continue to use him to expose many in this country who do not have a fear of You. Proverbs 9:10-“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. Thank You for giving us a Godly man for Vice President, Mike Pence, who has been teamed up with this President. There is no doubt that his influence will have had an effect on him. Let them continue to make decisions that will cause people to come back to You and bless America once again. In Jesus name we pray. Amen
Thank you for this article debunking the myths about the post office. Father, give us wisdom to look for the truth rather than just pass on scare tactics. May our leaders learn truth and seek you in all areas.
Father- There are issues on every side. Who would have thought that the Postal service could become such a political issue. We ask for your spirit to let the truth be declared loud and clear so that people aren’t making decisions based on lies. Help people to know more about this before spreading what they perceive to be true. I ask that you would protect us from a fraudulent election and from the total breakdown of mail delivery in our nation. Thank you for the way this has been established for good communication and even with technology we need a structured way to get paper mail delivered. We ask for wisdom to work out the challenges and we ask that the election not be hindered by anything to do with the votes that are mailed in. You are the God of truth. We desire truth to win out. We are concerned about this and you said to cast our cares on you because you care for us. You are a God of details and you are able to work to make things right when it looks impossible. Please let people speak the truth boldly and let their message be heard.