Trump Wants to Create Election Chaos by Killing the Post Office

[Judi Lynn]

BY
Peter Montague, Truthout
PUBLISHED
June 20, 2020

President Trump and his Republican advisers appear to be laying the groundwork for presidential election chaos on November 3.

Part of the plan seems to be to allow the coronavirus-slammed U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to run out of money in September, throwing the mail service into crisis, possibly disenfranchising everyone who votes by mail.

The postal service is essential for U.S. elections. The U.S. military has depended on vote-by-mail since 1864. Five states now conduct elections entirely by mail — Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah. The other 45 states allow voting by absentee ballot by mail. Because of the coronavirus, many additional states and localities are currently considering universal vote-by-mail. Killing or weakening the U.S. Postal Service would essentially guarantee election chaos in November.

The postal service does not ordinarily receive taxpayer funds; it is the only government agency expected to fund itself, via sale of stamps and services such as money orders. Now, a combination of recent events has thrown USPS into financial turmoil. It started in 2006 when Congress required USPS to set aside cash sufficient to cover the cost of post-retirement health benefits, 75 years into the future, for its 600,000 employees. This unusual financial burden, combined with a 30 percent drop in the volume of mail after the coronavirus shut down the economy, put USPS into financial crisis. In April, the postal service estimated it will lose $22 billion in the next 18 months while it continues to deliver medicines, food, personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, test kits), and all kinds of household necessities to every address in the U.S., no matter how rural or remote, regardless of cost.

More:
https://truthout.org/articles/trump-wants-to-create-election-chaos-by-killing-the-post-office/

[soothsayer]

1. Hurts commerce

Don’t think he can or would. But we must put nothing past him.

[lastlib]

7. Shitgibbon wouldn't care about that if killing it would boost his election chances.

[33taw]

2. There a a lot of elderly republican voters who would get shut out.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. Knowing how tribal Republicans act, would you trust your ballot to a privatized

mail service?

[Thekaspervote]

4. Good point!! Of course not.

[Thekaspervote]

5. There is no way the groupers will be able to defund the USPS.

Lots of noise...that’s all it is

[CousinIT]

6. Trump, via a desperate-sounding email has TOLD us what he intents to order his PG to do...

....

Trump has now installed his entirely unqualified Postmaster General (just some guy who's a big Trump donor - zero qualifications). In an email to his cult, Trump detailed what he intends to order his USPS minion to do with our mailed ballots:



NOTE that Trump was saying this is what DEMOCRATS would do (they don't have the power to do this but Trump does).

TRUMP is - as always - PROJECTING. He is telling us what HE would and in fact no doubt plans to do.

[lastlib]

8. One way you might be able to help the USPS:

If you have money in savings that isn't earning much interest for you--Buy USPS Money Orders with it. They represent cash to the USPS until you cash them, and the fees they collect on MOs help fund their services.

[soothsayer]

9. Interesting