Does your post office display a picture of the President of the United States? Do other federal

[mfcorey1]

buildings display his photo? If it is not there, the next time you visit, ask the managers why?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Yes and they should

[mfcorey1]

2. There is no picture in my post office.

[TheWraith]

3. Mine doesn't.

It is pretty small, though.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. No

Mine doesn't.

[laconicsax]

5. Yes, and I've always found it odd...

How is it any different from communist dictatorships having pictures of the current despot in government buildings?

The US is (at least it's supposed to) be about the rule of law, not the current political leader.

[mfcorey1]

7. Are you serious? Damn! Sometimes this place is toxic.

[DFab420]

8. Didn't you know the first step to totalitarianism is hanging pictures of the leader of your country

We are all DOOMED!

[laconicsax]

10. Is it not similar?

What's the point of having the President's picture in the room?

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Odd comment

I find the photo of the President of Mexico at Government buildings, the Premiere of Canada in their government buildings, and ours in our buildings.

Hell the Mayor is at the arrival at my local airport.

Cult of personality, and trust me there is some of that developing in the US, takes more than just photos, and it is hardly the first step.

[laconicsax]

22. I guess I've never understood why.

I mean, sure POTUS is the head of the executive branch, but it just seems odd that, in a country ostensibly not about the person in charge, it's required by law to have a picture of the boss.

[DFab420]

6. I actually like this little part of law/tradition/whatever

It's nice to see his face up there instead of old georgy-boy's. Even if I disagree with some of his policies I still get a good feeling in my heart when I see him and remember he's President.

[d_r]

9. my children's school does

[Brickbat]

11. No, and I'm OK with that.

[Raine]

12. Never seen one at the PO, the DMV has one up though. nt

[ThomWV]

14. There was one in the main lobby of the main entrance at a National Lab I worked at

and I had a picture of Thomas Jefferson hanging in my cubicle.

[fifthoffive]

15. I don't think mine does.

At my workplace there are photos of the President, Vice-President, Sec. of Agriculture, Chief of the Forest Service.

It took months to get the new photos. Not sure what the hold up was. Meanwhile someone in the building kept hanging the photo of the previous President up, someone would take it down, someone would put it up... got pretty funny after a while. Once the new photos arrived, the old ones magically disappeared.

[mfcorey1]

16. Where It's Illegal to Display Pictures of Obama

The Hatch Act of 1939 prohibits all federal employees from displaying images of candidates for partisan public office, including pictures of Obama, in the federal workplace, among other things.

"Because President Obama is a candidate for reelection, the Hatch Act prohibits an employee from displaying his photograph in the federal workplace ..." the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which enforces the law, wrote in a memo to government workers in April 2011.

The Office of Special Counsel issued the memo on April 5, 2011, one day after Obama launched his re-election campaign.


http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/thepresidentandcabinet/a/Where-Obama-Pictures-Are-Banned.htm

[mulsh]

17. What's a "post office"?

n/t.

[WinkyDink]

25. It's where poor people pay bills and send birthday cards. But hey; they're not important, right?

[Xithras]

18. FYI, none should be doing that anymore.

Presidential portraits used to be shipped out from Washington to each PO across the country. The U.S. Post Office "standardized" the look of postal lobbies a few years ago (2007 or 2008 IIRC), and eliminated the use of permanent photographs...including the Presidential photograph.

It caused a lot of controversy not only because it meant removing President's from the lobbies, but because it also meant removing photos of many post office namesakes, including historical figures and civil rights leaders.

Individual employees are prohibited from displaying their own photos of the president because of the Hatch Act, which bans employees from posting photos of political candidates in a federal office.


For better or worse, these are the rules nowadays. There was never a law requiring it, but it simply became a tradition that is now fading away.

[bbinacan]

19. Why should it be there?

Therefore, I see no need to ask the manager.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

20. Our Courthouse finally took down Bush's 2010, they have yet to put up one of Obama.

[demigoddess]

21. didn't they privatize the post office? So they may not be required

to have the potus picture displayed.

[WinkyDink]

26. No; the PO is a self-supporting part of the Federal Government.

[Shagbark Hickory]

23. I don't think so. This isn't north kor-fucking-rea.

:-)

[LWolf]

24. I can't remember.

It's been 5 or 6 years since I've been there. If there was a picture of GWB, I didn't note it.

When I am there, I'm not looking for pictures of the President. I know what he looks like in any year I happen to show up.