Vindication of the United States Postal Service

Samples from Vindication of the United States Postal Service

What does it mean to vindicate the USPS? And why is the most favorably viewed part of our federal government in such trouble?

In the Papercuts Library #4, we’ve set out to make the case for our postal service once and for all, and remind us all that well-wishing must occasionally be followed up with calls to our representatives… that is, if we want to see good things happen rather than fall apart.

Here are a few selections from #4:

USPS has a rich history to explore, but in this book we only draw from it in bits, quickly taking what we need and moving on…

 

The first goal is providing context. Why is the USPS so important? It plays out on many levels…

 

Then in the second half we get into the special predicament the USPS has been put into, which has everything to do with this institution being mistaken for a business…

 

But what might seem like a reasonable setup has put the USPS in unnecessary financial trouble, and ultimately puts its very existence at risk…

 

If you care about the United States Postal Service, this book will take your understanding of its importance to the next level and set you up to help make a difference for this amazing service at a terrible time of need.

 

References for Vindication of the United States Postal Service

There are already a lot of great sources of information on the United States Postal Service out there, and it is fun but deep rabbit hole to fall down.

For the latest in USPS news:

• Save the Post Office
• PostalNews

If you want to geek out on postal history:

• Post Mark Collectors Club

And if you really want to go deep, we can’t recommend Devin Leonard’s book, Neither Snow Nor Rain enough. Devin has written extensively on the USPS:

• DeJoy Has a Plan for the USPS, and the Election Got in the Way Sep. 2, 2020 – Bloomberg Businessweek
• The U.S. Postal Service Has Never Been More Important, or More Endangered Apr. 13, 2020 – Bloomberg Businessweek
• The End of Mail [PDF] 2011 – Bloomberg Businessweek

 

Meanwhile, here are links to reference materials from #4…

 

Warning: Spoilers ahead…

p3 –

If you want to see the power of the USPS to bring people together, check out the following poll, where it was found that USPS not only topped American’s list, but is viewed favorably by 91% of Democrats and 91% of Republicans.

• Public Holds Broadly Favorable Views of Many Federal Agencies April 9, 2020 – Pew Research Center

 

USPS is always at the top:

• Public Expresses Favorable Views of a Number of Federal Agencies Oct 2019 – Pew Research Center
• Majorities Express Favorable Opinions of Several Federal Agencies Feb. 2018 – Pew Research Center

 

p4-5 –

• Editorial Note on the Founding of the Post Office, 26 July 1775 – National Archives

The USPS has a nice writeup about their first Postmaster General:

• BENJAMIN FRANKLIN – Postmaster General [PDF] – USPS

 

• Second Continental Congress – Wikipedia

 

p6-7 –

• Constitution of the United States – Congress.gov
• Postal Clause – Wikipedia
• Necessary and Proper Clause – Wikipedia

 

p8-9 –

39 U.S. Code § 101. Postal policy – Legal Information Institute – Cornell Law School

Just looking through the table of contents of the U.S. Code is educational and enlightening. It’s a worthwhile document to explore.

 

p10-11 –

• United States Postal Service Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Report to Congress [PDF] – USPS

 

p12-13 –

• USPS USO Executive Summary [PDF] – USPS
• Report On Universal Postal Service and The Postal Monopoly [PDF] Oct. 2008 – USPS
• Universal service – Wikipedia

 

p14-15 –

• Delivery: Monday through Saturday since 1863 [PDF] – USPS
• 39 U.S. Code § 1011 – Oath of office – Legal Information Institute – Cornell Law School
• Postal Facts – % of world’s mail – USPS

 

p16-17 –

• The Explanation for the 2020 Mail Delay? Louis DeJoy February 17, 2021 – Angry Bear
• DeJoy Admits That Mail Delays Are Far Worse Than Expected, But Fails to Take Responsibility Aug. 24, 2020 – House Committee on Oversight and Reform
• USPS Mail Delays Still Persisting, Workers Say, Despite DeJoy Pausing Some Changes Aug. 28, 2020 – Forbes
• Postmaster General DeJoy served a subpoena for mail delays Sep. 3, 2020 – CS Monitor
• Peters Releases New Investigative Report Detailing Harmful Impacts of Nationwide Mail Delays following Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s Reckless Changes to the Postal Service Sep. 16, 2020 – U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs
• Do It Now: A Timeline of the Postal Service’s Work Hour Reduction Plan Oct. 1, 2020 – Save the Post Office
• USPS Has Made 57 Changes to Mail Operations Since Louis DeJoy Took Over Oct. 21 2020 – Vice
• Lawsuits against DeJoy, USPS & Trump over mail delays and election mail Nov. 6, 2020 – Save the Post Office
• The Postal Service Survived the Election. But It Was Crushed by Holiday Packages Jan. 19, 2021 – New York Times
• The 2020 Mail Delays: Stats & Charts Feb. 14, 2021 – Save the Post Office
• U.S. mail delivery still facing ‘unacceptable delays’, group of senators says Feb. 17, 2021 – Reuters

 

For more on its “unfortunately history of being bullied”:

• The war against the Postal Service Dec. 16, 2020 – Economic Policy Institute
• The tumultuous history of the U.S. Postal Service—and its constant fight for survival May 18, 2020 – National Geographic

 

• Forever Stamp Fact Sheet – USPS

 

p22-23 –

See part (d) for the law related to postal office closings:

• 39 U.S. Code § 404 – Specific powers – Legal Information Institute – Cornell Law School

 

p24-25 –

Regarding government subsidies for the telcos to meet their service obligations

• Universal Service Fund – Wikipedia

 

• Internet Access Services Reports – FCC

 

• US broadband: Still no ISP choice for many, especially at higher speeds – 2016
• More than 60 million urban Americans don’t have access to or can’t afford broadband internet 2017 – Vox
• FCC Reports Broadband Unavailable to 21.3 Million Americans, BroadbandNow Study Indicates 42 Million Do Not Have Access Feb 3, 2020- BroadbandNow
• Microsoft Airband: An annual update on connecting rural America Mar. 5, 2020 – Microsoft
• COVID-19 shows we need Universal Basic Internet now May 14, 2020 – TechCrunch
• Report: Most Americans Have No Real Choice in Internet Providers Aug. 12, 2020 – Institute for Local Self-Reliance

 

Re: Touting…

• Eighth Broadband Progress Report – FCC

 

For more on what individual states are doing to expand access:

• How States Are Expanding Broadband Access – Pew Charitable Trusts

 

And just as you would expect:

• Persons in Low-Income Households Have Less Access to Internet Services Apr. 2020 – U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

 

G20 postal ranking:

• Delivering the Future 2016: How the G20’s Postal Services are Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century [PDF] – Oxford Strategic Consulting
• United States Postal Service Ranked No. 1 in the World 2012 – USPS

 

Full international ranking:

• Postal Development Report 2020 [PDF] – Universal Postal Union

 

For more international perspective:

• Achieving High Performance in the Postal Industry [PDF] 2013 – Accenture
• Postal Universal Service Obligation (USO) International Comparison [PDF] 2008 – Accenture

 

Retail location and other postal facts available at:

• Postal Facts 2020 Companion [PDF] – USPS

 

• USPS Ranked Most Trusted Brand in U.S. Jan. 15, 2020 – American Marketing Association
• U.S. Postal Service Ranks First in Job Performance 2018 – USPS
• U.S. Postal Service Named ‘Most Trusted Government Agency’ 2010 – PostalReporter

 

p26-27 –

See item 7 for new business survival rates.

• Frequently Asked Questions [PDF] – U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy

If you like the post office, we highly recommend Devin Leonard’s book, Neither Snow Nor Rain, but prepare for the whole story of our postal services history to make you a little sick at times, particularly the 1970 reorg ridiculousness.

 

• Congress Is Sabotaging Your Post Office 2019 – Washington Monthly

 

• The Post Office Almost Delivered Your First E-Mail May 2016 – Bloomberg
• Pushing the Envelope – facing financial troubles, the (US) Postal Service turns to e-commerce 2001 – Post & Parcel

 

• Airmail: A Brief History [PDF] – USPS

 

• “Banks of the People”: The Life and Death of the U.S. Postal Savings System 2017 – Journal of Social History
• The Costs Of Being Unbanked Or Underbanked Jul. 28, 2020 – Forbes
• Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2019 – May 2020 (Unbanked and Underbanked) – Federal Reserve Board of Governors

 

• When snail mail was cutting-edge 2017 – Politico

 

p28-29 –

Here is more on the concept of Amazon taking over the postal service…

• Amazon Should Acquire the US Postal Service – How It Could Work Jun. 13, 2019 – Observer

 

• BREAKING: Amazon Launches Hostile Takeover of USPS 2019 – WealthDaily

 

• The facts behind jabs at Amazon on taxes, USPS and lost retail jobs 2018 – PolitiFact
• No, USPS doesn’t lose $1.46 on every Amazon package 2018 – PolitiFact

 

Here is the Cato Institute’s last two swipes at making the case for privatizing the postal service, via their website devoted to ways to downsizing the federal government.

• Privatizing the U.S. Postal Service  July 9, 2019 – Cato Institute
• Privatize the U.S. Postal Service  March 3, 2010 – Cato Institute

 

p30-31 –

All of the postal service’s numbers are available here:

• USPS Financials – USPS

Check out 10-Qs and Annual Reports for net loss data.

USPS’ fiscal year ends in September vs full year results for Uber, but comparing fiscal to full or full to full, the statements in the book stand.

• Uber – Wikipedia
• Uber – Treatment of Drivers – Wikipedia

 

• Uber Announces Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 – Uber Investor
• Uber Announces Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020 – Uber Investor
• Uber 2019 Annual Report [PDF] – Uber Investor

 

• The Emperor Has No Clothes – Uber’s Business Model Is Broken (Sept 2020) – Forbes
• “as Uber gets bigger, its business loses more money.”
• Uber’s Now a Food Delivery Company—and It’s Still Losing Money (Aug 2020) – Wired
• Unicorns aren’t profitable, and Wall Street doesn’t care (2019) – TechCrunch
• Uber Posts $5.2 Billion Loss and Slowest Ever Growth Rate (2019)– New York Times
• Uber’s Plan to Lose Money on Each Transaction and Make It Up in Volume, Annotated (2019) – New York Intelligencer

 

• Understanding Why Uber Loses Money (2018) – Crunchbase News
• Uber is losing billions: Here’s why investors don’t care (2017) – CNN Business
• Uber booked $20 billion in rides in 2016, but it’s still losing billions (2016) – Business Insider
• New revenue figures show $50 billion Uber is losing a lot of money (2015) – Business Insider

 

• Amazon Has Turned a Middle-Class Warehouse Career Into a McJob Dec. 17, 2020 – Bloomberg
• The Gig Economy Is Coming for Millions of American Jobs Oct 22, 2020 – Bloomberg
• FedEx Ground vs. UPS: Two Worldviews 2004– Braun Consulting News

 

• FedEx will pay $2.4M to settle drivers’ misclassification suit Jan 5, 2021 – HR Dive
• How Fedex is trying to save the business model that saved it millions 2014 – Washington Post
• Court rejects FedEx Ground’s driver business model 2014 – FleetOwner

 

As for postal law:

• 18 U.S. Code CHAPTER 83— POSTAL SERVICE – Legal Information Institute – Cornell Law School

 

p32-33 –

• The Invention of the Internet – History

 

George Washington’s thoughts on the post office come from Devin Leonard’s Neither Snow Nor Rain

 

• Netscape – Wikipedia

 

• The Post Office Almost Delivered Your First E-Mail 2016 – Bloomberg

 

• Email Overload Syndrome: Too much in too many places 2009 – ZDNet

 

Both AOL and Yahoo! have been sold and are currently owned by Verizon Communications

• AOL – Wikipedia
• Yahoo! – Wikipedia

 

• Handbook AS-353, Guide to Privacy, the Freedom of Information Act, and Records Management – USPS

 

• Bill Would End Ban On USPS Shipments Of Alcoholic Beverages Jul 2015 – Manufacturing.net
• Distilling New Revenues Jun 2012 – USPS Office of Inspector General

 

p34-35 –

Delivery of a New Delivery Vehicle Sep. 7, 2020 – USPS Office of Inspector General

Post Office Mum on Replacement for Aging Mail Truck Nov 9, 2020 – Trucks.com

Don’t Expect the USPS Fleet to Go Electric Jan. 28, 2021 – Vice

 

 

The USPS and Rural America – The U.S. Postal Service is a critical source of decent jobs and revenue in rural states Apr. 24, 2020 – Institute for Policy Studies

 

There is far more to doing the right thing by the USPS than we were able to fit into this book, and we encourage you to dig in wherever you find yourself interested. Our postal service needs attention in many different regards.

 

Here is a small selection from the available literature online:

• A New Agenda for Postal Reform Oct. 18, 2020 – Save the Post Office
• Save The Post Office – American Postal Workers Union (APWU)

 

• How the Biden administration can save the Postal Service Jan. 22, 2021 – Vox
• How Biden Can Save the USPS Jan.7, 2021 – The Nation
• Biden Promises Cash Infusion, End of Prefunding Mandate for USPS Oct. 5, 2020 – Government Executive
• USPS Needs Financial Aid to Continue Providing Essential Services [PDF] Jul. 21, 2020 – Institute for Policy Studies

 

Regarding the Postmaster General…

• Louis DeJoy’s fate is in Congress’s hands Feb. 18, 2021 – Boston Globe
• Firing Louis DeJoy Won’t Save the USPS Feb. 16, 2021 – Vice
• Biden takes first steps to replace controversial Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Feb. 8, 2021
• Here’s Why Louis DeJoy Will Likely Stay In Charge Of The Postal Service Under Biden Dec. 15, 2020 – Forbes

 

And regarding the Board of Governors who will pick our next Postmaster General…

• Tammy Duckworth Urges Joe Biden to Upend Entire USPS Board for ‘Silence’ Under Louis DeJoy Feb. 15, 2021 – Newsweek
• Pascrell Wants Biden To Fire Entire USPS Board of Governors For ‘Dereliction’ Jan 25, 2021 – Insider NJ
• Why we all need to care about the Postal Board of Governors Jan. 13, 2021 – APWU

 

The USPS Fairness Act

• The USPS Fairness Act (overview) – APWU
• USPS Fairness Act Reintroduced in the House and Senate Feb. 3, 2021 – APWU

 

• S.145 (117^th) – Congress.gov
• S.145: A bill to amend title 5, United States Code, to repeal the requirement that the United States Postal Service prepay future retirement benefits, and for other purposes. – GovTrack
• H.R.695 (117^th) – Congress.gov
• H.R. 695: To amend title 5, United States Code, to repeal the requirement that the United States Postal Service prepay future retirement benefits, and for other purposes. – GovTrack

 

Previously passed as:

• H.R. 2382 (116^th): USPS Fairness Act – GovTrack

…but then left for dead in the last Senate.

 

• Lawmakers aim to dissolve ‘draconian’ law that placed heavy financial burden on Postal Service Feb. 2, 2021 – NBC News

 

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