Going postal

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Author: patd

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad." "How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

72 thoughts on “Going postal”

  2. at present as reported by americanindependent:

    A new coronavirus aid package released by House Democrats includes $25 billion for the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service, which is expected to run out of money by the end of September without additional support from Congress because it’s losing so much revenue during the pandemic.
    […]
    Donald Trump has publicly threatened to block the $10 billion loan unless the Postal Service significantly raises rates for packages delivered for Amazon and other big shippers. Trump has complained for years that the Postal Service was being exploited by Amazon and other shippers, but Democrats say his real target is Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post. Trump has feuded with what he’s termed the “Amazon Washington Post” and other news organizations that have reported unfavorable developments during his campaign and presidency.
    Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) said Trump’s refusal to approve the loan without huge rate hikes was misguided.
    “He is willing to sacrifice the U.S. Postal Service and its 630,000 employees because of petty vindictiveness and personal retaliation against Jeff Bezos,” Connolly said of Trump. “That would be a tragic outcome.”
    Connolly, who chairs a House subcommittee that oversees the Postal Service, said Trump’s claim that the Postal Service loses money on package delivery is “utterly false.” Financial losses are due to a decadeslong decline in mail volume and a federal law that requires the Postal Service to prepay pension benefits, Connolly and other lawmakers said. The financial woes have been exacerbated by the pandemic, which has pushed mail volume down by more than 30% from the same period last year.
    Lawmakers from both parties have defended the Postal Service, saying it is even more important during the COVID-19 crisis as millions of people receive relief checks through the mail, as well as prescription medicine, food and other crucial items.
    “The United States Postal Service is not only constitutionally mandated but serves as a vital lifeline to countless Alaskans in rural communities. It is an institution that must be preserved,” said Rep. Don Young (R-AK).
    Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly support federal government funding to help the Postal Service survive the pandemic.

  3. Great cartoon.  The whole idea that you can send a letter to anyone in the United States for under 50 cents is one of the connecting forces of American society as a whole. 

     

  5. a lot of (if not most of) the Medicare, disabled, and rural folk get their meds thru the mail.  but mitch McConnell says there is “no urgency” to rescue usps …  tell that to the person who has to choose getting life saving drugs at risk of getting life taking exposures by leaving home to go to drug store.

  7. 1st class mail is $.55 for the first ounce now, but the point is well taken. What would SFB know about the post office?  They don’t host twitter servers, right?  But hey, I never was a big letter writer, so when it comes to letter-type mail I’m a recipient consumer. My informed delivery digest tells me that today I will get 9 envelopes. 6 will be solicitations. Tomorrow I’ll get a package I ordered yesterday through Amazon. Over the course of the week I will send maybe 6 envelopes to pay bills and I will send out at least 5-6 parcels – All but one by priority mail, and none of them costing More than what FedEx or UPS would charge.  Fedex can be cheaper for larger, heavier parcels than USPS, but otherwise USPS wins every head to head matchup, and SFB is determined to fuck this up. 

  8. NY Tmes also noted this line:

    “I looked up the side effects of this miracle drug Trump is now taking. They include: ‘severe mood or mental changes.’ Check. ‘Feeling that others can hear your thoughts.’ Check. ‘Feeling, seeing or hearing things that are not there.’ Check. ‘Large, hivelike swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, and sex organs.’ Let’s say check.”
    — JIMMY KIMMEL

  9. Looks Like Donald J. Trump is terrified of mail-in votes this November.  Pussy. You do realize that’s why he’s going after them, right?

  10. My great-grandfather was a letter carrier. He took over the rural route from my great-great grandfather who became a letter carrier after he fought for the Union in the Civil War.     Leave the US Postal Service alone, Orange Julius.   Nothing will save your sorry, fat ass in November.  Nothing. 

  12. BiD, in your neck of the woods re voting

    from the hill:

    A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that all Texans can apply to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic, after the state’s Supreme Court, in separate litigation, blocked the expansion of absentee voting last week.
    U.S. District Judge Fred Biery sided with the Texas Democratic Party, saying that to follow existing state absentee voting rules, in which you have to be 65 or older or have a stated disability, would put unconstitutional and illegal burdens on Texas voters.
    “Americans now seek Life without fear of pandemic, Liberty to choose their leaders in an environment free of disease and the pursuit of Happiness without undue restrictions,” Biery wrote in his order. “There are now some among us who would, if they could, nullify those aspirational ideas to return to the not so halcyon and not so thrilling days of yesteryear of the Divine Right of Kings.” 

  13. There are more states than TX.  Hopefully, they will follow suit.  Is there any way Trump could executive order-execute the USPS, so there is no mail delivery?    He’s prolly just tilting at the windmills in his mind, again, but mail-in votes are why he’s swinging wildly at the postal system.   

  14. At least for the primary election here in east bumfuck the county clerk added concern for corona virus exposure as a reason justifying granting an absentee ballot application and sent applications out to all registered voters in the county.  It’s a statewide policy.  From the Secretary of State’s website – “Eligibility and Absentee Voting Information: Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, all voters in West Virginia are eligible to vote absentee in the 2020 Primary Election. ” Be interesting to see what happens in the Fall.

  15. Yes, BiD, we get it – how could we miss it? SFB told us.

    Trump threatens federal funding for Michigan over absentee ballots
     

    President Trump threatened Wednesday to “hold up” federal funding to Michigan if the state proceeds with a plan to send absentee ballot applications to all of its 7.7 million voters in a bid to mitigate the risks of in-person voting in the state’s primary and general election this year.
     

    Trump did not specify which funds he might withhold, and he has not always followed through with similar threats.

    His message — delivered in a morning tweet — comes as many states grapple with how to safely proceed with elections. Amid the pandemic, Trump has repeatedly railed against mail-in voting, claiming it is subject to fraud and has hurt Republicans in previous elections.
     

    On Tuesday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) announced all of Michigan’s registered voters would be mailed absentee ballot applications for the state’s primaries in August and general election in November.
     

    “Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election,” Trump wrote in his tweet, incorrectly describing the move to send applications for ballots. “This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!”
     

    Trump tagged the Treasury Department among others in his tweet.
    …

    Sherrod Brown’s question to Munchkin could be repurposed to SFB – “How many American deaths are acceptable to ensure your re-election, Mr. President?”

  18.  
     

     

     

    FACT: Michigan is not sending absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of elections this year. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced the state would send applications to vote by mail to every registered voter, not a ballot. what Trump said was A LIE

  19. USPS is such a wonderful service, and a true American institution.  Defend it against political arsonists.

  20. If you have holes in your preparation scheme, this week is a good time to fill them while all the dopes think the pandemic is over.

  21. 92,333 dead from C19 so far. We should hit 100,000 on Wednesday next week. I’d written Tuesday before, but there was a small and temporary slowdown, or as trump would put it,
     
    I WON ! I’M THE GREATEST EVER ! or else.

  22. Why do i have the feeling Birx threw away what was left of her reputation, yesterday?  The only explanation for magically-declining covid cases is fudged numbers. 

  24. “Sherrod Brown’s question to Munchkin could be repurposed to SFB – “How many American deaths are acceptable to ensure your re-election, Mr. President?” – Posted by Mr Pogo, supra
     
    This combination of perspicacity & gutsiness in the service of the people is why SB was my first very first 1st choice for president.  

  26. “The only explanation for magically-declining covid cases is fudged numbers. ” – Mr Bink
     
    Thank you, Mr Bink. You took the words right out of my finger tips.

  29. patd…   great cartoon!
     
    We just got back from out local plant place.  We bought many veggie plants and a few herbs to go in our garden this weekend.  I got my usual annual hanging fuchsia.  It attracts the hummingbirds…  I hate using those feeders.  It hangs at the end of our woodshed where there’s plenty of shade (which they like).  I can see it from where I sit to eat breakfast.  Love sipping on my coffee watching the hummers flitting around.

  30. Is the WH plan to spread virus even more by Election Day so GOP legislatures cancel elections and pick the Electors? As SCOTUS ruled in Bush v. Gore: “The individual citizen has no federal constitutional right to vote for electors for the president of the United States.” 

  35. Some think Lardbutt the golfing president won’t debate Biden.  Where else will he bring Tara Reade?  

  36. Virtual debate, so the mute button cuts off if you (Trump) blather on.  Can we hook SFB up to a lie detector machine, too, and give him a zap every time he lies/opens his festering gob?  

  41. Corey,
    I like the Hydrox cure, It could work. But do you realize how expensive it is for those of us on insulin.
    I may have to cash in a CD.
    Now there are a couple of letters that show your age.
    Jack
     

  42. Ha, xrepub, sorry about that, but think Dems need to prepare for this. These various legislative and court manipulations with elections strike me as a warm up for November manipulations. 

  43. BTW, I successfully gamed my cholesterol numbers, my Doctor was very happy with how good the number looked. 
    Break out a stick of butter and celebrate!!!!
    Now for my blood pressure and A1c numbers…….
    Always something.
    Jack

  44. Craig
     That is why the most important elections are the local and state ones. Those folks really rule the electoral world.
    Trump can thunder all he wants but the state and local election officials set the rules.
    It is kinda one of our curious things in our system, there are no federal rules, each state is different. Good in one way, Trump can’t cancel the election.
    Jack

  45. Trump is always behind times. He wants to destroy the post office to get back at Amazon. But I haven’t had an Amazon Package mailed to me in months. 1 was UPS and all the rest was Amazon delivery. Some what inefficient, in that one day they stopped by 3 times.
    Ebay still comes by USPS or UPS But not Amazon.
    Jack

  46. covid statistics show greater percentage of deaths are the elderly, Hispanics, blacks and the poor.  aren’t those the most likely folks to have voted against trump, that is if they had been allowed to vote? the death panel party leader sees his opportunity to wipe out the opposition by killing off major segments of their likely voters.

  48. Mr Crawford,
     
    I’m a big boy.
     
    I won’t cry and
     
    I won’t pout.
     
    But if he does that
     
    Watch the body count.
     
    Burma Shave

  51. Jamie, quit talking nasty, lol
    Pat, Trump is killing off the nursing home vote, that is his base. The old silent generation and elder boomers.
    Talk to my older sister the other day. She and her husband are Craig’s classic  working class who voted Obama then for Trump.
    We just never  talk politics around them. But she brought it up, they are pissed that Trump maybe killing them off.
    Jack

  53. Craig
    He can tweet but that is it. The law is clear on January 20 he is no longer president. And who ever holds an election holds the house, states that don’t hold an election don’t have a seat.
    You all need to be pounding on that one because if you keep up the “OH my God” BS the Supreme court will give it to him.
    There are rules  follow the rules!!
    Not like they did in 2000.
     
    Jack

  54. BTW
    “Follow the rules” is a very good way to get the conservative middle class on your side. In the end they rule.
    Jack

  55. And the rules lead to the House and Ms P and the House gets to determine who is a legitimate member and also sanctions the Electoral college count. In the end it all rests in the House. Keep pounding that one so the SCOTUS can’t steal the election. There are Rules and they ain’t part of it.
    Jack

  56. Still hoping for Prez Pelosi by July 4th, 2020.  I do not  care how it happens.  Do. Not. Care. How.

  57. https://www.google.com/amp/s/dfw.cbslocal.com/2020/05/20/texas-ken-paxton-files-appeal-block-ruling-mail-in-ballots-concerned-covid-19/amp/
    Ken Paxton is still trying to prevent mail-in ballots in TX.    Hey, if I must risk my health to vote out Fat Bastard, I will regret that I have only one life/vote to give for my country.   And then I will haunt JarJar, the Trump famiglia, Yertle, Devin, Lindsey, and, the rest from the great beyond.  Haunt ‘em hard. 

  60. This may be one of the saddest things I’ve seen in a while:

    (CNN)President Donald Trump on Wednesday tweeted his congratulations to Tiffany Trump, the fourth of his five children, in support of her graduation from law school. Tiffany Trump took part in virtual commencement ceremonies, along with the rest of the class of 2020, from Georgetown Law School on Saturday.

    “Great student, great school,” tweeted the President. “Just what I need is a lawyer in the family. Proud of you, Tiff!” A White House official told CNN Trump has invited his daughter to the White House Wednesday to congratulate her in person.
    [Continues]

    I wonder if that tweet is about as close as SFB has come to her since the inauguration festivities.  Maybe he’ll buy her a townhouse.

  62. Only burma shave I remember:
    Ma loved Pa. 
    Pa loved women.
     Ma caught Pa
    With 2 in swimmin’  
    Here lies Pa
    Burma Shave
     

  63. Nope. The article says Ivanker Junior goes to the WH holidays and has expressed interest in joining Trump’s real estate bidnuss.   Just like the rest of ‘em.

  64. My BP is up and I don’t even have high BP.   Kids outside without an adult in sight.  I’m tired of nerf projectiles hitting things outside, including my windows.   I’m tired of saying please and thank you to stay away and watch what you’re doing.    Damned people shouldn’t have kids if they aren’t going to watch them.  

  65. I wanna see a picture with both of them in it.

    Hey, he sent her a tweet, isn’t that watching her enough?  Oh, wait, you mean the nerf kids, right?

  66. Ivanker Junior prolly benefitted from Daddy Donald’s absence, as would we all.  

  67. “How many American deaths are acceptable to ensure your re-election, Mr. President?”   RE-ELECTION  is the thing and therein lies the King. 

  70. All I can say is Burma Shave is my fave.
    And I want to see that picture of Tiffany and SFB in the WH. Otherwise I call bullshit. 

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