I may be violating a IUOMA policy here but I think it's important for people to realize that the forces of darkness are once again trying to privatize our Postal System, widely regarded as one of America's proudest achievements for a wide variety of reasons.

Check out this paper from In The Public Interest and then consider writing a letter to these Senators: Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Doug Jones (D-AL), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Gary Peters (D-MI), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) urging them to vote YES on H.R. 6800.

Apologies for breaking the law but this is a time to do something to save our Postal System.

Apologies also if this is a redundant plea.

Seems important enough to repeat....

your friend, Dave

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Comment by David Stafford on July 22, 2020 at 8:52pm

Richard,

take my word for it....there's nothing easier than writing a congressperson an email...Por ejemplo: google: email Ben Sasse....Ben's email thingie (official word) will come up. You fill out the form, choose a topic and away you go. 

A sample letter:

I’m with Lamar
said young Ben Sasse
Best and brightest
head of his class
With Trump in charge
We’ll hit warp speed
in dissolving the state
and its tedious needs
It’s a Marxist approach
the best far and away
With Trump at the helm
the State withers away.

voila!

Comment by Nancy Bell Scott on July 22, 2020 at 7:55pm

We can only hope this prediction is wrong, Richard, despite your long+wise historical perspective. I write real letters with some here + elsewhere (plus to people in power, such as endlessly to the top senate hypocrite, my ugh senator Susan Collins). USPS means the world to me and countless others, and let's hope they know it in time. What you wrote here is an excellent wake-up call for depth vs fluff added to Dave's "bold + insightful warning."           

Comment by Alan Brignull on July 22, 2020 at 7:39pm

This may be relevant — you may recall that last year Mr Trump got a bee in his bonnet about the Universal Postal Union. As I understand it, the USA did not leave the UPU as a whole but did withdraw from the agreement which harmonises international parcel rates. As a result, Royal Mail's parcel prices from the UK to the USA increased this month. The USA is now in a geographical zone of its own, more expensive than anywhere, including Antarctica or Tristan da Cunha, around 50% more than Canada or Mexico! Thankfully letter rates are unaffected — so far.

Comment by Richard Canard on July 22, 2020 at 7:15pm

22.07.20 Dare Mister David Stafford, .... A bold & insightful warning. You could easily be our "Paul Revere" but I fear that far too many of us ( Ms. Katerina Nikoltsou already an exception) who operate under the label of "Mail Art" are only interested in our own "fluff' & lack the energy & effort it takes to write a real "letter"  to someone who could or would actually do something if they were in turn in actually not a part of the problem. I fear (again) that Ray Johnson was the "Swansong" of the U.S. postal system  & we latter-day "penpals" are merely witnessing the flowers & sweet nothings of a funeral.  As for me,  all I've ever done was "whine & moan" about rising postal costs (when I first got involved in mail art in the 60's [it was called "correspondence art" in those days] a U.S. Postcard cost 4 cents. Nowadays  a  U.S. Postcard cost 35 cents++++plus (get this) an additional 4 cents for the flimsy little index card it's printed on (a total of 39 cents). Yeah,....maybe  the  "Postcard of the Future" will need be sent via a large  Fed Ex or an UPS envelope (or some new "entersurprise") costing merely  a few dollars. SinCelery, Richard Canard

Comment by David Stafford on July 22, 2020 at 7:05pm

Okay, I wrote the letters (emails) yesterday. We should probably start seeing some changes today. When Dave talks the potentates shake. Regarding the new tone:

Comment by Nancy Bell Scott on July 22, 2020 at 6:20pm

YES, definitely important enough to repeat. (Besides, you don't repeat.) I repeat, definitely important enough to repeat.

Kat, re: your last question below: I can hardly breathe for the waiting.

Comment by David Stafford on July 22, 2020 at 2:44pm

Excellent, Katerina. You can imagine what would happen if the Postal System is privatized: People without money and power will be underserved as they always will be in a tiered system of privilege.

Comment by Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat) on July 22, 2020 at 12:44pm

Comment by Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat) on July 22, 2020 at 12:43pm

Hi David, thanks for the list...'will send some Mail Art to them :-)

Back in April, I sent to Senators (R) who are up for re-election:

asking them to fund the USPS, without raising rates...

so I can in November, send in my vote-by-mail :-)

(May there be elections in November?)

Comment by David Stafford on July 22, 2020 at 12:14am

I would say both could be true. The oligarchs have a vested interest in making sure that nothing ever works if it's designed for the public good. That's the vacuum they'll fill with privatization. Have you read Democracy in Chains?

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