Hello Internet!
How is everyone doing? Sad? Exhausted? Yeah I feel that. We can’t even get past one crisis before another arises. There’s like twenty huge things going on and I barely have the mental capacity to deal with one. I was going to write this very Weekly Blog last week, but I just couldn’t find the words. So this is going to be my second time trying to talk about The US Post Office and how Americans need to fight to save it. But first let’s quickly talk about the pieces I published in the past couple weeks. Two Wednesdays ago, I published a Poem titled “The Girl In My Dreams.” This was a surprisingly popular Poem talking about remembering past loves in dreams and how perfect it can seem when you don’t have to deal with any real world baggage. That following Friday I published a Writing Prompt Piece titled “Words of Rebellion” which revolves around a Monarch sitting down with the leader of the rebellion to have a chat involving history and how the ruler was once in the shoes of the rebel leader. The rebellion may have some strong parallels to events happening in our own world. This past Wednesday, I published a Poem titled “Quiet Path.” This Poem is one filled with peaceful nature which is something that I think we could all appreciate in crazy times like this. Finally this past Friday, I published, An Informal Investigation which is a continuation of my Dungeons and Dragons inspired series. Sigthyme, Tak, Grace, and Juniper go against the wishes of The Chief and investigate Riffen’s disappearance at the crime scene. That is a lot of stuff to read so if you missed any of those pieces, I highly recommend you read them after you read this very important Weekly Blog.
Like I said, here in the US it seems like we are being hit with crisis after crisis without a real end in sight (maybe November?). We are still in the middle of the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic as well as a recession with high joblessness. On top of this, now our President has decided to go after The United States Post Office months before the 2020 Presidential Election which will probably have a record number of ballots submitted through the mail. The President has attacked voting by mail calling it insecure and has extended those attacks to the USPS. Recently The President has also appointed a campaign fundraiser, Louis DeJoy, as Postmaster General and DeJoy has taken upon himself to introduce “cost-cutting measures” which hurt the Post Office. During his short time as Postmaster General, the Post Office has had problems with mail piling up as the Post Office cuts overtime for mail carriers. There has also been concerns raised over large machines that sort mail being taken out of post offices which will most likely results in more slow downs and more mail being delayed. On top of that, photos of post offices removing collection cans have gone viral. In summary, a supporter of the President is purposely slowing down the mail, removing crucial equipment, and worsening the post offices’ efficiency all in the name of “saving money.” A lot of people, including myself, see these measures as a way to hurt the Post Office and possibly stop people from voting by mail. If people are swayed to vote by the mail or if their vote is late due to the Post Office and thrown out, it’s possible that The President may end up winning key battleground states he is currently losing according to recent polls. Or maybe this is all a coincidence and just bad timing…but I really doubt that.
Some of you might not know this, but I worked as a Mail Carrier for The United States Post Office for several months. I don’t work there now, but I saw hints of these terrible practices even when I worked there months ago. There was always a focus on speed over everything else. Now officially, managers spoke about safety and efficiency being the most important things, but whenever they would chat to mail carriers it was about speeding up and cutting time on how long it took to deliver the mail. Safety was important, but speed was also important. Managers seem to speak out of both sides of their mouths. Now I realize that how fast I delivered my route basically had no affect on the problems the Post Office faces now. With these new rules in place the carriers have basically no chance of delivering all the mail they are given and a build up of mail or major delays are almost guaranteed. Having experience working in the Post Office also makes me passionate about saving it. You know how people who worked in retail are often nicer to retail workers or people who were waiters or waitresses are often nicer to other restaurant workers because they understand the hell they’ve worked through? Well I feel the same thing when it comes to the post office. Even though I didn’t have a great time working there, I appreciate all the hard work mail carriers put in and know how bad these policies can be.
So The President is actively trying to sabotage The Post Office and sow distrust in voting by mail, now what? Well there are a few things we can do. People in Washington DC have protested outside DeJoy’s house demanding his resignation which is great but DeJoy is just the person The President has used to attack the Post Office. No matter who is in that position, they will be a problem if their support lies with The President and not The Post Office. The biggest thing you can do as an American is contact your US Congress Member. Contact your Senators and Representative and tell them that you support The Post Office and support vote by mail. If you don’t know your members of Congress you can find your House Member Here and Senator Here. These websites will give you contact information. Call them, email them, or send them a letter using The USPS. Demand they stand up to the President and support The Post Office. I also reccomend you take the steps that Resist Bot suggests. They can keep you informed on important issues and help you make contact with your Congress Member so you can tell them to support The Post Office. You can also sign The Change.org Petition to save The USPS if you enjoy signing petitions. It’s pretty quick and easy! The Post Office is too important and this election is too important.
The Post Office is in trouble and needs your help. You can help by reaching out and making your voice heard. There are a ton of things going on all over the US and the world, and I know it can be exhausting. I ask you to please summon some strength and use it to fight for The Post Office. I also highly recommend you vote in November. VOTE VOTE VOTE! I know every election feels like the biggest election of all time, but I really do believe this is the big one. Make your voice heard and vote! I will definitely have an upcoming Weekly Blog about voting, but for now, just make sure you vote in this upcoming election.
Wow, so I’m exhausted. If you liked that Weekly Blog, feel free to give it a like. I don’t always talk about these serious topics, but liking this Blog will let me know that you enjoy this stuff and want more of it. You can also Follow me here on WordPress if you don’t already. I try to create a positive and creative space here on the internet and I’d appreciate it if you want to join in! I am very thankful for all my readers new and old you support me and show me some love. It’s trying times like these that I lean on the people around me. Anyway, I’m tired. I think I need a nap.
Thanks again for reading and I hope you have a wonderful week!
-Allen_The_Writer
Header Photo Credit to The Change.org Petition to Save The USPS
https://www.change.org/p/save-the-usps
Allen The Writer 
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