The Post Office/mail-in ballots controversy.

[pdudgeon]

Protesters Gather Outside Postmaster General's D.C. Home Amid Growing Concerns Over USPS Restructuring

Perhaps you have seen or watched news briefs that bring up the subject of the Post Office and their reduction of hours, etc. lately.

That hasn't seemed to strike up much ruckus, so now one party is complaining about the delivery of the mail in ballots expected in November.

The problem is that everyone is "connecting the wrong dots"!
The ballots are just the tip of the ice burg.

The real reason for the scale back on postal service is directly related to the Covid Plague, and the resulting deaths that keep on mounting up every day.

More deaths equals fewer postal customers, and that equals less mail to sort and deliver.

That shortage of people sending and receiving mail will take many years to recover from, and to build the postal service back up to the business that it is today.
Some forward-looking people are recognizing the handwriting on the wall, and are taking steps now to deal with what is coming down the track.

The plague hasn't been controlled or halted yet, which means that, among other effects, the Post Office is still loosing it's customers, and there's no end in sight.

That's what they are preparing for.
That's why they are scaling back on deliveries and floor space for sorting machines.

The election is a one day event that happens every 4 years, and can be handled.
What the Post office is preparing for is a decade at least of lost business for a way that hasn't been felt for generations.

 

[pdudgeon]

I want to make sure I understand what you’re stating. You believe that the USPS is scaling back operations because so many people have died and so many more will die Covid-19 Related deaths that there will be markedly less call for mail delivery, is that right?

yes, that is what I am stating. With respect to all who have died, and to all who will die from the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is an indisputable fact that the pandemic will affect lives, and that not everyone will recover. Thus the economy will take a hit, and the effects will be felt in every group or segment of our population.

One of the reasons that the effects will be severe is that it is hitting the older generation--those who are more likely to depend upon the Postal Service--harder than other age ranges.

The second reason that the effects will be felt for a longer period of time than would otherwise be affected by other illnesses (like a flu bug) is that our population is already either at or below the replacement rate that would help to buffer the effects of many widespread deaths.

So to sum up, fewer people sending and receiving mail equals an economic hit in the budget for the Post Office. One that will last for years to come.

That's why they are scaling down their operations.

 

[Xenophon]

No, there is an increase in packages because of Amazon or whatnot. Most packages go through the USPS - even if it also goes through Fedex or UPS. You're talking about a service that handles almost 50% of the world's mail.

The problem is that usually some routes are covered by overtime - overtime is expensive, but the increase of packages means that overtime was being overused. They are filling the vacant routes now.

It is a reduction of hours when you go from 60-80 hours to a cap at 40 hours.