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I hear ya and appreciate you bringing that quote. Sometimes we get so attached to party (people) that we forget about the laws. I guess I keep getting hit by t

I hear ya and appreciate you bringing that quote. Sometimes we get so attached to party (people) that we forget about the laws. I guess I keep getting hit by the "why now" part: is it worth privatizing the USPS now, which seems to save < $10B per year, to jeopardize the legitimacy of the election in a time of such deep uncertainty?

nickff 6y ago
Well, if I were in the executive branch and saw it as my priority, prerogative, and last chance to privatize the post office, I would probably do the same. In some ways, this is comparable to the situation with DACA, in that it was important to the party in control of the executive branch, they didn't have the ability to pass legislation, and they thought it had to get done urgently.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_...
- jimkleiber 6y ago
  But out of all things you could do before leaving office, in the middle of a pandemic, why would privatizing the post office be in the top 5? A small and maybe easy win amongst your crowd? Maybe this is so hard for me to see because I have very very fond memories of the post office. I had the same mail carrier deliver mail for almost all of my childhood. He became a pseudo-uncle to me. He was always there. And it's hard for me to imagine that people have anything but love and tenderness for the USPS.
  - nickff 6y ago
    Sounds like you had a great person as your point of contact with the USPS, and that it favorably shaped your view of the service at large. I have had mixed experiences with many different carriers, and have no particular fondness for any of the organizations, though some of the people (at each) have been very good, kind, and helpful. I don't know why this was a priority for people in the current administration, though I view privatization of the USPS as a generally laudable goal.
    - jimkleiber 6y ago
      Funny how sometimes I can be so embedded in my emotional experience of something that I can forget that others may have very different emotional experiences on the same thing. After all these comments, I'm probably still leaning towards wanting it to stay public, but more open to privatization, and still quite vehemently unconvinced that now is the time to make that change. Again, thank you for all the conversation.

nickff 6y ago

Well, if I were in the executive branch and saw it as my priority, prerogative, and last chance to privatize the post office, I would probably do the same. In some ways, this is comparable to the situation with DACA, in that it was important to the party in control of the executive branch, they didn't have the ability to pass legislation, and they thought it had to get done urgently.[1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_...

jimkleiber 6y ago
But out of all things you could do before leaving office, in the middle of a pandemic, why would privatizing the post office be in the top 5? A small and maybe easy win amongst your crowd? Maybe this is so hard for me to see because I have very very fond memories of the post office. I had the same mail carrier deliver mail for almost all of my childhood. He became a pseudo-uncle to me. He was always there. And it's hard for me to imagine that people have anything but love and tenderness for the USPS.
- nickff 6y ago
  Sounds like you had a great person as your point of contact with the USPS, and that it favorably shaped your view of the service at large. I have had mixed experiences with many different carriers, and have no particular fondness for any of the organizations, though some of the people (at each) have been very good, kind, and helpful. I don't know why this was a priority for people in the current administration, though I view privatization of the USPS as a generally laudable goal.
  - jimkleiber 6y ago
    Funny how sometimes I can be so embedded in my emotional experience of something that I can forget that others may have very different emotional experiences on the same thing. After all these comments, I'm probably still leaning towards wanting it to stay public, but more open to privatization, and still quite vehemently unconvinced that now is the time to make that change. Again, thank you for all the conversation.