Summary

Donald Trump is considering privatizing the US Postal Service due to its financial losses, a move that could disrupt shipping and push hundreds of thousands of federal workers out of government.

Citing the USPS’s financial losses, Trump argued the agency should not rely on government subsidies.

While his specific privatization plans remain unclear, Trump previously clashed with the USPS during his first term, attempting to shift control of key functions like labor relations and rate-setting to the Treasury Department.

This move could significantly alter the structure and operations of the USPS if implemented.

  • @PenguinMage@lemmy.world
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    832 days ago

    Every thing the gop has done to the usps had hurt it more… but everytime I hear “it doesn’t make money” well it did before the absolutely idiotic idea to make sure pensions were super funded forward. Ontop of that. Why the fuck does a government organization need to make money? I hate this whole “run a country like a business” bullshit so much. Money makes everything worse.

    • tb_
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      232 days ago

      Same for public transit.

      A bit of compensation isn’t a crazy idea, but it doesn’t have to break even with the money it does bring in. It’s not like we have a ton of toll roads either, it’s not an issue to spend billions on another lane or two.

    • @Wogi@lemmy.world
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      292 days ago

      USPS doesn’t lose a dime. It’s a service. It costs money to run.

      You know, like a government office does.

    • @buttfarts@lemy.lol
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      218 hours ago

      The GOP exists to oppose anything that serves the common good. They exist to transfer public wealth to private interests. That is their entire mandate

      • @PenguinMage@lemmy.world
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        110 hours ago

        Which is why they want to privatize everything… easier to grift from. I just find it hilarious that they take full power, fuck everything up, lose power and point to things saying “see it doesn’t work!” And their lapdogs just eat it up. Yes when you cripple something it will fail, and then you blame it or the dems and hey you get to do it again!

    • skulblaka
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      73 days ago

      The beatings will continue until a revolution begins

      Just like the first time

  • Nougat
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    723 days ago

    Citing the USPS’s financial losses, Trump argued the agency should not rely on government subsidies.

    It already doesn’t. USPS is entirely internally funded. What a fucking idiot.

  • @GiddyGap@lemm.ee
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    32 days ago

    I’m actually surprised that the USPS still exists in its current form. In several European countries, there’s now very limited postal service because people just aren’t sending regular mail anymore. It’s all email and packages. As a result, public postal service have either been more or less shut down or privatized into a parcel service.

  • @yesman@lemmy.world
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    233 days ago

    I’m not an accelerationist, but what’s left to do now except bathe in the worm glow of our country burning down?

    There is no arguing that America doesn’t deserve all the bad things, and maybe a good old fashioned conflagration would straighten the survivors out for a generation or two.

    • @blackbelt352@lemmy.world
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      43 days ago

      Because a lot of mostly innocent people get hurt the most when it all collapses around us, and most likely you’ll also be hit by the effects of the collapse. It’s why it’s so important we work to fix the broken things and change what is wrong, and to be there for other people when things do break down rather than just wipe our hands and let the whole thing fall uncontrolled and unprepared.

    • queermunist she/her
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      163 days ago

      I’m not an accelerationist, but what’s left to do now except bathe in the worm glow of our country burning down?

      Well it’s certainly not enough to just luxuriate in the chaos. Every time Trump makes things worse it’s our job to point it out and explain why he’s doing it. People won’t radicalize on their own! They’ll just blame immigrants and woke and DEI etc etc.

      • @yesman@lemmy.world
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        43 days ago

        Do you hear yourself? You want revolution through explaining?

        Trump supporters are not confused progressives. Trump is what America wants, He’s what America is. He’s what America deserves. Trump is more American than bullets and ground beef. He hasn’t overthrown the founders, he’s fulfilled their vision. We’re not going to change that by scolding people on the internet.

        I understand, I used to think just like you. I used to be a patriot. I’ve voted for every Democrat presidential nominee from Gore to Harris. But these days I’m writing to the State to take my name off those goddam rolls. I suppose you’ll take a dim view of that, but no bullshit about civic duty, democracy, or engagement could ever compare to the tangible material benefit of avoiding jury duty.

        I don’t wanna save America anymore. In fact I think her decline is funny and I’m tired of pretending it’s not.

        • queermunist she/her
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          3 days ago

          Who gives a shit about Trump supporters? The vast majority didn’t vote for Trump if you count non-voters.

          Also don’t dare call me a patriot. Death to America!

          No arguments that the internet is a worthless place to educate people, though. This is just for fun.

  • @CitricBase@lemmy.world
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    1133 days ago

    The postal service doesn’t lose money, it costs money.

    By this logic, the interstate highway system and the military both lose billions! Is Trump going to privatize them too?

  • @Freefall@lemmy.world
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    363 days ago

    It isn’t a business, it is a service, it costs money that our taxes pay, so we don’t have to pay shitty private companies. (And it still makes money) “Let’s make the Mail just like ISPs” is a stupid take.

    • Nougat
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      53 days ago

      … it costs money that our taxes pay …

      Nope. USPS is entirely internally funded. No tax money goes to it at all.

      • @Subdivide6857@midwest.social
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        2 days ago

        Fun fact, lots of ISPs basically are, and Trump wants to ruin that as well. The coop I work for has a FANTASTIC network, and the pay is excellent as well. If it becomes a shitty profit seeking private company, that will all change.

  • Laurel Raven
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    673 days ago

    Oh, the financial losses that can be directly linked back to Louis DeJoy’s actions while in charge to actively sabotage the service, the same DeJoy that Trump appointed to sabotage the service?

    They murdered it so they could sell it off, don’t let them claim otherwise

      • @teamevil@lemmy.world
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        62 days ago

        In 06 the Republican Congress decided USPS was too profitable and they imposed funding pensions out for 75 years.

      • Stern
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        122 days ago

        USPS is obligated to deliver everywhere. Uncle Steve who lives out in the middle of buttfuck nowhere gets mail service just like Cousin Roger who lives in the middle of town. Shocking literally no one, having to deliver to multiple Uncle Steve’s costs way more money then it brings in.

        Then there’s inflation, and also just less folks sending mail as a general thing because e-mail is instantaneous and free.

        The pension funding requirement was the overwhelming majority of their losses, but that’s been resolved as of 2022.

        https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/06/politics/biden-postal-service-reform-law-signing/index.html

  • Meh. The usps delivers mostly junk mail. Occasionally they deliver a bill. The packages they deliver could be covered by others. There will be gaps in rural areas of course. But those are the people who steadfastly vote for smaller government. So they most be okay with it. I say, let it go. Junk mail will cease because a private business would have to charge to much. Bills and such would go electronic… like the denial letter from anthem that they rufused to tell me the contents of. That all sounds good to me.

    • Flying Squid
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      143 days ago

      You know what else the USPS delivers? Anything to a rural address that UPS and FedEx and the others won’t deliver to. Because those private companies can refuse to deliver to places but the USPS can’t. And you know what is in those packages? Things not easily gotten to rural places. Like medication.