The U.S. Post Services is among the essential businesses operating during the coronavirus epidemic. Millions of Americans are relying more heavily on mail service for the delivery of food, medication, personal protective equipment, and other products more difficult to obtain under the shelter at home order. The elderly and the disabled are primarily dependent on postal delivery for essentials. Why then is Trump defiant about including funding for the U.S. Postal Service in the Care Act? The possible answers to that question are disturbing.
- His jealousy towards Jeff Beso’s success is so pathological that damaging Amazon financially is more important to him than Americans getting vital supplies they need to preserve their health.
- He wants to weaken the quality and scope of mail delivery to sabotage voter turnout in the 2020 election.
- He is vindictive towards Amazon, FedEx, and UPS and their relationship with the USPS to deliver “last mile” service to rural and remote areas. Package delivery has become a growing, thriving part of the Postal Service’s business.
- He does not know how to run a business, let alone a country (note his many bankruptcies, cash flow issues, legal problems, and the ballooning debt and deficit since he took office).
The Washington Post published an article this week titled, “White House Rejects Bailout for U.S. Postal Service Battered By the Coronavirus.” Postmaster General Megan Brennan is said to have asked lawmakers for $50 billion to offset lost revenue from the lessening mail volume due to the coronavirus and for ‘modernization” of the service. Additional loans are also being negotiated to help save the USPS, which some predict may not be solvent after September 30th of this year.In response to the pleas from the Postmaster-General, White House officials are quoted as saying Trump would not sign anything that included such a bailout for postal service.Lawmakers attempted to provide a direct grant of 13 million dollars the Postal Service would not have to repay. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin blocked that effort declaring the only help he would approve for the Postal Service would be a loan. Trump seems disinterested in the fact that the Postal Service may lose over $2 billion each month during the coronavirus epidemic. The postal workers are working harder than ever during the COVID-19 crisis while risking their own health to deliver much-needed essentials to the American people. Once again, we are seeing another example of a government agency, business entity, or individual suffering because of the cold, incompetent, dictatorial ideology of Trump and his Administration.Trump is also against the attempts to strengthen the vote-by-mail movement as he fears it will favor Democrats. He seems to be attempting to cripple the USPS, hoping to negatively impact the efficiency of the vote by mail to either hurt Democrats or give him an excuse to declare any result, not in favor of him is an illegitimate result.When America elects a president who governs based on what is best for him and not the country, the result is a weakened democracy, a move towards autocracy, and financial and moral disaster for all citizens of both parties. Democratic efforts to protect the vote of all Americans is strengthened if we can preserve the integrity and solvency of the United States Postal Service. If Trump does not receive psychotherapy to treat his weak ego and narcissism, he will continue to make decisions that will cost people their lives, livelihood, and hope.
