The Republicans are up to their usual dirty tricks, and they must be stopped.

Thank you for all the comments, be sure to visit us at the NH Labor News and read more about the issues with the USPS. This author, Bill Brickley, creates a weekly post for the NH Labor News.

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Good luck to ALL of us.

but I would also like to point out that the NH Union Leader is about the most extreme RW rag on the planet. Having spent a number of years living in NH I can honestly say that I have never, to this day, seen anything as RW and full of unadulterated BS in printed form. And I live in a very red western state where there's some pretty RW rubbish slung around. That rag is so full of propaganda, it has always been that way and reminds me of a vicious high school newspaper that hates everybody but the rich peoples' kids and even some of them get skewered on a regular basis. I used to use it to light the woodstove and as liner in the cat box.

And I would like to say, also, that a couple months ago I was standing in our rural PO while the clerks were all busy and the one working the counter was getting a package for a client in the back, a line began to form. Some old butthead redneck happened in and found he was about fourth in line and started to complain about how slow the service was... he wasn't a local and had no idea that half the staff had just been laid off a couple weeks prior... he was blaming Obama for the fact that he had to wait and that the service was slow. I turned around and faced this piece of rubbish and informed him that there were only two workers, one was putting mail in the boxes (we don't have delivery service and everybody has a box) and the other was getting a package. He started on the "no wonder Congress was cutting them, see how awful they are making me wait in line" rag. When I interrupted him and informed him that he could thank his Republican Congressional representatives since they were the ones that created this situation so that he had to wait in line. The rest of the locals standing there gave him a dirty look and he shut up. They all thanked me for my comment as I was leaving after my transaction was done.

People can be so stupid, they don't pay attention to the reasons why this kind of crap is happening because they don't read or pay attention to what the government actually does... they can't be bothered.

Just had to share that, thanks for all the work you folks do, it's not easy. I use the PO on purpose when I could use other services, just because... and I send things to NH often. Thank you for your service and for this essay.

After living in NH for many years, I have come to realize that the Union Leader (the only unionized newspaper in NH) is as my friend above said. A Newt loving, RW propaganda machine. The editorial that attacks the post office was most likely written by their main editor Drew Cline. He pushes his and the GOP issues like Right To Work and other things. The problem is that no matter how 'red' the Union Leader bleeds, it is the largest paper in NH. It is hard to combat against a newspaper who distributes to 30% of NH.

That does not mean we do not try.

We (my fellow bloggers and union members) work hard to spread our message of solidarity and Truth. We want people to be informed about what they are doing to the USPS as well as many other union related issues. We are also all progressives (not all dems, but progressives. Currently that means he sides with us dems). We are slowly growing our blog and getting our message out there. Above I posted a couple of links on the USPS. Two of the posts were directed at Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Those posts were viewed over 30k times combined. That is 30k people who did not know about what he had planned before they read it.

The best thing you can do for the NH Labor News is to subscribe to our blog at http://nhlabornews.com/ . You can get a once a day email with highlights from all of our posts. Then LIKE Us on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NHLaborNews) and follow on twitter (https://twitter.com/NHLABOR_NEWS) and share the hell out of it. (the NH Labor News is on just about every social media outlet around, just search for us on your favorite) Send it to your friends, post it on their wall, tweet it to them, Retweet often, and most of all read it and learn. I will do my best to post to the DU more often as well.

I am sorry if this sounds like I am begging for followers, however sometimes you just have to give yourself a little plug.

Thank you all and I am glad you enjoyed this post.
Sincerely
Matt,
Creator, Editor, Blogger,
The NH Labor News.

and I totally agree with what has been said about the Union Leader. It is a rag.

Their whole intent was to force this humongous financial burden on the Post Office, which they figured would eventual drive them out of business. Their clients/friends, UPS, FEDEX, etc., would then pick up all that new business and of course, they themselves would be rewarded with more contributions, campaign and otherwise (wink, wink). The public and businesses would be hurt badly because we all know that UPS and FEDEX are not going to delivery anything for 45 cents. Try four dollars and 50 cents, and it won't be door-to-door either because neither of those companies have the infrastructure and employees to go from house-to-house throughout the country, urban, suburban and rural, like the Post Office does everyday. if the repugs greedy plan comes to fruition huge mail pick-up centers instead of everyday home delivery are probably in our future.

Mark my words "fiscal cliff" is cover for raiding SS.

Great post.

And rec it too?



Well, OK.

About this un-American travesty being carried out by the far right. It is an anti union effort that will hurt the nation's economy.

Man these right wing nutters anger me sometimes.

We need to get on Congresses ass and eliminate this provision. They are simply hell bent on destroying stuff. Sad we couldn't get the house back from the election, but we can still have sway as to policy that we think is good--dispite their prejudices and discusting mindset toward the middle class.

Issa is a jerk, we know that... He is no longer my representative, redistricting has its positives and negatives. Issa was put into a safe area.

Yes, we can ... afford it.

If true?

They not only want this President to fail.

They want to bring the entire country to it's knees. They want America to fail!

They are traitors in every sense of the word! Let us continue to spread the word. Let us say no.

I have traveled all over the world and used postal service in a wide range of countries. I can confirm from personal experience that USPS is Tops.

I find it amazing that very few people know how much the USPS has been screwed by the GOP.

And for a service that's mandated in the Constitution. (Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution, called the "Postal Clause), I'm appalled by anyone who suggests that the service should be abolished or replaced by commercial couriers (who won't deliver rural mail for a loss)

Thanks for the post.

He is one of the biggest supports of the Postal Unions, and the USPS. He is helping to fight back against the cuts to the USPS

R&

Is there any other country in the world that is trying to destroy its postal service? I haven't heard of any.

Proud union member here! Chris Matthews made a good point on his show - every time you make cuts in federal spending, that's a check that won't be going out to someone. Someone who may be disabled. Someone who may be a veteran. Someone who may need the help to keep her kids fed.

Cutting federal spending all too often means laying people off. Getting rid of JOBS. This from the self-styled GOP "job creators."

Their relentless and willful idiocy and contrarianism make me sick to my stomach sometimes.

are the people who can least afford it. I see them every day - the sick, the disabled, the unemployed, and the elderly, Those who are just barely getting by and they're the ones who are supposed to suck it up so the oil companies can get their subsidies and the CEO's can get their huge bonuses while their companies go bankrupt and companies making record profits get tax rebates even though they paid NO taxes.

It is about time we focus on who the "entitled" really are. They've been running this scam long enough.

My brother became a Postal Service Worker when he returned from Vietnam. People seem to think it's such an easy job but I know for a fact that he works his butt off. I'm so sick of the union busting maggots in this country, and now another union leader - disgusting.

Do you think there will be a petition of support that we can sign?

The USPO has one of the largest, if not the largest, unionized work forces in this Country. It is usually assumed that unions support Democrats during elections, and that is exactly why the Republicans would like it to go under.

Republicans have no shame.

Sam

here is the link

http://deliveringforamerica.com/take-action/

Go get em NALC!

USPS forever! One more reason we HAVE TO WIN BACK THE CONGRESS IN 2014! GWB and the Corporate Repubs did so much damage to this country in those 8 long years, and it's going to take as long to clean up the mess. Shame on the Manchester Union Leader for misrepresenting the facts and Issa for preventing HR 1351 from coming to the floor for a vote in the House.

I can't wait to print this out for my home letter carrier (who's a Union Rep) and my office carrier. Thanks for posting. :kick:

and heartily recommended.

I Love the USPS... use them everyday for work and personal...

but services other than that, the ones you have to go to an actual post office for are abysmal in my neck of the woods (Nothern Manhattan. They have decidedly worker-unfriendly hours and long lines for every service. Whenever possible I opt for another form of delivery of packages.

I can even request additional services to be added (tracking, return receipt, signature required, etc.) The priority and express packages are cheaper than FedEx and when you purchase online, you get an additional discount for some shipments.

My family & the business I work for uses USPS extensively and we haven't had to go to an actual post office to ship anything in years unless we need to pick something up and even then, we have gone online and requested a redelivery if one of us or are neighbors were going to be at home at a specific time.

Now, if they only started shipping wine, I could be done with FedEx forever.

"Roy Mayall", the pseudonym of Royal Mail worker who faces the same political pressures about privatisation, pensions and so on. His writing for the London Review of Books blog:
http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/author/roy-mayall/
and his own blog:
http://roymayall.wordpress.com/

your scoop was a hit and glad for it.

This story needs to be heard by all Americans! I have a small eBay business and the USPS has been fantastic!! I'm sick of the "total failure" image being unfairly projected. It's time to stand proudly with the great postal employees!

on the pension fund payments. It's just another way to "starve the beast" of government services. This has been going on since Reagan and Norquist has been a big part of it.

Solidarity with the USPS!

I am sending Christmas cards this year and will buy Christmas postage from the PO. I loved our postman. He was so dear. He never made a mistake and was our friend of long standing. He evidently retired, and since then, the mail has been messed up several times. I know the new guy will get it, so am not worried. I trust the Post Office.

I will not use another carrier, if it is my choice. What we do about the shipping from online orders is another thing, however. We have no choice there. Perhaps less online shopping?

I was talking with a Postal Worker that I know voted for GWB, twice, and strongly suspect voted for Reagan, too. He told me his reason for voting straight Democratic was because "a gop controlled government, with romney at the helm ... a proven privitizer ... would result in his losing his job."

I sarcastically offered, "Well, there'll be plenty of jobs at Fedex!" (

He responded, "Yeah, for half the hours and a third the pay and since I'm 50 yrs old, a virtual certainty that if I get hired, I'll be 'At-Will unemployed' within 5 years."

I think some workersare starting to get it.

Now we know why the pukes want to destroy the system so they can steal the money.

for sharing this

Id just like to say though that I hate the daily annoyance of the mail.

Id gladly pay three times the going rate in order not to get junk mail

Woo Hoo what a scam.

Deliver a letter across the country for under .50 and in three days or less? Ship orchids across country for a flat rate in three days or less? What's not to like?!

I'm union and I'm proud to be so.

Congress requires the next 75 years of retirement funds be paid upfront for postal workers.
And yet they have raided the Social Security fund for years?

Another point is they want to privatize everything. Schools, Postal Service etc. The 75 year requirement is just a ploy in the Republican strategy to "starve the beast".

How seriously fucked up is that?

No other company. No other ENTITY in the world is forced to fund health care and retirement for people WHO HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN BORN YET!

People in NH looking for unbiased news read the Concord Monitor. The Union Leader has a larger readership, but a crappy reputation. William Loeb, who built the paper, was super right-wing, would have loved Fox News. His widow, Nackey Loeb, was pretty much just as bad. She's gone now too, but the paper still persists in it's RW leanings.

I love the concord monitor. They at least try to be unbiased or fair. They tend to lean a little left when they talk about schools and budgets but mostly they hold the middle. They also are not shy about attacking the Current (soon to be former) Speaker of the NH House Bill O'Brien and his anti-union RTW 4 Less legislation as well as his dictatorship leadership style.