Postmaster General Louis DeJoy appeared before the House of Representatives today to explain recent changes to the United States Postal Service. Those changes—removal of sorting machines and postboxes, and an end to overtime hours, for example—have drastically slowed mail delivery. Undelivered mail has piled up in USPS facilities, and there is real concern that the USPS will not be able to handle the volume of mail expected when large numbers of voters begin to return their mail-in ballots for the November election.
My limitless admiration for HCR's daily gift of concise and insightful perspective is rivaled (but not quite surpassed) by my gratitude for the raft of intelligent, civil, knowledgeable, and well-meaning posts by this grateful tribe of HCR devotees.
Thank you, Professor Richardson, for recapping yesterday’s news. I watched a video of some of Representative Katie Porter’s questioning of DeJoy. She is masterful. He came across as a spoiled no-nothing, completely unfit for his job. As for the RNC convention, I will read your summaries. Just the facts, just the facts.
DeJoy's contempt of Congress is a perfect reflection of Trump's own contempt of Congress and contempt of the Constitution. WashPo editorial on Sunday reprised their prescient rejection of Trump's candidacy in 2016 by noting that he had the brutal capacity to exploit the "fragility" of our democratic structure. How frighteningly insightful they were. If we survive Trump (conjectural), it will be imperative that the traditions of adherence become legal and enforceable laws, not just noble suggestions reliant upon voluntary compliance now shown to be unreliable.
I think yesterday's news day could be classified as a "you can't make this shit up" kind of day. Wow. I do hope that Republicans can see what their Party has sadly become and how it has affected this Country. Thanks for the civil recap of the day, Heather.
It's gotten to the point where Congressional hearings, where Republicans are being questioned, have turned into smug-fests where the witnesses are so disrespectful and condescending that in a court of law they'd be cited and fined for contempt. At some point this process, too, needs to be overhauled. Over the years, republicans have fostered an atmosphere of contempt for both the rule of law and civil discourse. I have a difficult time watching any of the hearings for an extended period of time because I get so angry.
I watched snippets of the convention, after the fact, and am still gob -smacked. The performances by politicians and hangers on were horrifying and manic; they will stop at nothing to maintain their base, including fascist theater.
We deserve better than what we've been handed. Thank you, Heather, for your tenacity and ability to sort through this mess day in and day out. We are better for it.
We must remember that Trump and Putin are a single entity at this point, so that when Trump indicates that he will not acknowledge defeat, this is Putin using him to destabilize American democracy. It's unclear how this impacts what our response should be, but it feels like we're missing an important point if we ignore it.
Well, I have read this AM that Falwell has withdrawn his resignation, and now there's an emergency meeting of the board of Liberty U. Given the story of Falwell's sexual activities, I can't believe the board will accept the withdrawal and will ask him to resign or be fired.
And there is no way I could watch the shit show that is the repub convention. Instead, I write postcards to dem voters, and chuckle that Michael Steele has joined the Lincoln Project. I watched him on Nicole Wallace yesterday and I've never seen him so worked up. Glad to have him helping in the demise of tRump and his mafia.
BTW, I have Facebook friends who want HCR merch! One had a good suggestion for a shirt. I" ❤️ HCR " on the front and "Live chat is where it's at" on the back.
After all the depressing news from the republicans, it is entertaining to hear that these ‘religious’ figures are such hypocrites. I grew up in charlotte with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. We call it the Pass the Loot club and he defended his gold faucets in his house as God doesn’t like junk. He went to prison for selling more timeshares in his hotel than he had. He also had an affair with his secretary Jessica Hahn. Now he spouts his vile prophecies on TV
"DeJoy seemed incensed that he had to answer to Congress; he rolled his eyes, laughed derisively at questions, and talked over the representatives. "
DeJoy had to know what questions he would be asked. Any normal administration would have briefed the executive in preparation for these appearances. It did not appear that DeJoy had any written materials for reference. Full disclosure: I don't know postcard rate, either.
I didn't have time to watch the proceedings, but it seems logical that questions focusing on annual volume of mail, both first class and bulk, as well as the seasonal fluctuations would be enlightening. I keep seeing claims (unverified by me) that 330M pieces of mail is only 75% of the average daily volume handled. That's not informative: What I want to know is how much excess capacity the system has to handle a short term 75% increase in mail volume while maintaining reasonable timeliness. Comparisons to Christmas card season would have been meaningful. Any differences in bulk versus first class delivery times?
Mail volume has been on the decline for a while, so I get the notion that some sorting machines or drop boxes may not be needed. A competent executive would have come to this hearing armed with that data to demonstrate that the hallmarks of the USPS delivery could and would be maintained with less infrastructure (a true cost-saving, efficiency purpose). A competent executive would have pointed out that the sorting machines being eliminated were at end of life or some other rationale for selecting which machines were removed. One doesn't simply willy-nilly toss a million dollar machine into a scrap bin in the parking lot. I know a master plan exists. Two years ago they eliminated a mail processing center in the town where I live. It was announced. People grumbled. Some jobs were lost. Now, even a letter going across town is collected, trucked about 40 miles to the closest processing center for sorting, and then trucked back for delivery. It added a day to the delivery time. The most interesting observation coming from that is that I started noticing a lot of XPO Logistics trucks on the highway between the main Post Office here and the distant sorting center. The truck have discrete markings indicating "US Mail".
I finished writing a batch of “get out the vote” postcards just before reading this post, and had a flash that slowing down the USPS now is also a way, given the zillions of similar postcards going out, to clog the works well in advance of the election. Not only is the timeliness of ballots being threatened, but the arrival of useful information on where to vote, how to vote early, and what procedures to follow.
So, that’s why Falwell. As for Night 1, I watched to the end. It was full of lies, as expected. Nothing surprising there-except that the lies still have the power to astonish me. The couple from St. Louis were riveting horrors. The first responders in the White House made me the saddest. In the end, I was reminded of all the Trumpeters in my PA family who frustrate or alarm me with their views and whom I find profoundly boring to be with and to listen to for so many reasons. Their lives appear to me devoid of color, short on ideas, and fueled by fear. They watch Fox News and repeat Trump’s lies. More of the shit show tonight on RNC Night 2. ❤️🤍💙
Treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma is a bit nuanced and perhaps deserves a bit more color. As a general approach, this method of treatment has a long history of success, based on well-established principles. There are many, many reasons to expect it to work, unlike the situation with, e.g., hydroxychloroquine. The concern with the FDA's announcement centers on a few different issues: efficacy (the lack of matched controls, although perhaps the greater concern focuses on logistical issues), exaggeration (it's hardly the major breakthrough their PR presents it as), and partisanship (claiming it as a victory for the administration, rather than for public health). For a more in-depth look, I recommend this piece: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/08/24/convalescent-plasma-the-science-and-the-politics
I admit that I wondered, when I heard that Cohen had been involved in the Falwell endorsement, if Falwell is trying to get ahead of something deeply embarrassing that is in Cohen's book.
My limitless admiration for HCR's daily gift of concise and insightful perspective is rivaled (but not quite surpassed) by my gratitude for the raft of intelligent, civil, knowledgeable, and well-meaning posts by this grateful tribe of HCR devotees.
Thank you, Professor Richardson, for recapping yesterday’s news. I watched a video of some of Representative Katie Porter’s questioning of DeJoy. She is masterful. He came across as a spoiled no-nothing, completely unfit for his job. As for the RNC convention, I will read your summaries. Just the facts, just the facts.
DeJoy's contempt of Congress is a perfect reflection of Trump's own contempt of Congress and contempt of the Constitution. WashPo editorial on Sunday reprised their prescient rejection of Trump's candidacy in 2016 by noting that he had the brutal capacity to exploit the "fragility" of our democratic structure. How frighteningly insightful they were. If we survive Trump (conjectural), it will be imperative that the traditions of adherence become legal and enforceable laws, not just noble suggestions reliant upon voluntary compliance now shown to be unreliable.
I think yesterday's news day could be classified as a "you can't make this shit up" kind of day. Wow. I do hope that Republicans can see what their Party has sadly become and how it has affected this Country. Thanks for the civil recap of the day, Heather.
It's gotten to the point where Congressional hearings, where Republicans are being questioned, have turned into smug-fests where the witnesses are so disrespectful and condescending that in a court of law they'd be cited and fined for contempt. At some point this process, too, needs to be overhauled. Over the years, republicans have fostered an atmosphere of contempt for both the rule of law and civil discourse. I have a difficult time watching any of the hearings for an extended period of time because I get so angry.
I watched snippets of the convention, after the fact, and am still gob -smacked. The performances by politicians and hangers on were horrifying and manic; they will stop at nothing to maintain their base, including fascist theater.
We deserve better than what we've been handed. Thank you, Heather, for your tenacity and ability to sort through this mess day in and day out. We are better for it.
We must remember that Trump and Putin are a single entity at this point, so that when Trump indicates that he will not acknowledge defeat, this is Putin using him to destabilize American democracy. It's unclear how this impacts what our response should be, but it feels like we're missing an important point if we ignore it.
Well, I have read this AM that Falwell has withdrawn his resignation, and now there's an emergency meeting of the board of Liberty U. Given the story of Falwell's sexual activities, I can't believe the board will accept the withdrawal and will ask him to resign or be fired.
And there is no way I could watch the shit show that is the repub convention. Instead, I write postcards to dem voters, and chuckle that Michael Steele has joined the Lincoln Project. I watched him on Nicole Wallace yesterday and I've never seen him so worked up. Glad to have him helping in the demise of tRump and his mafia.
BTW, I have Facebook friends who want HCR merch! One had a good suggestion for a shirt. I" ❤️ HCR " on the front and "Live chat is where it's at" on the back.
After all the depressing news from the republicans, it is entertaining to hear that these ‘religious’ figures are such hypocrites. I grew up in charlotte with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. We call it the Pass the Loot club and he defended his gold faucets in his house as God doesn’t like junk. He went to prison for selling more timeshares in his hotel than he had. He also had an affair with his secretary Jessica Hahn. Now he spouts his vile prophecies on TV
"DeJoy seemed incensed that he had to answer to Congress; he rolled his eyes, laughed derisively at questions, and talked over the representatives. "
DeJoy had to know what questions he would be asked. Any normal administration would have briefed the executive in preparation for these appearances. It did not appear that DeJoy had any written materials for reference. Full disclosure: I don't know postcard rate, either.
I didn't have time to watch the proceedings, but it seems logical that questions focusing on annual volume of mail, both first class and bulk, as well as the seasonal fluctuations would be enlightening. I keep seeing claims (unverified by me) that 330M pieces of mail is only 75% of the average daily volume handled. That's not informative: What I want to know is how much excess capacity the system has to handle a short term 75% increase in mail volume while maintaining reasonable timeliness. Comparisons to Christmas card season would have been meaningful. Any differences in bulk versus first class delivery times?
Mail volume has been on the decline for a while, so I get the notion that some sorting machines or drop boxes may not be needed. A competent executive would have come to this hearing armed with that data to demonstrate that the hallmarks of the USPS delivery could and would be maintained with less infrastructure (a true cost-saving, efficiency purpose). A competent executive would have pointed out that the sorting machines being eliminated were at end of life or some other rationale for selecting which machines were removed. One doesn't simply willy-nilly toss a million dollar machine into a scrap bin in the parking lot. I know a master plan exists. Two years ago they eliminated a mail processing center in the town where I live. It was announced. People grumbled. Some jobs were lost. Now, even a letter going across town is collected, trucked about 40 miles to the closest processing center for sorting, and then trucked back for delivery. It added a day to the delivery time. The most interesting observation coming from that is that I started noticing a lot of XPO Logistics trucks on the highway between the main Post Office here and the distant sorting center. The truck have discrete markings indicating "US Mail".
I finished writing a batch of “get out the vote” postcards just before reading this post, and had a flash that slowing down the USPS now is also a way, given the zillions of similar postcards going out, to clog the works well in advance of the election. Not only is the timeliness of ballots being threatened, but the arrival of useful information on where to vote, how to vote early, and what procedures to follow.
Why is it always some kind of sexual conflagration that brings down purported religious icons?
How to see the entire RNC in 15 minutes: rent "Fantasia" and scroll through to the "Night on Bald Mountain" segment.
So, that’s why Falwell. As for Night 1, I watched to the end. It was full of lies, as expected. Nothing surprising there-except that the lies still have the power to astonish me. The couple from St. Louis were riveting horrors. The first responders in the White House made me the saddest. In the end, I was reminded of all the Trumpeters in my PA family who frustrate or alarm me with their views and whom I find profoundly boring to be with and to listen to for so many reasons. Their lives appear to me devoid of color, short on ideas, and fueled by fear. They watch Fox News and repeat Trump’s lies. More of the shit show tonight on RNC Night 2. ❤️🤍💙
Treating COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma is a bit nuanced and perhaps deserves a bit more color. As a general approach, this method of treatment has a long history of success, based on well-established principles. There are many, many reasons to expect it to work, unlike the situation with, e.g., hydroxychloroquine. The concern with the FDA's announcement centers on a few different issues: efficacy (the lack of matched controls, although perhaps the greater concern focuses on logistical issues), exaggeration (it's hardly the major breakthrough their PR presents it as), and partisanship (claiming it as a victory for the administration, rather than for public health). For a more in-depth look, I recommend this piece: https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/08/24/convalescent-plasma-the-science-and-the-politics
I admit that I wondered, when I heard that Cohen had been involved in the Falwell endorsement, if Falwell is trying to get ahead of something deeply embarrassing that is in Cohen's book.