By Ashley Dionne for The Liberty Block
Fredic Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, the national labor union of the U.S. Postal Service, yesterday endorsed Joe Biden for President of The United States. We may be getting too used to government picking winners and losers if we’re going to allow a federal agency to decide for us the outcomes of our elections. If the very people who will be delivering, or not delivering, mail-in ballots endorse one presidential candidate over another, every voter will be forced to question the integrity of the election. On April 24th, in a press conference, Trump said he would not approve a 10 billion dollar loan for the U.S. Postal Service unless the agency raises charges for Amazon and other big shippers. Despite this, Democrats claim he wants to defund the agency. If Trump did want to defund the USPS, this would be a rational idea.
According to The U.S. Accountability Office, as of 2018, the USPS had lost $69 billion over the past 11 years, including 3.9 billion in 2018 alone. Ironically, $3.9 billion is the exact same amount Democrats now say they will need this year to equip the failing agency for the surge of mail-in votes they are hoping for in 2020. Additionally, they are asking for $25 billion dollars to, “Shore up,” the long-sinking ship of ineptitude that is the United States Postal Service.
In any logically-run business, a department bleeding money for years would be cut. But the government is anything but logically-run. It is well past time for privatization of mail-carrying. At a time when even Republicans are losing their reputation for fiscal conservatism, when a president does call for some fiscal responsibility, he should be celebrated, not demonized. Especially when the same agency with its feet held justly to the fire will now have a personal vendetta against him.
Fortunately, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases today told ABC News, “…if carefully done, according to the guidelines, there’s no reason I can see,” why Americans cannot vote in person. Coming from Fauci, who has been arguably much more cautious than necessary, this speaks volumes. A labor union, unwilling to accept responsibility for its failures, angry at the person who aims to hold them accountable, should not be a deciding factor in this election cycle. It is time to let both the idea of widespread mail-in voting and the USPS itself die a much deserved and natural death.
