If all you watch and read is the mainstream media, you're probably convinced that the U.S. Postal Service is on the brink of bankruptcy, desperately in need of a bailout that taxpayers will have to pay for. The leaders and managers of the Postal Service have contributed to this view by telling people across the country that the USPS is … Read More
How fast can you close a post office?
How fast can you close a post office? Not as fast as the Postal Service would like. But luckily for the USPS, they have a new computer tool to help them speed up the process. More on that, but first some background. Under current law (US Code Title 39) and regulations (Code of Federal Regulations—CFR 39), it takes the Postal … Read More
The times they are a changin: New Deal P.O. in Fairfield, for sale, maybe
Settled in 1639, Fairfield, Connecticut is one of the oldest towns in the country, and the people of Fairfield were among the earliest followers of the cause for independence in the Revolutionary War. In 1779 the British burned the town to the ground in retaliation. At Fairfield’s center is the Historic District, which contains 75 buildings in a variety of … Read More
The Face of the Post Office: New Deal P.O. in Eugene, for sale
It’s the usual story. The Postal Service owns a beautiful downtown post office that’s been a thriving hub for decades. Then it moves most of the postal workers to another facility, a non-descript annex on the edge of town or in another city. After a few years the Postal Service says, “the building is much bigger than we need,” and … Read More
How to Privatize the Post Office: Piece by piece, step by step
Think it would take an act of Congress to privatize the postal system? They’ve been privatizing the post office for four decades, piece by piece, step by step. It’s called “piecemeal privatization,” and it works like this. Step One: Marketization Marketization is “the process that enables state-owned enterprises to act like market-oriented firms.” It’s achieved by reducing government subsidies, deregulation, … Read More
Modesto Update: Going, going
The New Deal post office (1933) in Modesto CA is being auctioned off, and you can follow the bidding action on the General Services Administration (GSA) auction site (it’s one of the featured properties at the top). The auction started on June 9, with a minimum opening bid of $100,000. As of July 5, three bidders were competing, and the … Read More
Fish Stories: New Deal P.O. in Geneva IL, for sale
In 1843 women's rights advocate Margaret Fuller, on a road trip around the country, stopped for a few days in Geneva, Illinois, a new settlement on the western fringe of Chicago. In her book Summer on the Lakes, she wrote that it reminded her of a New England village, and she discovered many New Englanders living there, "generous, intelligent, discreet, … Read More