Trash Here

if you haven’t heard, tr*mp is refusing to help the postal service financially during this pandemic (and beyond) in an effort to starve it of funds/resources and kill it off so it can be privatized. also:

obviously this is not great, as tons of us rely on the USPS for all kinds of different reasons, and the privatization of this essential service would have a dramatic effect on the entire nation. namely: voting by mail would become nonexistent (❗️), and the cost of shipping mail and goods will change astronomically.

if this sounds terrible to you (and if you live in the us, then it should!), then text USPS to 50409 to sign the petition and instantly send a signed letter to your senators and representatives. it’s fast, easy, and it’s action that you can take right now.

the letter urges your senators to make the financial support of the USPS a priority, and outlines why the USPS is an essential service in our country that must be defended. here’s my letter:

don’t want to use the text service/send an electronic letter? mail a paper letter to your senator’s office.

you can also call your senators and house representatives at (202)224-3121 and urge them to support the USPS financially.

you can also buy a roll of stamps right now to help financially support the USPS on an individual level!

in conclusion: please take a minute to help support the USPS in any way you can. this is an important issue that affects all of us here in the US.

it would be AWESOME if you could reblog this & spread it, or if you’d rather not reblog this post, then i encourage you to make your own post on the social media of your choice and share with your friends.

The American Postal Workers Union has a good explainer on this, as well as Last Week Tonight. Even before Trump’s DRASTIC directive to screw over USPS, a 2006 law from the Bush administration and Republican-led Congress has basically slowly led to the US postal service’s decline, and this is a final nail in the coffin.

The TLDR is that that 2006 law required the USPS to pre-fund postal workers health care benefits for 75 years, which meant they had to have money for employees who weren’t even BORN yet.

Here is more on this issue:

Also, the issue with Trump’s latest target at the USPS isn’t just refusing coronavirus aid. His new appointee to lead it is now purposely handing down directives to restrict employee overtime and late delivery trips so that mail delays start to pile up. The guiding slogan was “every piece, every day.” Now it’s “get in, get out.” Just like Betsy Devos forcing schools to reopen, this will destroy trust in these systems, force reliance on private companies, which is exactly what Trump and the businesspeople he appoints want a) as capitalists and b) to surpress people further as they become more reliant on worse and more expensive services.

Contact your senators! Just send them a quick email telling them to get their butts in gear! pass S. 2965

Interestingly, reverse image search brought up this photo, which appears to be a capture of the exact same moment, just from a different angle: 

Nepalese farmers throw mud at each other in a paddy field in Tau-Daha village on the outskirts of Kathmandu on June 29, 2010. The farmers are celebrating National Paddy Day on ‘Asar 15’ of the Nepali calendar as the annual rice planting season begins. AFP PHOTO/Prakash MATHEMA

Two more photos of continued vibe checking, also from Prakash Mathema [1] [2]

And a personal favourite from 2018 (in Lele village):