Just a drop of Insanity

I wash just closely followed and taped by a man at a convention today. The only reason I’m here to talk about it is because of said reblogged tips. They might have just saved me.

When I saw that man behind me, I did a run-through of everything I knew to keep me safe. Everything I saw on this website that would help me. First, I made sure I was being followed. I picked up my pace, went around tables sporadically, mixed up my directions. I never stopped moving. When I saw he was still the same distance behind me, I knew.

Second, I looked for my friends. I had come with three other people and had split up to look at merch. But when I couldn’t find them, I did what I never thought I’d have to do. I thank all of the people I followed for reblogging it so many times.

I picked a random cosplayer my age (a Midoriya cosplayer of 15-16 years) and pretended that I just met a long lost friend. I leaned in close to give them a hug and then whispered that I was being followed. They understood IMMEDIATELY and let me follow them to a different booth. It wasn’t until I grouped with them that the man stopped following me. I later went to security and the man was already someone who they were having trouble with earlier.

In 2006 – Republicans in Congress passed a poison pill piece of legislation forcing the Post Office to pre-fund retiree health benefits 75 years out into the future – basically funding benefits for future employees who aren’t even born yet. The Postal Service has to do this by giving the Treasury $5.5 billion every single year. That’s a requirement that no business, or any government agency has ever had to comply with. And it’s the reason why the Post Office is going bankrupt today and looking into closing down post offices, laying off workers, and cutting down delivery service.

So why is all this happening? Because the Postal Service employs hundreds of thousands of unionized workers – where as private mail carriers like UPS and Fed Ex do not. Republicans – in their non-stop war on labor – realized that they could hurt unions by bankrupting the Postal Service. That’s what they did in 2006, and their plan is working today.

This is a screen shot of me buying a shipping label for an 8oz package from WA to NJ via USPS.

This is a screen shot of me buying a shipping label for an 8oz package to the same address via FedEx. 

Don’t forget, sellers need to charge a little extra to cover their packing materials and such.

So do you want to pay $4-$5 shipping, or do you want to pay $13 - $14 shipping?

Oh, and notice that USPS has an estimated arrival date of September 2nd vs FedEx September 6th.