by Chuck Levin

Saving the United States Postal Service and stopping disingenuous forces from dismantling and privatizing it must be a national priority.

We have witnessed the destruction of our post office and that must end, service levels must be restored and expanded, postage rates reduced; PO box rental prices slashed and new PO boxes added, local post offices re-opened, mail boxes that this postmaster general blatantly confiscated weeks before a national election must all be returned; and of course new management immediately.

Our post office is a beloved public institution, it is vital to our economy, infrastructure, communication and central to the life of small towns, plus big cities — Santa Monica included.

The historic USPS is an essential public entity, not a for-profit business, or to be plundered by special interests as the current postmaster not only permits but invites.

Why was our nation's postal system targeted for destruction ?

1. Commercial competitors knew the demise of the post office would increase their bottom line.

2. Special interests looked at eliminating labor unions representing - letter carriers, truck drivers, clerks and mail handlers.

3. those on capitol hill who hate everything public and crave everything private.

This sabotage has been an intermittent scheme for 50 years, and these last 17 months the sabotage was escalated by "postmaster general " Louis De Joy. He has ridiculed the postal service mission and it is right for President Biden to make the removal of this unapologetic enemy of this once revered institution a priority. President Biden can appoint new members of the USPS board of governors, dismiss complicit holdover members, thus insure De Joy is sent packing. De Joy previously ran XPO Logistics a transportation company and held a $30 million interest and XPO has managed to win dozens more USPS contracts.

President Biden can end this shameful chapter and build the service our country deserves !! Mr De Joy wreaked havoc during the 2020 election, but thank goodness states extended mailing deadlines, LA county and counties throughout California and the USA installed official ballot drop boxes. By crippling pick up and delivery of mail, this postmaster was jeopardizing another democratic institution - a national election. The post office has bi-partisan allies on capitol hill including U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell - NJ, who leads the effort to return our post office to prominence.

Included in his agenda - eliminating the unscrupulous requirement of budgeting future pension years in advance (crafted to cause huge annual USPS deficits ). My advocacy for a world class USPS supports these urgencies : re-opening regional sectional center facilities that serve neighborhood post offices - locally that is marina del rey, van nuys, terminal annex DTLA, Long Beach / sorting machines that De Joy ordered unplugged and contaminated must be replaced with new ones / adding more regional sectional center facilities nationwide to restore 1, 2, 3 day delivery / re-opening architectually magnificent WPA post offices - landmarks of national and local pride like our 5th and arizona art deco santa monica and venice post offices /

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regaining the morale of USPS employees which comes with the respect and appreciation new management promotes / hiring more letter carriers for earlier delivery so carriers arent out after dark / replacing USPS trucks with electric & hybrid alternatives / post offices open 6 days a week 9am to 7pm / major airport post offices like LAX again

open 24 hours / and reduction of postage prices . finally, make it a federal agency, a cabinet department, with the new managerial title " secretary of the USPS " . This past summer De Joy announced that our holiday mail will be deliberate

ly delayed. Whats been sorely delayed is the sacking of the postmaster.

Lets look forward to the restoration, improvement and growth of our national treasure since 1775 - the post office. □ chuck levin, USPS