The slowdown of our postal service is a serious problem for disabled veterans, "myself included". Prescriptions can't be ordered for refills until they are near expiration. Then the VA has to process the refill order and mail them. This slowdown is resulting in prescriptions running out before the refills arrive. Disabled vets depend on the postal service for prompt deliveries. I've never had a problem with late deliveries in the past, but I'm hearing about others now experiencing late deliveries because of actions taken by the postmaster general. All veterans have to speak up to save our postal service. Edit I am not a combat disabled veteran, but I was disabled during my service thru no fault of my own..

Edited August 14, 20205 yr by Al B

Al, I am so sorry to hear this.  I don't understand the desire to shut down the post office.  It has been in effect since the days of George Washington.  Ben Franklin was a cabinet member and post master general in Washington's cabinet.  Since our nation's founding, citizens have relied on the post office for payment of bills, receiving bills, advertising, shipment of packages and a whole host of other needs.  For the past 40 years, citizens like you have relied on the post office for their medicine.  What are the citizens going to do when the post office is shut down.  To mail a letter by UPS or FedEx, is about $11.  Who can afford that?  I rely on the post office for turning and woodworking supplies.  If the vendor uses someone else, I take my business elsewhere.  I also use the post office to send turnings to family across the country.  It's a sad day when our post office is defunct.  

Luckily, in my region, we're able to order our meds in plenty of time before they are all gone. We get ours well within the 10 days they say it might take. Other mail might take a long time to reach it's destination but, not the meds, thank goodness. It's possible  VA MOPS works differently in different areas, though.

If the PO is going to shut it's doors, someone ought to tell the GSA. The just ordered a new batch of redesigned route trucks. 

Edited August 14, 20205 yr by Gene Howe

At least up to now . I doubt the post office treats meds any different than any other mails.

Edited August 14, 20205 yr by Al B

16 minutes ago, Al B said:

At least up to now . I doubt the post office treats meds any different than any other mails.

I'm not sure. Mine come from Tucson in a timely manner. But first class mail can take well over a week to get from Tucson to here.

It has gotten so ridiculous, with every decision being made in DC today being made on political merits rather than whether it is good or bad for the country.

 

7 hours ago, FlGatorwood said:

I don't understand the desire to shut down the post office.

 

This has been a goal for a long time for the republicans.  The current pres wants to shut it down today so that we cannot vote by mail this year.  Not you Steve, you live in Florida with a good republican governor.  But the rest of us - we just cannot be trusted to vote by mail.  And too, there is that whole running battle between the pres. and Amazon over some petty bs...

If you want to start a free for all, walk in to the post office and tell the clerk that they are part of the federal government food chain.  I’ve done this twice and both USPS employees have drank the koolaid that they are a private entity.  Arguments from me about congressional bailouts didn’t convince them.  The discussion ended when I asked them who their CEO was.  I has belittled when they stated that their CEO was the Postmaster General but they were unaware they the Postmaster General was appointed by the president thus making them a federal entity.  Personally, I say privatize the USPS and it will run smoother. 

Privatizing the mail service might be a good idea but the rates would go up exponentially. Maybe not a bad thing. We'd likely see less junk in our mail boxes. 

...I haven't seen any delays, the part I ordered on ebay for our Jeep got here quicker than the parts stores could get it. And it was 1/4 the price with free USPS shipping. 

 

The slowdowns you are describing are Government agencies, ask yourselves who is controlling them, and who appointed those in charge?

No delays in Southern CA, at least not yet!

I don't use the VA system for health care, I'm actually on medicare currently and I've had far far better luck with them and I don't have to worry about using the VA health care system.  How ever I will agree with the post office irregularities.  The problem is their funding has dropped considerably and they have become one of the most unreliable services when it comes to even just getting mail.  My driver used to get to my place around noon EVERY day now it seems he isn't here until between two or three in the afternoon.  Especially when I'm waiting on packages to arrive.  Its a drag.  How ever fortunately I've never had to use them for ordering any types of medication.  The local VA systems up here was one of the ones hit hard by the hole 3 months scandle on appointment waiting times so in the end I stopped using the VA for health entirely.  Unless its just me and I've had considerably bad luck with the VA but that's just again my own personal opinion from past experiences using the health care system.  Not only that it was just a pain to drive up to the American Lake facility in Tacoma.

Permit me to clarify some information about the Post Office and the government.

 

Yes, the postmaster general is appointed by the sitting POTUS.  Yes, he get's a salary from the National Treasury.  Yes, he caters to the political whims.  

 

Does he get money from the government to operate the post office.  Absolutely not.  The U. S. Government has not given one red cent to the postal operations since Richard Milhouse Nixon made that change in 1971.  The post office pays all its employees from the income, they maintain all vehicles and buildings and machinery from the funds of  postal stamps and package shipments.  The other income is from advertisers sending out all that junk that is normally delivered on Thursdays and Fridays.  That is commercial businesses trying to get your money from your purse.  

 

The Koolaid folks would have us believe an absolute falsehood that the Post Office gets funds from the treasury.  It is not so.  The problem is that the Post Office is the only government entity that PRE-Funds retirement pensions and insurance to the Congress so they can continue to squander our money.  Congress has spent with reckless abandon since the early 1990's.  Each postal clerk and employee has to pay 9 percent into retirement.  That includes Social Security, FERS.  They pay additional for Medicare.  They pay their income taxes at the same rate as all others.  If they want to participate in TSP (like a 401K but with much less benefits) they have to pay an additional 5 or 10 percent.  So by the time they get a pay check at least 30 percent is gone. 

 

Prefund consists of the post office pay for up to 5 years in advance all premiums for life and health insurance, all retirement contributions of  employees.  No other government entity does this.  

 

Contracting out or privatizing out the post office would be a utter disaster.  My job in the IT department in 2003 has become total chaos.  The contractors have all decided that they cannot maintain the demands we used to do.  They have gone to court so that they do the bare minimum and get more pay than what it would have cost to maintain government employees.  This has been the agenda of Newt Gingrich, Paul Ryan, John Bonehead (sorry, I can't remember his name) of Ohio, Rand Paul, and glorious Mitch McConnel.  They are making and selling the Koolaid.  I get a magazine from National Association of Active and Retired Employees and these are the names pushing the bills to cut and downsize the post office.

 

Now, what the post office is asking is a loan to tide them over while they can hire more employees to handle the surge of mail resulting from the mailing of ballots to and from residences.  It will take extra manpower.  But after the election is over, those employees go away unless they replace retirees and fired workers.  Have a good day.  Don't drink the Koolaid. 

@FlGatorwood,

Very well put Steve.

My SIL was a USPS employee.

How much you want to bet those pushing to privatize the USPS own (or a good chunk of) the companies they're pushing for? 

The PMG has been removing sorting machines from post offices, meaning, sorting will have to be done by hand. This alone will have a definite effect on the efficiency in handling of mails.

I plan on voting in person so I know my vote will get counted. 

Have to ask. If you think  it is a good idea to privatize the postal service, have you tried to ship anything thru UPS lately? Much cheaper  by USPS. Would you trust UPS with your personal mail, seeing how UPS has had several drivers caught stealing packages after supposedly delivering them?  The battle with Amazon should come to an end because Amazon  has bought thousands of delivery vehicles and is making their own deliveries in this area.

11 minutes ago, Al B said:

Have to ask. If you think  it is a good idea to privatize the postal service, have you tried to ship anything thru UPS lately? Much cheaper  by USPS. Would you trust UPS with your personal mail, seeing how UPS has had several drivers caught stealing packages after supposedly delivering them?  The battle with Amazon should come to an end because Amazon  has bought thousands of delivery vehicles and is making their own deliveries in this area.

No I don't think it's a good idea to privatize the USPS.

I myself refuse to use UPS because of several damaged packages/items over the years.

Don't use Amazon either! 

Odd I've only ever had one stolen package from a UPS delivery, and quite honestly they've always been on time for me and I've had no other issues except for that one.  But in the end with the Home Depot where I ordered the product for I called in and reported it and they gave me a full refund for that item to include shipping costs.  How ever I'm not too huge of a fan of USPS at the moment.  I haven't had many issues with Fedex either.

29 minutes ago, AndrewB said:

Odd I've only ever had one stolen package from a UPS delivery, and quite honestly they've always been on time for me and I've had no other issues except for that one.  But in the end with the Home Depot where I ordered the product for I called in and reported it and they gave me a full refund for that item to include shipping costs.  How ever I'm not too huge of a fan of USPS at the moment.  I haven't had many issues with Fedex either.

I guess we are lucky too Andrew, we really haven't had any issues with any service, there was one instance about 7 years ago I had a full set of Easy Wood Tools that I sent to a member for a fundraiser prize, and USPS lost the shipment, scared the heck out of me, because I could not afford to replace that set, we tracked it to a facility but it ended there, I insured the set but still it was scary, I had the recipient on hold for about three weeks, the shipment finally showed up and I was contacted that it was going to be delivered finally. That was one instance out of probably thousands of mail in my life time, same with the other guys, Fedex, UPS, never that I can remember having any issues, I'm lucky for sure I guess.

I've had zero problems with items missing from USPS, just HORRID about keeping track of time or knocking on my door to say hey theres a package.  How ever I think the one issue with UPS John was a fluke or a rarity.  Because it was an empty box by the time it got to the UPS facility in Tumwater.  I wasn't happy.  Either way I got the refund.  But most of the stuff I order off amazon and all of the other stuff that has been shipped via UPS I've never had a problem.  Believe me I know how expensive easy wood tools are they're not cheap.  I would be more P.O.ed than scared if I lost a set of those.  But everything I've been sent from EWT I've never had an issue with even with USPS and UPS.  Matter of fact I'm expecting a spare roughing carbide tip from EWT here soon.  Via USPS.  But Either way I don't enjoy heavily relying on the Postal Service.   It's become some what of a annoyance.   If for example I say to leave the package at my front door the danged driver NEVER once leaves it at the front door and his lazy self leaves it in my mail box.  Especially when I'm waiting on tools or parts I don't want them left in the box.  So yea my biggest complaints with USPS.