The United States Postal Service is one of the most derided institutions in the country. Also, it’s one of the most highly regarded according to every poll conducted on government agencies. This episode digs into our complicated relationship with the Postal Service and examines the historical challenges facing this institution. We cover the controversy surrounding Louis DeJoy, the current Postmaster General and his ten-year plan to modernize the agency. And we finish with a recommendation for how it should ultimately be run that honors its original mandate.

Chapters

Intro: 00:00:48

Chapter One: Ye Olde Post Office. 00:01:41

Chapter Two: The Post Office Gets a Makeover. 00:06:11

Chapter Three: Ode to DeJoy. 00:13:20

Bring it home, Max. 00:18:37

Post Show Musings: 00:27:14

Outro: 00:34:47

Resources

Pew Research Center: Public Holds Broadly Favorable Views of Many Federal Agencies, Including CDC and HHS

USPS: Postal Facts

Congress.gov: ArtI.S8.C7.1 Historical Background on Postal Power

Brookings: How is the U.S. Postal Service governed and funded?

The Guardian: There was only one loser in this Royal Mail privatisation: the taxpayer

Wikipedia: Bandwidth throttling

United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General: Postal Retirement Funds in Perspective: Historical Evolution and Ongoing Challenges

Congressional Research Service: FY2024 U.S. Postal Service Appropriations

Vox: Trump thinks Amazon’s destroying the post office. Here’s what’s really happening.

Katie Porter gets DeJoy to make embarrassing admission at USPS hearing

USPS: Delivering for America

The Guardian: ‘It’s going to delay the mail’: the fight over Louis DeJoy’s USPS plan

GovExec: Biden taps former cabinet secretary for USPS board

GovExec: Senators call on postal board to abandon DeJoy’s USPS reforms

Common Dreams: 'DeJoy Has to Go Right Now': Fury Over Postal Service Failure to Electrify Truck Fleet

Time: Louis DeJoy’s Surprising Second Act

CNN: Biden signs US Postal Service reform bill into law

Hey Arnold: I Hate The Snow

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