Tag Archives: usps

International, U.S.

More proof Christian British empire behind “horrific” global child sex crimes!

15 November 2013 (03:58 UTC-07 Tango)/11 Muharram 1434/24 Aban 1391/13 Gui-Hai (10th month) 4711

“It is alleged that officers located hundreds of thousands of images detailing horrific acts against young children, some of the worst that they have ever viewed!”-Joanna Beaven-Desjardins, Toronto police in Canada

A massive child sex crime syndicate has been busted in the British empire countries of Australia and Canada.  At least 366 people have been arrested globally, and they include teachers, cops, medical personnel and Christian religious leaders!

The public is being told that a Canadian movie company was a front for the global distribution of child pornography, including in the United States.

The owner of the company has been in jail since 2011, prosecutors claim he made $4 million CAD per year off child porn.  During the past three years 386 children have been rescued from the abusers.  Investigators used the movie company owner’s customer list to track down offenders.

In Australia, so far 66 people have been arrested and include Christian leaders and teachers.

The United States Postal Service investigated U.S. connections.  Recently the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating child sex crimes at the U.S. Army’s Fort Mead, in Maryland.  Also, the child prison system in the state of Idaho has been accused, by prison guards, of systemic child sex crimes.

The Commonwealth (British empire) is a Christian led system.  Queen Elizabeth is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England (aka Mother Church of Anglican Communion).

This is not the first time the empire has been accused of child sex crimes.  Here’s what one Aussie cop said in 2012: “I can testify from my own experience that the church covers up, silences victims, hinders police investigations, alerts offenders, destroys evidence and moves priests to protect the good name of the church.“–Peter Fox, New South Wales Detective Chief Inspector 

children disappeared in Norway! Part of royal family slave trade 

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

U.S. Postal Service: Domestic spies, ID thieves, layoffs, closings & privatization will continue until moral improves!

09 July 2013 (23:37 UTC-07 Tango 08 July 2013)/01 Ramadan 1434/18 Tir 1391/02 Ji-Wie (6th month) 4711

“Whether that is due to health benefits or retirement funding or something that only Congress can control, the bottom line is we are losing $25 million a day.”-Ron Schaer, USPS marketing manager in Portland, Oregon

“There’s a lot of deception going on, it’s being driven by the private sector, which wants to profit off the movement of mail. Part of that profit will come from not having to deal with postal unions.”-John Schwiebert, 18th Avenue Peace House, Oregon

Fact: U.S. Postal Service officials are dictated to by the U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission.  The commissioners are selected/appointed by the President of the U.S., and the U.S. Senate.  They are the ones who determine things such as the price of a postage stamp and layoffs.

Fact: The U.S. Postal Service is not funded with tax dollars (“The USPS has not directly received taxpayer-dollars since the early 1980s with the minor exception of subsidies for costs associated with the disabled and overseas voters.”).  The USPS is funded through postage stamps and other services they provide.  Many times the USPS has asked the PRC for increases in postal rates, because they were not covering operating expenses, but the PRC refused  (that’s right, even though there have been rate increases, they still don’t cover operating costs).  Also, in 2006 the U.S. Congress forced the USPS to pay $5.5 billion per year, for the next 75 years, into accounts controlled by Congress (this is the final straw that broke the financial back of the USPS).

For proof of main stream U.S. news media ignorance about the USPS, recently the Wall Street Journal stupidly stated that “If you’re an American taxpayer, you own it.”  How can that be if the USPS is an independent agency that is not funded with tax money?

In Alabama, a mail carrier was found guilty of stealing people’s identities, and other crimes.  But he was just a part of a larger ID theft ring: “…his criminal organization not only stole innocent people’s identities, filed fraudulent tax returns and received tax refunds not owed to them, but they used Harrison’s position as a mail carrier to steal these debit cards from the mail…”-George L. Beck, U.S. Attorney

According to the New York Times, the USPS has been acting as a domestic spy agency for the U.S. government.  It was revealed when a mail carrier ‘accidentally’ delivered the order to photocopy all letters to a postal customer: “Show all mail to supv for copying prior to going out on the street”

That order was specifically against the postal customer that accidentally received the order.  Independent investigations revealed the USPS is using a Mail Isolation Control and Tracking program to copy at least 160 billion pieces of mail every year.

Of interest is that the USPS has just placed an order for $450000 worth of computer systems from Kansas based company Commtech.  Commtech designs high speed data collections, I mean communications equipment.  The USPS says it could double the order.

In Oregon, a postal carrier was found guilty of stealing $135000 in cash and checks from customers’ mail.  He blamed it on a gambling addiction.

In Texas, a postal employee pled guilty to using postal computers to collect child porn.  And a resident of Coldspring has been charged with murdering a mail carrier.  The suspect complained of slow delivery of his mail.  The carrier was on her cell phone with her son when the suspect shot her.

In Florida, mail carriers report increases in assaults against them.

In Rhode Island, the USPS is investigating why mail for businesses in East Greenwhich has been dumped by the carriers.  A part time carrier has been arrested in connection with the dumping.  The investigation would not have happened if it weren’t for postal customers complaining.

Click pics to make bigger

Here in southeastern Idaho, I’ve watched as the Chubbuck USPS postal station in the Pine Ridge Mall was closed down.   Then I watched as Chubbuck’s independently contracted post office was closed down.  Now I see the staffing at the Pocatello Clark Street post office being reduced, and full timers switched to part time.  This past Saturday I saw the local Postmaster stocking shipping supplies for postal customers.  One source told me that despite locals’ objections to the closing of the area’s only processing center, the Gateway Station in Pocatello will be closed within 18 months.  This means that if I send a letter to Idaho Falls, an hours drive from my location, it will be first sent to Salt Lake City, Utah, and then sent back into Idaho to it’s destination.  Not very efficient or cost saving is it?

Relatives in California have told me of local post offices now operating Saturday hours on Fridays (10:00 hours to 14:30 hours).  It was officially reported that the USPS cut operating hours at their Highland and Calimesa post offices.  Also, full time employees have been replaced with part timers.  In La Jolla the USPS is selling off the historic La Jolla Post Office (National Register of Historic Places), despite protests.  This is odd considering the USPS just held a job fair in San Jose, supposedly to fill 500 positions!

In Indiana, after 17 years of service the USPS will close the postal station in Evansville’s Eastland Mall.  Fordsville will lose its branch PO, meaning the nearest PO will be 10 miles away.

In Massachusetts, the West Lynn PO will probably be closed down, for real this time.

In Hawaii, the Kapolei Post Office will be closed in August.

In Illinois, USPS officials told the Collinsville City Council the 50 year lease on the Collinsville Post Office was up in September, and they were not going to renew.  They said the post office was too big.

In Ohio, the processing center in Toledo will be closed.   By the end of 2014 processing centers in Akron, Athens, Canton, Chillicothe, Dayton, Ironton, Steubenville and Youngstown will be closed.

In New York, the USPS opened a new mini post office (called a village post office), in a mini-mart in Limestone.   In Newburgh, plans to close the processing center in 2014 have been changed.  It’s being closed this year!  Hundreds of jobs affected.

In Kentucky, the USPS opened a village PO in the Harrodsburg Food Center.

In South Carolina, the Asheville processing center will cease outgoing mail handling on 13 July.  Nearly 200 jobs affected.

The USPS will pay millions of dollars to improve worker safety, after they were hit with accusations from the Postal Workers Union and the U.S. Department of Labor OSHA.  This after the USPS signed a contract with Adayana Government Group to provide training for newly appointed Safety Specialists, Managers, Supervisors, and Facility Safety Coordinators. (called operation Safety Boot Camp)

After 50 years of ignoring Cuba, the USPS says it will begin negotiating the possibility of delivering U.S. mail to the communist country.

Beware of the Change of Address scam.  Internet sites are charging people up to $24 to file fake change of address forms.  The USPS does it for free (if you fill out the forms at your local PO).

What about the plan to go to five day delivery week?  At the beginning of the year the USPS was approved to begin a six day package delivery, and five day mail delivery scheme.  In April that plan was put on hold, not “shelved” as so many main streamer news media sites reported.  President Obama’s fiscal 2014 budget proposal allows the USPS to go to a five day delivery schedule.  The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors (part of the PRC) said “….Congress has left it with no choice but to delay this implementation at this time….The Board continues to support the transition to a new national delivery schedule….”  The Board also lied and stated that “…this new delivery schedule is widely supported by the American public.”

According to Federal News Radio, the USPS is being transformed into something that resembles privatized European postal services: “In regard to partnerships, other posts tend to be more aggressive in what they do with. I think it is something where the Postal Service can catch up by learning from the aggressive actions that some of the European posts are taking, and that might apply to other areas as well.”-Michael Kubayanda, USPS Office of the Inspector General

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, International, U.S.

Congressional Evil & What Economic Recovery? Media lies about USPS international postal rate change? I have receipts that show at least a 50-60% increase! Hello, Hyperinflation!

I got a shock when I shipped off some packages to Europe, USPS international First Class rate went up 61%!!!

Some media mainstreamers had been reporting a 5-10% increase, but that’s for domestic postage.  Even the Postal clerks at the Clark Street office, in Pocatello, Idaho, told me they were surprised by how high the international rate went up.

People who supplement their meager incomes (or maybe it’s become their only source of income) on internet selling sites like ebay, Etsy, Scoomer, etc, and who sell a lot outside the United States are going to see a drop in business (I know many internet sellers attribute at least 50% of their sales to international buyers).

On 17 January 2013 I sent a measly 2 ounce package to Australia, it cost $3.78 USD, online price.  On 29 January 2013 I sent another 2 ounce package, but this time it cost $6.16 online. Do the math, that’s a 61% increase!

Here’s another example: On 27 December 2012 I sent a 1 pound 14 ounce package to Canada, it cost $9.15 online.  Today that same package now cost $16.15 online, a 56% increase!

Here’s yet another example: On 18 January 2013 I sent a 3 ounce package to Italy, at an online U.S. Postal Service rate of $4.56.  Now that same package has an online cost of $8.88 (the in USPS store cost is $9.45).  That’s a 51% increase!

There were some media sources, like StudentNews, that reported that the First Class International rate would go up 60%, for items weighing up to one pound (that’s questionable as you can see in my Canadian example the package weighed almost 2 pounds!). Apparently someone at the USPS realized they were charging far less than UPS or FedEx, and decided to make their First Class International rate “more competitive” with the competition.

Making your prices more competitive with your competition is now code for jacking up your rates to meet your competitors higher prices. A kind of price fixing if you ask me. I remember when being more competitive meant you tried to have lower prices than your competitors.

Is this yet another attempt by the Congressionaly controlled Postal Commission to intentionally destroy the U.S. Postal Service?  Remember, it’s Congress that sets the Postal rates, not the USPS!

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Congress forces U.S. Postal Service to default!

At 24:00 hours, 01 August 2012, for the first time the USPS officially defaulted, no thanks to the U.S. Congress.

Chock Full o’Crap commentators are gleefully calling for a fully privatized postal system. The U.S. Postal Service is already a contractor run system!

The USPS is also considered the most efficient postal system in the world: “The key thing about the U.S. Postal Service is it’s extremely efficient compared to its colleagues around the world…”-Scott Jackson, Oxford Strategic Consulting, February 2012

The United States Postal Service does not make money off taxpayers, they are solely funded by the postage they charge. The problem is that Congress dictates the prices charged by the USPS, and Congress gets to control the revenue (just like Social Security)!!!

Other Chock Full o’Crap commentators say the U.S. postal Service is not competitive enough. Yeah, how can they be when it’s the U.S. Congress pulling their strings?!

Because of the shenanigans of Congress, the USPS will not be able to pay a Congressionally mandated $5.5 billion USD payment to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, due by midnight 01 August. The USPS will also not be able to pay another $5.6 billion payment in September.

The Treasury department is supposed to apply those payments to retirement funds, but the way things are actually run in Washington DC, I doubt it!

It’s the fault of the U.S. Congress, people!!!

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? U.S. Postal Service to cut operating hours, by as much as six hours per day! Northrop Grumman sues!

May 9, 2012, Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe, is trying to alleviate concerns over the possible closing of 3,700 post offices, which were to begin in May.  Now the USPS will try to keep as many open as possible, by drastically reducing their operating hours.

The reduction of operating hours would also take place in post offices that are not slated for closing, as many as 13,000 post offices could see hours reduced by two to six per day.

The other option is the creation of Village Post Offices, which would replace the standard post office.  The Village Post Office would operate through a retail business such as WalMart, Walgreens, etc.

Of course Congress has to approve the new plans.

The USPS is also considering letting go any employee who is not protected by labor contracts, and they’re going to do another round of early retirement buyouts.

The Postal Service, which makes its money off the services they provide, not taxes, is facing an $11 billion USD future retirement pre-payment later in the year, as well as health payments.  There are some people who say the U.S. Treasury is actually using the money for other things.

In September 2011, National Association of Letter Carriers president, Fredric Rolando, said most of the blame is on Congress: “I’m here to tell you that the Postal Service is not broke. The Postal Service just needs access to its own money. And Congress needs to get busy and give them that access.”-PBS Newshour interview

He also pointed out that the USPS does not make its money from taxes: “The Postal Service actually has somewhere between $50 billion and $125 billion in their other funds that is not taxpayer money. They haven’t used a dime of taxpayer money in over 30 years! And the Congress just needs to act responsibly and quickly to give them access to that — those funds.”

Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe agreed: “Fred is exactly right around the issues that we have faced in the last few years. In that same time, we have been required [by Congress] to prepay employee retirement funding.”-PBS Newshour interview

Congress has made concessions, by releasing some Postal Service money, but requiring that the money be used only to reduce the number employees with early retirement buyouts!

The latest Senate bill would allow the USPS to use taxpayer money for the first time in 30 years.  The Senate bailout bill would give the Postal Service $34 billion in tax revenue.

To make matters worse, Northrop Grumman (the third largest USPS contractor) and the USPS are suing each other!

The dispute involves a 2007 automated mail processing contract.  Northrop Grumman says the USPS owes them $180 million USD.  The Postal Service says Northrop owes them $341 million!

They both claim the other failed to meet numerous contractual agreements.

 

 

 

 

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Former Postal Employees, and former contractors, convicted of ripping off the USPS and its customers, USPS warns of malware fraud

April 6, 2012, a 45 year old California man pled guilty to ripping off the United States Postal Service using a trucking company called Golden Pacific Logistics (GPL).

According to the prosecutor the man was awarded $6.4 million USD in contracts to do business with the USPS, of which $4.4 million were fraudulent.  His 39 year old wife pled guilty back on March 28.

The man was also a U.S. Postal Service manager, and he used his position to get the fraudulent contracts for his trucking company.  They will be sentenced on July 11.

In Connecticut, a 50 year old former postal clerk was just sentenced for stealing money orders he sold to customers, and for embezzling union funds.

He managed to steal $11,300 worth of money orders by voiding them after he sold them to customers, or by going through people’s mail and taking the postal money orders.  He ripped off his fellow postal workers by stealing more than $8,800 in Postal Union funds, while serving as president of Local 3093 Union from 2007 through 2008.

He was sentenced to five years probation, the first six months being home arrest with electronic monitoring, 200 hours of community service and paying restitution of $20,201.

The USPS is also warning people of a malware (malicious software) email.

People are getting emails basically telling them they have a refund waiting, and it looks like you’re clicking on the USPS ClicknShip link, but you’re actually opening a program that collects all your info off your computer.

The USPS says just delete such emails, and contact them directly about any refunds.

Note: The United States Postal Service operates on money that comes from you and me buying postal products, not our taxes!

 

 

 

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

What Economic recovery, What Holiday Mailing Rush? U.S. Postal Services sees huge drop in Xmas mailings, loses $3.3 billion in revenue!

Normally the end of year holiday mailing rush generates the most revenue for the USPS, but not in 2011.   Postal officials revealed that people in the U.S. cut back so much, because of bad economic times, that it even affected the shipping of holiday packages.

The huge drop in mailings cut expected revenues for the USPS by $3.3 billion! Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, said the unexpected loss of revenue will mean that the USPS will run out of cash sooner.  He expects the postal service to be broke by October 2012. 

This news comes after the USPS won an international competition for most efficient postal service.  Each U.S. letter carrier handles more than 200,000 letters per year.  That’s about double what letter carriers from the second place winner, Japan, handle!  The study was done by United Kingdom’s Oxford Strategic Consulting, and released at the beginning of February 2012.

The loss in revenue could affect the planned closings of post offices and distribution centers.  Earlier, in December, postal officials decided to delay such action until May 2012.  But who knows what will happen, now?

By the way, don’t think closing down the USPS is going to save taxpayers money, it wont. The Postal Service operates on money that comes from you and me buying postal products, not taxes!

In fact the U.S. Congress is stealing money from the non-taxpayer funded Postal Service (just like taxpayer funded Social Security and Medicare): “The Postal Service actually has somewhere between $50 billion and $125 billion in their other funds that is not taxpayer money. They haven’t used a dime of taxpayer money in over 30 years! And the Congress just needs to act responsibly and quickly to give them access to that — those funds.”- Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, during PBS interview on September 6, 2011

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Corporate & Government incompetence: USPS paid FedEx $1.4 billion in 2010! Or did they?

Cash strapped U.S. Postal Service paid FedEx (called Federal Express until 1994) $1.4 billion in 2010, to send USPS packages!

It’s ironic because not only is FedEx a contractor with the USPS (one of the biggest), it’s also a rival of the USPS.

One consulting group, SJ Consulting, suggested the USPS stop sending so many airfreight packages through FedEx.  But here’s the thing, before anyone gets upset with the Postal Service, didn’t we postal customers actually pay for the cost of shipping those packages on FedEx?

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? U.S. Congress & Postal Service make delay deal; no closings until May 2012

“If you don’t like what the postal service has put forward (to cut costs) by closing processing facilities and post offices and eliminating jobs, then come up with a better approach. It’s a challenge we need to accept, and this agreement with the postal service gives us that opportunity.”-Richard Durbin, U.S. Senator for Illinois

The U.S. Congress and the Postal Service has reached an agreement, that will delay closing of hundreds of processing centers and thousands of post offices.  Instead of starting that shut down in March, the USPS will wait until May.

This is because members of Congress promise they will return to negotiations regarding how to make cuts, and minimize the effects on postal employees and the economy.  Back in November Congress indicated they were shelving any discussions about the Postal Service until after elections in November 2012.  However that’s far later than the December 16 default date set by President Barack Obama.  I suppose members of Congress got an earful, about the draconian cuts looming for the USPS, from their constituents.

The Postal Service operates on money that comes from you and me buying postal products, not taxes!

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? U.S. Postal Service cuts officially (almost) done deal, will “move forward” with austerity measures, Merry Xmas!

As promised, the U.S. Postal Service made its dreaded announcement on December 5.  The USPS filed a request with the Postal Regulatory Commission to “move forward” with austerity measures that will not only cut back service, but eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs.

“We’re in a deep financial crisis today because we have a business model that’s tied to the past [ie Congress]. We are expected to operate like a business, but don’t have the flexibility to do so [because of rules created by Congress]. Our business model is fundamentally inflexible [no thanks to Congress]. It prevents the postal service from solving its problems.”-Patrick Donahoe, U.S. Postmaster General, November 2011

The plan, supported by the Obama Administration, calls for cutting U.S.$20 billion from operating costs by 2015.  That means closing 252 processing facilities, closing 3,700 post offices, and eliminating 100,000 jobs!!!

The processing centers will be closed by spring 2012.  Job losses just from the closing of processing centers could hit 28,000! Expect delays in getting your mail.

This after the U.S. Congress decided to ‘delay’ any action on their part until after next year’s Presidential elections.  The move guarantees the demise of the USPS, because President Barack Obama set the default date for the Postal Service as December 16, 2010.

In a PBS interview, both the Postmaster General, and the President of the Letter Carrier’s Union said it wasn’t really about lack of business, in fact the Postmaster General said package volume was still good.  It was all about the U.S. Congress ripping off the non-taxpayer funded Postal Service: “The Postal Service actually has somewhere between $50 billion and $125 billion in their other funds that is not taxpayer money. They haven’t used a dime of taxpayer money in over 30 years! And the Congress just needs to act responsibly and quickly to give them access to that — those funds.”- Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers

Rolando pointed out that the job losses will go beyond the USPS. It will affect all the companies the USPS contracts with, like FedEx, Siemens, Northrop-Grumman, Pat Salmon & Sons and Campbell-Ewald, to name a few.

Rolando, in the PBS interview, predicted that millions of jobs will eventually be lost because of what’s happening to the USPS!

Merry Xmas Mr. Scrooge, and God bless us, everyone!