Time to Think

It's In The Mail #388

By Hank Silverberg

I saw an ad on TV the other night that was trying to recruit people to work for the United States Postal Service. I was surprised to see it, because the Post Office has been cutting back services for so long that their need for more workers didn't seem logical. The days of receiving first class mail in three days anywhere across the country are long gone.

These days it can take weeks for a bill sent by first class mail to reach you from across town. I send out my checks at least ten business days before the due date hoping that they arrive on time.

Yes, I know many of you are thinking, "Hey, just have the money taken out of your account automatically on the due date and there's no problem!"

But frankly, I don't like that. I do it with my auto insurance because they gave me a substantial discount to do so. Some companies don't give you the option anymore. The payment for my solar panels gets deducted right from my account and I'd have to jump through hoops to change it. But that is a set fee, so I plan for it.

Some companies, like my gas company (for heat) have stopped sending return envelopes with the bill, hoping customers will give in and go for automatic withdrawal. But I won't. The bill is different every month. I like to keep more control over my money and pay bills when the money comes in.

But then of course, the post office can take ten days or two weeks to get that payment where it's supposed to go, and there's a risk of a late fee.

It's even worse when the bill is late. (A rarity for me.) Then you have to maneuver your way through a phone tree, usually run by an AI, and wait a half hour just to get a straight answer from some overworked person in "customer service." Many of those folks are not even in the United States.

We had a package lost last year. It took a number of emails and forms just to get to the right person who then admitted the package, which had come from Nevada, was lost somewhere in Jersey City, New Jersey. We gave up hope of ever getting some irreplaceable items from my sister-in-law.Then one day, SIX MONTHS LATER, a package, dirty and dented, arrived. No apology, no explanation. Just that dented, dirty package which luckily remained intact.

I hope those postal workers recruited by those ads will really improve postal service. But I doubt it. And expect it to get worse right around election time when all those absentee and mail-in ballots are being returned. I am not a conspiracy guy, but somehow I think it's being planned that way.

Words of advice: Christmas is only 222 days away. If you need to rely on the USPS, better get those packages in the mail today.

News You May Have Missed

On the subject of voting: Be sure to check your voter registration in the next few months. The Trump Administration has used databases in a number of states to check on the eligibility of registered voters, reviewing 67 million so far, and has been able to purge thousands from the rolls.

This is often done by states after each presidential election, but this time, before the election, the administration has flagged tens of thousands of registered voters they claim are either dead or non-citizens. The big problem is that notices have been sent out to those flagged, and the people have just one month to prove they are eligible to vote. It's part of a national effort by Republicans who have claimed, with no real evidence, that non-citizens have voted in past elections. The Justice Department has been pushing all states for a federal list of eligible voters to be created. Supposedly the federal database has found 24,000 potential, note the word "potential", non-citizens who were registered, and about 350,000 people who have died (that's about 1% of the 67 million checked). There have already been several cases of people legally eligible to vote who have been purged from the roles.

Also, there is NO evidence that any of those non-citizens or deceased people have actually voted in any recent election.

To put this into perspective, there were 174 million people registered to vote in the 2024 election. Only 154 million (65.3%) actually cast a ballot.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/trump-administration-promotes-program-to-check-voter-eligibility-critics-fear-a-midterm-purge/ar-AA23oAVU?ocid=BingNewsBrowse

Drone Gets Close To UAE Nuke Plant

I haven't written much about the war with Iran because events there change very quickly. But this piece of news should send up red flares across the world. Drone warfare continues to kill innocent people on both sides in the Persian Gulf region, and in the other drone war, between Ukraine and Russia.

(UAE Nuclear plant, shutterstock)

This past week a drone fired from the Iranian side, either by Iran or one of its proxies in the region, set off a fire very close to a nuclear power station in the United Arab Emirates. Two other drones that were headed in the same direction were shot down. There was no damage to the nuclear reactor about 175 miles from Dubai, but the potential for a direct strike leading to a radiation leak is horrifying. Such a leak could kill thousands of people. There was a similar concern near the Chernobyl nuclear site in Ukraine months ago, but the Russians managed to steer clear of the site already contaminated by the nuclear accident there in 1986. That accident killed 49 people immediately and spread radiation poisoning into the surrounding area that continues to sicken and kill thousands of people even today. A drone strike on a nuclear plant could be an even larger disaster.

Dumbest Quote Of The Week!

This week's dumb quote is not just dumb, it's troubling. It comes from Brittany Baldwin, the Executive Director of of the White House 250 Task Force. It concerns the big government- sponsored National Day of Prayer on the National Mall attended by thousands of people this past Sunday. And the comment was deleted from the internet not too long after she said it.

“We are focusing on our heritage as a Judeo-Christian nation. We worked very hard with the faith leaders we trust … to ensure that we hear their concerns and we have the right focus for our community of believers across the country. So I think if you do see another religion represented, it would probably be in a modest way.”

There were two conservative priests and one Orthodox Rabbi on the list of clergy who attended, but it was really an evangelical Christian event, SPONSORED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

Many critics, including this blog, say it was a blatant violation of the First Amendment, which clearly prohibits the government endorsement of any particular religion. And that is what the event seemed to do.

(You suggestions and comments are welcome)

My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)