The United States Postal Service has been a hot topic as of late. With the upcoming election and the war against mail in ballots, there seems to be a movement to dismantle the USPS as we know it. This has resulted in outrage and protests across the country by people who believe that the government is attempting to privatize all mail and package delivery and doing so would be detrimental to the entire country. People have even stepped up to see what they can do to personally help. Among those people is non other than Cher. The legendary singer and actress shared that she recently offered to volunteer at a local post office. Unfortunately, her offer was declined. What could make the USPS turn down free help? Keep reading for the story behind why Cher was turned away from volunteering at the post office.
What Exactly Is Going On With The USPS?
If you’re not aware of exactly what’s happening with the post office, don’t worry – you’re not alone. There’s a lot of information floating around and it’s not always easy to understand. To put it simply, the USPS has been struggling financially for several years. A lot of these struggles stem from 2006’s Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The act required the USPS to pay in advance for retirement benefits for its employees. On the surface, these seems completely unproblematic. However, the caveat is that people who don’t even work for the USPS yet were factored into the amount that must be paid.
Prior to COVID, there was a new plan in the works to stop the payments required by the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The pandemic put a lot of pressure on the already understaffed USPS. Since more people were spending time at home, the amount of packages being delivered increased exponentially. Through the CARES Act, the USPS got a $10 billion loan instead of the $13 billion grant which was originally requested.
Louis DeJoy, the post master general appointed under the Trump administration, has also raised a few eyebrows. Many have been critical of the fact that he has no experience. They also believe he was only appointed to the position because he donated generously to Trump’s campaign. He has also made questionable decisions including reducing overtime hours for employees.
Several social media users have also posted video footage and images of USPS mailboxes being removed. However, the USPS has denied that these mailboxes were actually being removed. A statement from the postal service said: “The photo in question is of a vendor we have done business with for several years. They are a contractor that repairs or destroys old collection boxes. They now make new collection boxes also. Photos such as this appear every couple of years.”
What Wasn’t Cher Allowed To Volunteer With The USPS?
With everything that’s going on with the post office, you might be thinking they’d be happy to have some extra help. That’s exactly what Cher was thinking. On Twitter, she shared that she had reached out to nearby post offices asking if they’d allow her to volunteer. In one of her tweets she said, “OK,Called 2 post offices In Malibu.They were polite.
I Said”Hi This Is Cher,& I Would like to know If you ever take Volunteers⁉️Lady Said She Didn’t Know & Gave Me # Of Supervisor.I Called & Said Hi This is Cher Do U Accept volunteers.”NO,Need Fingerprints & Background Check”.
Both locations told her no. The reason is quite simple: the USPS doesn’t allow any volunteers. The USPS hasn’t responded to any of Cher’s tweets, but the official word has been sent out. A spokesperson for the USPS said what while volunteering isn’t an option, people are more than welcome to apply for positions when the post office is hiring. The spokesperson didn’t elaborate on the reason for not taking volunteers. However, it likely has something to do with the fact that it would take a lot of time and money to properly screen and train people for the job.
The Future Of The USPS
At the moment, the future of the post office is somewhat up in the air. While some people support the idea of completely getting rid of the USPS, others believe that such a decision would be harmful to the American people. After all, without the USPS something as simple as having a mailbox would likely cost money. No matter what side you’re on, one thing is for sure: the USPS is one of the longest standing entities in the country and it would be hard to imagine the United States without it.
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