USPS and more
Via Daily Kos comes this reminder of a local issue reflecting national politics:
One year and two months after the idea was first floated, legislation to rezone Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center, including the US Post Office property at 2000 Allston Way, became law last night.
Why is this of interest to anyone outside of Berkeley? Because the new zoning ordinance is part of a long and bitter national struggle against the selling off of our public commons and the privatization of the Post Office.
(for background, see those Damned Hippies. They’re Saving the Post Office.)
…
Post Office management has been attempting to sell off historic Post Offices across the United States for a few years now. In some cases they’ve succeeded, despite massive and sustained public outcries…
More at Save the Post Office Website.
The real estate dealing of the Postal Service have come in for a good amount of scrutiny. The investigative reporter Peter Byrne has done a book on the CBRE relationship. CBRE is a giant real estate firm managed by Richard Ellis, Senator Diane Feinstein’s husband. There have been a lot of questions relating to this contract and generally regarding the way the Postal Service has met its obligations with respect to historic structures.
https://www.uspsoig.gov/sites/default/files/document-library-files/2014/sm-ma-14-003.pdf
Dan & Mark–
Brick-and mortar post offices are like brick-and mortar clothing stores.
They’re part of the past, not the future.
People now do much of their shopping on line–and UPS and Fed Ex deliver much of what they buy.
Mark has talked about the post office as a central part of small-town culture. In the past, this was true: the postmistress knew everyone in
town–and everyone’s business.
Those days are passing. I’m not suggesting that we tear down these historic buildings, I’m suggesting that we use them to provide something that the public (not the postal workers’ union) needs:
— Adult day care centers
— Community health centers
–Child care centers
Finally the notion that Diane Feinstein is part of a conservative conspiracy to privatize America suggests just how desperate the USPS
supporters are.
Please also see my comment on Mark’s first post.