The popular term today used by American citizens is Partisan gridlock. It is unfortunate that the greatest country in the world can’t come together with the best and brightest elected representatives to effectively solve the nation’s ills in a win-win kind of way. The only items that seem to be on the congressional menu are bickering beef, and steamin’ rice.
I just finished reading “The Power of Ethical Management” by Ken Blanchard/Norm Vincent Peale. What an important reference that our congressional leaders need to read. What really stood out to me in the book was the reference to a shortsighted style of managing called “seagull management. A seagull manager flies in, makes a lot of noise, dumps on everyone, and then flies out.”
If you think about it that is what is happening with some of the legislation being proposed by our leaders. Some might even say that style is the order of the day in the workplace too. I’m not a politician but I believe that as employees we must use the 27th of September and any future dates as citizen-advocates to expand and map our economic and political footprint.
Postal employees are not exempt from paying taxes, we have club memberships, shop local businesses, symbolize organized labor, and are represented by union leaders and association presidents who can claim our collective voices to command greater attention from every district of elected officials. As we mobilize on our district representational offices politicians will recognize that there are hundreds of thousands of postal employees and we are attached to many other citizens sending up a thought bubble surrounded by the word “votes.”
We got personal stories that they need to hear, and we got to get to them before they make a decision. They are people like us who make decisions with their heads, hearts, and as legislators they strongly consider their political health on a regular basis. It is my understanding from watching programs like CSPAN, and personally observing politicians over many years that once they make up their mind there is no turning back for fear of being branded with a hot flip flop shoe by their counterparts and the media. We got to get to them while they are undecided on an issue.
I think it is important to note that as the long time congressional staffer and consultant author Bradford Fitch’s book “Citizen’s Handbook to Influencing Elected Officials” points out “citizens who participate in the democratic process are overwhelmingly the most influential component in any lawmaker’s decision making process. People writing letters, sending emails, attending town hall meetings, visiting lawmakers-they are the dominant influence to legislative outcomes.”
Most day to day issues impact a narrow group of people, but all this talk about the Postal Service affects millions of folks and we can bet our elected official’s chiefs of staff will be watching the turn-out, and counting the emails, phone calls, letters, faxes, visits, and petitions on the 27th of September, 2011 as they decide “who’s for it, who’s against it?” Mr. Fitch points out an important fact in his book that we all need to remember, saying “you see much more emotion in letters to Congress from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) about the treatment of baby seals than you do from the American Medical Association (AMA) members concerned about Medicare reimbursement rates.”
Let’s show our concern and strong emotion for the United States Postal Service and make our voices heard “by the numbers” for the most beneficial legislation. Let’s tell our politicians what we think and make them go out and do it!
Spread the word and watch the YouTube Video: The Great Postal Heist
by Ronald Williams, Jr., an exclusive editorial written for PostalReporter.com
Time to make 30, no penalties, 25k like the GAO and all the rest of the Feds are giving, why them and not us, then rake the USPS, let out all those with an incentive who have the 20 and age 50 , 25 and any age etc., that makes business sense, but why would Congress do that?, ley us go with compensation, then streamline!, go to Governmentexecutive.com,watch list of Federal agencies and what they offer, usually no senior executives though can go.
dumbsh#t
So what the article is saying is lets threaten them with taking away their votes so that they’ll vote against what’s good for the country.
@Spyder,
I am inclined to agree with you to a point, but it seems no one in the post office has a clue how to run it either. Postal management and the Unions keep running to Congress YELLING, we are losing money, we need our money back. None of them want to talk to the employees, just talk to at them, but they are not interested in listening back. Go to a Union meeting and they have their agenda and zip right through member question and feedback like a tornado, fast and furious. Their answer is always the same, we are doing all we can do, fill out a 3996. Well that 3996 does not get me any family time and why are they paying me penalty O/T for time that I really don’t want and money I don’t need and money they apparently cannot afford? No one wants to get involved in the problems within the PO, the really stupid and wasteful things and procedures that go on everyday. I wish Congress or someone would decide to conduct an investigation or inspection of what goes on in some of these post offices, just wasteful, pure and simple. Our livlihood and our future depends on it, but we feel like no one wants to listen to us. I guess that if you don’t have a big checkbook like NALC does, you get no contact. It sems contact and photo ops is all NALC get too. To hell with NALC and COLCPE and the never ending promises of the LIBS.
Not one of theese lawmakers have a clue how the postal service works! Their information comes via stats and spreadsheets, which instantly makes them CEO’s (LOL) All they care about is re-election, or making a name for themselves. They take our Pack money, and lobbyist money, and still do as they please. They are Whore’s! I’m feed up with our Union”s too. They all have thier own agenda. Example, 5-day is not good for america. From NAPUS, NALC, APWU all of them don’t want the loss of due’s paying members. Even at the demize of the Postal Service. I’m lucky I can retire anytime. And yes I have an agenda too! I’ve been hanging around for a buy out, that may, or may not come. Whatever happens, their agenda will win!!! That” sad but true.
Issa- R-CA, was convicted of car theft, arson, he is a thief, and is being investigated for ethics violations, if John Boner Boehner the speaker of the house, wnats to lose votes, he should add in how many are connected to the USPS, and not just family members, millions of older folks who like the mail delivered and the person who delivers, if he does not shut the foul mouth of Issa, he truly will pull a “BONER”, how can you deny people thier pensions, read the whole ASSA bill, it says layoff no severance, nothing !, this man is a nutjob on a powerfull committee, he has to be stopped, if his bill ever passed into law, many will go Postal !.
I see it like this, first of all the seagull style of management is outdated. That was changed to OBAMA style of campaigning.
Say you have 2 employees working for you, one, we will call DEM. You pay him well, bonuses perks, take photos with him, write good articles about him and mail these articles all over the country and do your best to make DEM look good. Dem does not have to do much, just keep his name DEM, make him/herself available to you whenever you have a big check for him or need a photo op. Sometimes DEM may be required to pretend he/she is working for you, just to help you justify all those BIG checks to DEM. You can never give enough to DEM, he promises he is doing all that he can and promises champagne, but delivers cheap 3.2 beer. You are very understanding and give him a bonus check.
You have another employee, named REP. REP is a good employee, and he works really hard doing his/her job, even though you don’t pay him a dime. You ask that he work for you and and only you, ignore all others that are near and dear to REP. Others are not important, just you and what you want. You spend a lot of time and effort trying to make REP look bad, no matter what he does. REP cannot be bribed to do everything you want done. He does keep doing what is right, maybe not in your opinion, but shows fairness to all, not favoritism to the ones with the big checkbook. He does it all without being paid anything at all. REP keeps woindering why you seem to have lots of money to pay DEM and travel all over the country to trade shows and political events and spend the big bucks, take lots of suck-up photos with liars, crooks, thieves and thugs and other members of DEM’s family, while the company you represent is GOING BROKE……………! You keep saying we cannot do it enough, now way too many people believe it and are washing our laundry for us. Don’t complain because of no starch or too much starch. We brought it on ourselves. We want equal loyalty by all, but cater to a few. Look for the Union Label. We need to shut up and keep our problems within and solve them from within, stop whining, stop trying to buy false support, stop depending on getting pre-funding back, it is gone. Even a hooker will only love you until the money runs out. You cannot buy everlasting love, only promises of love. Half of Washington promises to love us, because of our money, PERIOD.
i hope issa and ross’s bill does not pass. i will call my congressmen.
please offer a decent vera…..
$1000. per year of service, and 6 years service added… i will retire.
why does the tea party hate the middle class??
The fate of the USPS is now in the hands of congress!
Get ready for the new USPO