A daily tic tac toe game with your postman is quietly a metaphor for America in 2020

The United States Postal Service has properly delivered mail to Americans from the depths of the heart of Manhattan to the depths of the rural Midwest for nearly five decades as an official entity and centuries more than that as a service. Despite the fact that electronic communications have taken the place of handwritten letters, most of us still rely on regular mail delivery as part of our daily routine.

Even this 11-year-old girl knows she can count on the delivery of USPS, as evidenced by the tic tac toe game that started with her delivery guy. She glued the “board” to the inside of the lid and takes turns with the mailman each time the mail is delivered.

“My 11-year-old daughter had insisted on checking the mail the past few days,” wrote BallCoach79. “I checked it today. This is what I found.”

The image is sweet. But it is also an opportunity to talk about the dire situation the USPS is currently facing, one that could dramatically affect the integrity of our upcoming elections.

With the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of slowing down in the US, and with too many Americans refusing to take the necessary steps to mitigate it, our fall does not look too promising. The pandemic calm expected during the summer months has not happened, and a second wave had already been forecast as we move forward in the fall months. Election Day on November 3 will most likely coincide with an extremely dangerous time to go to the polls in person, meaning that millions of Americans will want or should vote by mail.

Despite the fear of certain factions, including the president, voting by mail can be done safely. Several states have voted fully by mail for many years without major problems. In fact, Washington state, which has allowed all voters to vote by mail since 2005, and the state ranks second in the nation for electoral integrity.

But voting by mail will only work if our mail system works. And right now, USPS is being effectively destroyed not only by declining commercial mail due to the pandemic, but also by an exceptionally heavy Congressional mandate to fund all of its employee pensions, ongoing budget deficits, and demonic attacks by the President of the United States. state

The postal service is something we all take for granted. Since it has always been reliable, we assume it will always be there. But you are in real danger of running out of money and having to close, which would be devastating for our elections, not to mention the other personal and business disruptions it would cause.

We can all help. That’s how:

1. Sign a petition to send it to Congress and the United States Treasury here.

2. You can also sign a petition by sending a text message to USPS at 50409.

2. Help the USPS directly by purchasing stamps here. (Postage and product sales are 100% of how the USPS is financed. Despite being overseen by the government, taxpayer funds are not used to finance it.)

3. No, you cannot donate directly to USPS. Seriously, make a commitment to write some old letters to your loved ones and buy stamps. (Bonus: Buying lots of “Forever” stamps now will save you money in the future as they never expire. And there are tons of cool designs to choose from.)

Also, be sure to order your ballot by mail now if your state requires you to do so, and mail it in at least two full weeks before Election Day.

Let’s all show love for USPS, both by being kind to our individual mail carriers and by supporting the work they do. The best support we can provide is to ensure that this long-standing institution survives these difficult times.