{"product_id":"first-class-the-u-s-postal-service-democracy-and-the-corporate-threat","title":"First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInvestigating the essential role that the postal system plays in American democracy and how the corporate sector has attempted to destroy it.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"With \u003cem\u003eFirst Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat\u003c\/em\u003e, Christopher Shaw makes a brilliant case for polishing the USPS up and letting it shine in the 21st century.\"--\u003cstrong\u003eJohn Nichols\u003c\/strong\u003e, national affairs correspondent for \u003cem\u003eThe Nation\u003c\/em\u003e and author of \u003cem\u003eCoronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eFirst Class\u003c\/i\u003e is essential reading for all postal workers and for our allies who seek to defend and strengthen our public Postal Service.\"--\u003cb\u003eMark Dimondstein, President, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fight over the future of the U.S. Postal Service is on. For years, corporate interests and political ideologues have pushed to remake the USPS, turning it from a public institution into a private business--and now, with mail-in voting playing a key role in local, state, and federal elections, the attacks have escalated. Leadership at the USPS has been handed over to special interests whose plan for the future includes higher postage costs, slower delivery times, and fewer post offices, policies that will inevitably weaken this invaluable public service and source of employment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDespite the general shift to digital communication, the vast majority of the American people--and small businesses--still rely heavily on the U.S. postal system, and many are rallying to defend it. \u003cem\u003eFirst Class\u003c\/em\u003e brings readers to the front lines of the struggle, explaining the various forces at work for and against a strong postal system, and presenting reasonable ideas for strengthening and expanding its capacity, services, and workforce. Emphasizing the essential role the USPS has played ever since Benjamin Franklin served as our first Postmaster General, author Christopher Shaw warns of the consequences for the country--and for our democracy--if we don't win this fight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eFirst Class\u003c\/em\u003e: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Piece by piece, an essential national infrastructure is being dismantled without our consent. Shaw makes an eloquent case for why the post office is worth saving and why, for the sake of American democracy, it must be saved.\"--\u003cstrong\u003eSteve Hutkins\u003c\/strong\u003e, founder\/editor of Save the Post Office and Professor of English at New York University\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The USPS is essential for a democratic American society; thank goodness we have this new book from Christopher W. Shaw explaining why.\"--\u003cstrong\u003eDanny Caine\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of \u003cem\u003eSave the USPS \u003c\/em\u003eand owner of the Raven Book Store, Lawrence, KS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Shaw's excellent analysis of the Postal Service and its vital role in American Democracy couldn't be more timely. ... \u003cem\u003eFirst Class\u003c\/em\u003e should serve as a clarion call for Americans to halt the dismantling and to, instead, preserve and enhance the institution that can bind the nation together.\"--\u003cstrong\u003eRuth Y. Goldway\u003c\/strong\u003e, Retired Chair and Commissioner, U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission, responsible for the Forever Stamps\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In a time of community fracture and corporate predation, Shaw argues, a first-class post office of the future can bring communities together and offer exploitation-free banking and other services.\"--\u003cstrong\u003eRobert Weissman\u003c\/strong\u003e, president of Public Citizen\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"City Lights Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51987803308263,"sku":"9780872868779","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0449\/4075\/5096\/files\/imageloader_998b56f2-46de-4660-999c-5339b1675c8f.jpg?v=1776396758","url":"https:\/\/arvidabookco.com\/products\/first-class-the-u-s-postal-service-democracy-and-the-corporate-threat","provider":"Arvida Book Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}