Comments on: Post Office Needed Some Common Sense
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By BillC on 05-06-12 @ 9:20 am
The Post Office is unfortunately a 21st century operation attempting to pursue a 19th century business model. Innovation is needed to streamline the system, to reduce costs while
maintaining an acceptable level of service, to eliminate waste, and to maximize efficiency.
Perhaps this will require a partnership between public and private interests. It is becoming
obvious that the current model is unsustainable. Eliminating some services may be required.
Closing some post office facilities may also be required. Transferring the shipping of mails to
private contractors such as UPS or FedEx may also be required. But simply refusing to allow
the closure of facilities because that action would anger unions or threaten votes is not
acceptable. Political decisions made when business decisions are needed does not solve the
problem, nor is that a common sense approach.
By savetheusps on 05-24-12 @ 8:41 am
The problem with the USPS is not that it is out of date, the problem is that they are the only federal or private corporation required by Congress to pre-pay their retirees plan. They are
forced to make 75 years of payments to this fund in only 10 years! If the USPS were to stop
paying into this fund, with interest, this fund can sustain itself for another 40 years, yet the
Senate passed reform that will not only not return the $75 billion the USPS has overpaid into
their CSRS plan, but only returns $11 billion from the FERS plan, and requires the USPS to
pay most of that back and considers it DEBT! All of Congress KNOWS they are raping the
USPS with this requirement, but they refuse to give the overpayments back? Why? It will look
back come November! The USPS delivers 5 of FedEx and UPS’s packages now, which is
keeping the cost low, otherwise you will be paying a lot more money for their service! Closing
post offices and processing facilties will not save the USPS one dime. The USPS states that in
two yeas they will save $2.1 billion wihen in fact they paid an outside company to study the loss
of revenue and they concluded that the USPS will lose $5 billion in revenue by these closings!
Currrently the House GOP’s are blocking legislation that would make the USPS solvent for
years to come by returning these overpayments, maintain the current delivery standards, six-
day delivery and stop these closings (HR 1351), but Republicans Darrell Issa and Dennis Ross
are blocking it! Why? The Koch brothers want to privatize the USPS for their gain! Everyone
needs to contact their House Representatives and tell them to support a DISCHARGE
PETITION for HR 1351!
The views expressed in the comments section do not reflect those of the Beacon.