<p>^^</p>
<p>Regarding the losses without pension payments:</p>
<p>The USPS’s Operating Income Without the Annual PAEA Payments to the
Postal Service Health Benefits Fund, FY2004-FY2011
Page 9</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41024.pdf[/url]”>http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41024.pdf</a></p>
<p>Thanks for the info. I see it is in trouble, I’m still not seeing taxes supporting it. It sounds like you’re saying taxes WILL need to support it at some point in the future?</p>
<p>That’s what I take away from this:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.gao.gov/assets/310/303039.pdf[/url]”>http://www.gao.gov/assets/310/303039.pdf</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s all an issue of semantics. This is quasi-agency that has been taken “off the rolls” by moving paper. It is akin to move the chairs of the Titanic. Regardless of the amount of direct versus indirect subsidies, and regardless of the definition of the ultimate liable parties, it remains that the operations are NOT profitable. The cost of the stamps do NOT cover the expenses, and this in spite of its monopoly, tax-exempt status, and probable free use of government properties --as the cost of building the infrastructure was absorbed by the federal government decades ago. Even if the USPS leases many PO, it remains that their fiscal independence is a stretch. </p>
<p>In simple terms, if this were a totally independent agency, they would be responsible for the cost of operations and … for the total costs of their pension obligations. The writing has been on the wall for a long time. How do we expect this “non-agency” to reduce its debts and unfunded obligations if they lose money … without having to pay for their pensions? That deficit is explained well in the above links. </p>
<p>If the USPS is allowed to transfer billions of liabilities to Medicare, does that constitute a cost to the current (humm, humm) and the future “supporters” of Medicare. In so many words … you and I will be supporting those expenses, and not the cost of the stamps, as some of the sources like to pretend. </p>
<p>All in all, would it not be simpler to present clear numbers to the public, and stop the systemic obfuscation of the real facts. Why pretend that the USPS can operate on the back of a 44 cents stamp, maintain all the services, and take care of the benefits that were extorted by the usual unionized suspects. </p>
<p>Time has come for our country to admit it plays games, exchanges untenable promises for votes, and simply hopes that inflation, growing prosperity, and other pipe dreams will erase decades of mismanagement in the public sector. Time has come to understand that if we continue to transform the US is a new “Europe” version, we will have to live like the Europeans. And this means to be less consumerist, live with much lower standards, and learn to live with MUCH higher taxrates. </p>
<p>Kicking the can down the street only works for so long. We will not be able to spend ourselves out of trouble.</p>
<p>I see where you’re coming from.</p>
<p>FWIW I hope the USPS will be given the ability, by congress, to make whatever changes it needs to in order to continue to operate. If that is closing little used rural POs or cutting delivery to 5, or fewer days a week, I’m all for it.</p>
<p>Does the USPS actually hire anymore? My d’s boyfriend is a mail carrier while finishing college at night. What happens here is that people are “hired” as temps for the period of a year with no benefits and then “laid off” for a week on their anniversary and brought back for another year with benefits. He was told that Sundays will be mandatory but hours will be rescheduled so overtime will not be paid.</p>
<p>I just got an Amazon delivery, USPS, to my DOOR…on Sunday! I swear I ordered this late Friday. </p>
<p>He rings my bell, I get to the door, and shout out “it’s SUNDAY!”. He says they just started Sunday delivary, I say I thought NY and LA, he says it spread, I ask what he thinks, he says “it’s a good thing…more money for ‘the company’…” Just wow. </p>
<p>Did Amazon make this happen?</p>
<p>I ordered something via Prime that had a cost of 6 dollars on Saturday afternoon. It was shipped within one hour with a guaranteed delivery by Monday 15th (8PM) via USPS. That is remarkable and does offset the obsolete tracking system. I will not track this package a la Fedex but it will get here so soon it does not matter. Fwiw, I also do not get packages delivered to a residential address as that has become problematic unless someone is in the house all the time. Packages dropped in the lobby and blatant “failed to delivery” by UPS are just not worth the trouble. </p>
<p>We are getting spoiled. </p>
<p>I wish I was getting spoiled. I mailed a Priority Mail package last Monday that was guaranteed to be delivered on Wednesday. By Friday it was “delivered” to an unknown address in a neighboring state. Please keep tracking, it’s the only way to know where these little birdies might be flying to. </p>
<p>I also received a Prime delivery today after ordering on Friday. I did not expect to see anything until Monday. The carrier who delivered it was new to me…we have lived here for over a decade and I usually recognize the carriers. Hope those working on Sunday are being paid well. Somehow I doubt it…</p>
<p>i got a sunday delivery too!</p>
<p>Mailman delivered Amazon order to me today too.</p>