I just talked to my letter carrier about the insanity of the GOP...

[steve2470]

He agreed 100% with me.

Fact sheet: Pre-funding of future retiree health benefits



The U.S. Postal Service has its roots in the United States Constitution. For decades, it has entirely supported itself by the sale of stamps and other postal services—not with taxpayer dollars. The costs associated with the health benefits of USPS’ retirees are also covered by these proceeds. In December 2006, a lame-duck Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), a postal reform measure that included a mandate on the Postal Service to “pre-fund” 75 years’ worth of health benefits for future retirees. Hard-wired into the law without regard to economic conditions was an inflexible payment schedule that required USPS to pay about $5.6 billion per year over a 10-year period. The more than $12 billion in pre-funding payments the Postal Service made from 2007 to 2009 have since helped turn USPS’ healthy income statement a deep shade of red.

http://www.nalc.org/government-affairs/legislative-activities

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-repeal-paea

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. GOP hates the constitution. Always has. Unless they can twist it for their gain, remember

that the GOP exists solely to make money and absolutely nothing else, well they like to cause misery and death also.

They are not a political party, they are a criminal operation.




maybe not always, but surely the last 50-100 years

[steve2470]

2. please retweet

https://twitter.com/globalclimatefl/status/595257585441341440

[DURHAM D]

3. I worked early voting locations for Obama in 2012.

Three of the Romney workers who were there everyday were postmen. When I tried to explain this to them they basically called me a liar and had zero interest in learning more.

[steve2470]

4. sigh, the sponsor of the law WAS A FREAKING REPUBLICAN....

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr6407

Sponsor:

Thomas “Tom” Davis III
Representative for Virginia's 11th congressional district
Republican

[merrily]

8. It's a lot more complicated than that.

Look up the votes in the house and senate. Look up who actually did the drafting of that bill, then kook up who Obama appointed and re-appointed to the Postal Commission when he first took office. Look up how the newspaper of the postal workers' union covered those appointments.

There is at least one thread at DU that goes over all that fairly well. I remember a poster named brush was all over that thread, as was I. That may help you find it.

[merrily]

5. If he's older, he may remember what Reagan did to his pension. My letter carrier does.

Surprised me, he did. I thought--more assumed--he supported Reagan. Turned out, he had earned one government pension and was on his way to earning a second when, according to my letter carrier, Reagan said workers could collect only one pension.

I never looked into any of that. Have no idea if it's true. But, I like that my letter carrier has no use for Reagan. (Is that wrong of me?)

[Blue_Adept]

6. Of course he agreed

Postal carriers have to be wary of all who engage them. No telling what kind of nut may have a grudge and pull out a gun for any reason.

[steve2470]

7. ......

You must be joking, right ? I was in sweatpants. Actually, HE was the one to blame the GOP, FIRST. I then agreed. We then had a very brief discussion.

Of course, he could have been afraid of me going back to my condo, getting my gun, and shooting him dead.


in case it's not obvious

[ProfessorGAC]

9. That's Just Silly

There are two carriers who come to our house. We know both of them by name. There's only about 6 in the whole town and we know half of them personally, and the other three we'd recognize if we saw them at a restaurant on a saturday night.

It's not that rare to know the people who carry the mail or for them to know those who live in the neighborhoods to which they go.

[steve2470]

12. +1 nt

[Travis_0004]

10. How is that a GOP law

It passed the house with a voice vote, since there wasnt strong opposition. The passed the Senate without anybody voting against it. (Hillary voted for the law).

The bill had two democrat sponsors and only one republican sponsor. It was about as bipartisan as it gets, and both parties are to blame.

[steve2470]

11. original sponsor was a Republican, I rest my case nt

[Travis_0004]

13. And every single Democrat in the senate supported it

In the house most democrats supported it. Some may have been against it, but there was not enough opposition to force a recorded vote.

[steve2470]

14. ok, it doesn't matter that the ORIGINAL sponsor of the freaking bill was a REPUBLICAN

It was a Republican idea.

Got it. Have a lovely day.

[Travis_0004]

16. It does matter

But you can not ignore the fact that it passed the senate by unanimous consent and place 100% of the blame on the republicans.

This law is on both parties.

[C_U_L8R]

15. Death by GOP

There isn't one precious part of this country that Republicans
won't destroy with their corrupt profiteering. Except, arguably, the banks.

[staggerleem]

17. That'll teach 'em ...

... what happens when a quasi-federal agency (which is answerable to Congress in spite of NOT depending on them for funding!) starts thinking about electrifying its vehicle fleet. Why, that could negatively affect on the bottom line of several players in the fossil fuel industry, and dry up some donation streams on BOTH sides of the aisle. How DARE they!

[Iliyah]

18. Part of the Koch's brothers purity creed for GOPers:

Dismantle the United States Post Office.

[appalachiablue]

19. The US Post Office is also prevented from making money on basic services they could

provide like notarizing documents, money orders, photocopy and fax services, checking accounts which are available in EU I think, and even an email service that I would pay for and use. I also wonder why they're not used as voting centers, not a revenue maker but a logical service to me.
All of this further puts them in the hole intentionally along with the drastic 2006 legislation that made them set aside funds for pension and health care decades into the future.

The powers love to cut govt. agency budgets so staffing and service are poor and people complain. This deliberately sets up the claim to privatize!, let the corporations run them because they're so much better!
(And the private workers are paid minimum wage, have no benefits and limited background checks which is real bad especially if handling mail and important documents).

Glad you discussed matters with your carrier and shared-

[steve2470]

20. my pleasure, great info to know, so thank you!

I hope this law gets repealed soon, so terribly unfair to them and to the nation.

[appalachiablue]

21. I wish it would be repealed too. Freedom of the press and a postal service to distribute

information were critical to our early founding as you say. But our constitution and democracy are being dismantled like the rest of the commons. Killing the federal Postal Workers UNION, the largest remaining in the US is also the goal. All public workers and programs are targets- public school teachers, govt. agencies, regulators, inspectors, the IRS- get rid of 'em all! Cuz we don't need no stinkin' guvment!...Just a feudal society run by oligarchs where we can all protect ourselves with guns...

[steve2470]

24. I'll do what I can to get this repealed

I know it won't be enough, but every little bit helps.

[appalachiablue]

25. Good on you, all the best for success with repealing the law!

"If you don't try, you can't win", Elizabeth Warren.

[steve2470]

26. thanks

I'll do what I can via FB and Twitter. That seems to offer the most bang for the non-existent buck. I damn sure can't afford newspaper ads and TV time, unlike the freaking Koch brothers and many of the elite GOP.

[MisterP]

22. 95% of the House voted for it

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/109-2005/h430
https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-bill/22
(a revision passed 2006 on an unrecorded voice vote, plus it's all an enforcement of a unanimous 2003 law)

[steve2470]

23. good info

Susan Collins, sponsor of the 2003 law. Republican. Yes I know, Dems voted for it.

[Cha]

27. So sad what the gop has done to our USPS, steve. mahalo for the links.

[steve2470]

28. my pleasure, my aloha friend, mahalo :) nt