In a sense, the Repubs attempted to "private equity" the USPS

[matmar]

They loaded it up with debt in 2006 with their "Postal Accountability Act" by mandating a requirement designed to sink the USPS-the prefunding mandate that required the USPS to fund 75 yrs worth of retiree health benefits in a 10 year window.

Now that their plan has bankrupted the service they are free to come in and nullify Labor Contracts, break the unions and hire scabs for a third of the pay and no benefits.

Bain Capital model being put to work on government.

[Baitball Blogger]

1. And the question is,

why weren't we smart enough to analyze the strategy years ago?

[oldhippydude]

2. they set it up

in 06 in the lame duck session.. why didn't we figure it out?.. well for the same reason we couldn't figure out the voter suppression laws, after the U.S attorney scandals in 06.. for the same reason that they caught us flat footed on ACORN.. the truth of the matter is, that it's easier to sabotage than it is to fix.. all these situations are aggravated by the fact that they packed the bureaucracy with their folks on the way out.. they view us as temporary occupiers, them of course the "real" govenment..

while these situations would keep a normal congress busy, having a Republican house, virtually assures draconian measures..

[Baitball Blogger]

6. Then we should at least be more successful in showing

the American public where these bad laws came from. When they begin to see the cause and effect it won't be so easy for them to make claims like, 'well, Obama has been in office for four year, blah, blah, blah." Laws have long term effects. Period.

[lunatica]

11. Good luck with teaching the general public anything about politics

Most of them are uninterested to the point of catatonia when it comes to cause and effect of political legislation. As a matter of fact most of them don't see any connection at all between politics and their daily lives.

[HiPointDem]

4. because the average person doesn't assume the government is trying to steal from them

or cut government jobs in order to throw business to corporations.

at least, the average person *didn't* use to think so.

[Baitball Blogger]

8. We should use this example as a learning tool and feed it to the masses.

[Selatius]

5. Because we're not getting a paycheck to think up ways to screw over an entire nation.

If you're a politician on the dole of Wall Street, of course they're going to pay you constant visits asking for your help in turning government over to big business, and if you do well, they will spend large wads of cash to keep you in office come election time.

[Baitball Blogger]

9. Too bad that people aren't branded with their voting records when they

leave office.

[live love laugh]

7. It was done in the dark of night so to speak--the media didn't cover it so who knew?

It had nothing to do with being smart.

I knew and I was appalled but also concerned because the money that was taken was used to fund Iraq activities which should have been illegal. I was afraid that if people knew that their postage stamps were funding the war that would create an even more harmful backlash.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Actually, considering how much the Iraq war was used as a litmus test

for patriotism, I'm surprised that someone didn't come up with a Buy Stamps program.

[HiPointDem]

3. and they did something similar to social security. government borrowed a bunch of money from

one of its own trust funds, now hinting it won't/can't pay it back.

it's kind of weird how all the schemes are sorta similar and it takes us so long to catch on.

[malaise]

12. Excellent post

Rec

[Skidmore]

13. Two or three times over the past several years, I have commented that

the Rs were using corporate raider strategies to dismantle the system. I have also asked what we can do to counter it. I'm not an expert on business or finance but I do recognize when someone is trying to destroy something from within. It always amazed me that I could never seem to get responses from anyone else on the board who saw it that way also until reading this thread now. You have done a very nice job in giving a concrete example of how it works. The same thing can be said now for the educational system, the election system, and any other institution we have. Some have been taken over to eliminate them and others have been taken over to provide the private sector with new markets. Many of these functions were best handled by government--like the USPS and the schools. The surest way to sink the ship of state is to load it up with as much baggage as you can before drilling holes under the water line. Doesn't matter whether that ship is on the sea or in the bathtub.

[oldhippydude]

14. hmmmmmmmmmm

thought about this thread some after posting last night... actually the USPS could be a o potent election issue... as the Bains Capital, vulture Capitalism theme is played out during the election year..

suppose the Obama administration were to play rope a dope with the Republicans on this issue, Obama makes it a campaign isue... bingo you have the Republicans associated with th worst practices of venture capitalism, sinking the venture capitalist candidate and staining the party..

its a perfect October surprise.. they may have Karl Rove, but some of us are pretty damn smart..