The ultimate cause for the failure of the USPS – government and unions.

Under the constitution the Congress has the right to establish Postal offices and Postal routes. This also means they have the authority to sell these assets and privatize the USPS, which I see as the best thing that can be done.

Unions just killed United States Post Office gee I wonder why.

Don’t go blaming Unions that is what Republican Wingnut Tea Party does. So it the USPS go private what will happen to workers minimum wage, no healthcare, no holidays, no sick time is that what you want would you work for that ? 

Unions save jobs and make a safe workplace. If there were no union do you think employers will offer good pay, benefits, sick time, overtime pay out of the kindness of there heart ? Come on talk with some sense 

garak99, snowleopard never said it was any one or specific groups that caused the problem, it is Bureaucracy that is the root cause!  Here is the definition of Bureaucracy garak99, because I know you need to read it to understand this statement… http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bureaucracy  Numbers 3 and 4 are the most pertinent ones.

Safe for who?  Scabs?

Driving an employer into bankruptcy helps no one.  The promises of the unions, ultimately, cannot be fulfilled.  Either the company or the buying public runs out of money.  In that light, the unions are the middle-class “aristocracy” who push the lower (non-union) middle class down even further.

So kind…

Saturday mail is stopping because of crazy Republicans protecting the tax loopholes of millionaires at the expense of ordinary Americans. Nice work, patriots.

Oh, and those of you who hate unions, feel free to put your money where your mouth is and give up weekends, safety laws, overtime pay, etc. All those, and much more, were brought to you by unions. 
Or, continue your hypocritical ways. What a shocker that would be.

I have worked as a Rural Route Mail Carrier for 35 years. When I started each Postmaster was responsible for his or her Post Office to make a profit. A small country Post Office cannot be managed as a big city Post Office. Also a Post Office with Rural Routes only cannot be managed as a big city office. Now the District Managers tell the Postmaster how to run their office’s. Customer Service was #1. Pay for Rural Routes is based on the evaluated system. Every 2 years each route is counted and each routes pay is based on that count. A count involves either 2 weeks or 3 weeks. There will be a count coming up in the next month.  Every piece of mail handled by the carrier is counted. Each type of mail has a formula. The formula decides how may hours it will take to deliver. I.E. in 1 minute a carrier should be able to handle 35 letter, that takes in sorting in the Post Office and delivering to the box. Each aspect of delivery has a formula, letters, packages, certified letters, flyers, express mail, number of post boxes delivered to, the number of miles traveled and the number of magazines handled. Each Carrier is paid their route evaluation (6 hrs, 8, hrs, 9 hrs. or 9.5 hrs) and they are required to work until all thier work is done for that day.     The only time a Rural Carrier is paid overtime, is 2 week during Christmas. If more control was given back to each Postmaster and the  the evaluated system was used throughout the Postal Service I believe the Postal Service would not be in trouble.

The Postal Service sure could use the $30 million it used to sponsor the U.S. Pro bicycling Team from 1996 to 2004.

I’ve only ever worked for a
private company and never for a government run or union shop of any kind and
I’ve always gotten good wages, healthcare, holiday’s paid and sick days paid.
Only a left wing communist scumbag would feel that the rest of the taxpayers
should subsidize a failing government and union
created nightmare.

So Public Workers should not get equal pay and benefits that private workers get ? 

Saturday mail is stopping because of crazy Unions protecting the promises they can’t keep at the expense of ordinary Americans. Nice work. Patriots?

Save jobs like what happen at the twinkle factory oh wait that closed down by union greed. Safe work place like GM oh wait there are drinking doing drugs and having sex with hookers on the job putting people’s cars together but that is ok they can’t get fired. Working on cars like the volt that happen to combust into flames in a car crash gee I wonder why. How is that safe for the people who are driving idiot?

 Maybe if the Federal Government would pay back the retirement fund of the Post office that they   “”borrowed”" some years ago, it would be able to get in the black again. Just as they did  with the Social Security money they “”borrowed”", it never got paid back.  Don’t blame the Postal service/Post office. They work hard for what they make. It “ain’t”  no picnic. The Postal Service also needs to thin out the useless wood at the top that does nothing productive, but sit at a  big fancy office desk and give orders to the ones lower than  them. The smaller offices works the hardest, as they have less help with as much mail as most of the larger offices per person., I  retired  10 yrs ago from the  USPS after 28 yrs of service.

On the contrary the following is brought to us by
the unions.

1. Destruction o property and the frequent breaking
of laws that result in no consequences to union thugs.

2. The stealing of money from people that don’t
want to be part of the illegal activity brought on by their union slave masters
so that money can be used to elect Anti-American Communist Hell bent on
destroying America.

3. Single handedly destroying companies so that
they’re on the verge of bankruptcy so that the rest of the taxpayers (that mean
hard working Republicans since the Libs are on the dole) can then bail them out.
Then the corrupt Democrats give them billions of dollars so that much of that
then goes to line the pockets of the Union Slave masters who then funnel part of
it back to the corrupt liberal politicians to get re-elected so they can do it
over and over again fleecing the hard working Republicans that have to work 60
weeks to support the welfare left. It’s a never ending cycle of
corruption.

The unions have brought this country to the brink
of bankruptcy and while we’ll all suffer in the end I’ll laugh in the end as the
lazy left has no more handouts to rely on.

Oh, and those of you who hate right-to-work, feel free to put your money where
your mouth is and give up alcohol-fueled lunches, pot parties, fraudulent sick days and violence against “scabs”. All those, and much more, were brought to you by unions.

Or, continue your hypocritical ways. What a shocker that would be.

Ah yeah like those tax loopholes that the liberal elite is taking advantage of? Quick question of all the riches people in this country which ones are Republicans? Bill Gates……..NO, Warren Buffet…………NO, was Steve Jobs……………..NO……….. are you stareting to see a pattern yet? No the takers of the Left will always be takers no matter if their already rich or their poor it’s just what they do TAKE, TAKE, TAKE. Thank you Comrade.

Eliminate five more days and the tax payers in this country will save billions, then the private sector can turn a loser into a winner 

Unions were the good guys DECADES ago. Now they are run by corrupt Left Wing hate America traitors. They don’t care about the viability of the company their members are a part of or even the union members themselves. They care aobut one thing and that is to line their own pockets and to be in power even though they know in the end the company will go bankrupt in the end as a result of their demands. Untilmately only those at the top of the union win because the company will go bankrupt and all the union members will unlitimately lose their jobs and all pensions they thought they were going to get will eventually stop because you can only TAKE so much before you run out of other people’s money.

Perhaps the point is that there are too many public workers,  that an overtaxing yet underfunded government is over-employed.  How many federal holidays does the government subsidize each year?  Ten.  Private business generally recognizes six.  If the government desires to be a private business then pay back the $16.5Trillon USD to creditors.  Operating at a loss is bad business.

The Post Office does not receive tax dollars.

The Post Office does not receive tax money

Now, if only Congress would follow the lead of the post office,
we might be able to get America out of the mess that all former 
Congresses,  all former Presidents’ and the Supreme Court put us in.
Actually, they still are creating a mess for America.  
What say you?

Tax loopholes are not just for the wealthy.  And, if you didn’t realize it, tax loopholes are not illegal.  Now go talk to your Democratic buddies such as John Kerry (tax evasion-putting his yacht in Rhode Island illegally to avoid taxes), Timothy Geithner (tax evasion), Charlie Rangle (tax evasion-not paying taxes on his income from rentals in another country), et al. I could go on and on about the lying, cheating Dems that want everyone else to pay taxes but not themselves.  THESE guys are tax cheats.  Not those people that are taking LEGAL deductions (aka loopholes).

Unlike some products that you can just decrease the amount of content, rather than raise prices, the PO has to deliver to every address, every piece of mail, everyday, with Govt regulations, not free enterprise. They were screwed from the start. It’s not the help, or management, but Govt regulations tying the hands of those trying to run the operation. 

Ah, no, actually it’s this new thing called “the internets”. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?

I sincerely hope you do not believe what you wrote.

Maybe the Post Office could sell off that huge piece of property that they have in Potomac, MD where they do trainings.

For those unfamiliar with Potomac, MD, it is where the millionaires live in their mansions. Yet the post office sees fit to own or lease what must be 50 acres of this ultra expensive land that houses a couple of small buildings.

Sorry, Stephen.  You haven’t shown a pattern at all.  Have you heard of the term “cherry-picking”?  It’s what Glenn Beck and other Right-wing ideologues typically rely on to make their case.  They have to do so, because the preponderance of empirical evidence is usually against them.  Also, your conclusion (“takers of the Left will always…Comrade”) does not follow logically from your comically cherry-picked sampling.  You’re going to have to do much better than this if you wish to convince anyone other than those already on your side.

If you’re truly interested in the subject of tax loopholes, how they came to be and who benefits from them, here’s an excellent book for you:  ”Perfectly Legal:  The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich–and Cheat Everybody Else” by David Cay Johnston.

  
Good luck!

If the USPS is privatized, who decides whether it is run by one company or many? Think of the unintended consequences if run by many: There will no longer be “sanctity” of the mail when anyone can have access to my mailbox to deliver mail. If several companies can deliver, who picks up my mail when there is a misdelivery and my flag is up? I can imagine misdelivered mail addressed to me languishing in someone else’s mailbox because there is no one to fix the error. Who picks up my outgoing letter from my box? Will each delivery entity/business have their own postage to purchase, thus ignoring outgoing mail without their special stamp?  When I go on vacation, whom do I notify to hold my mail? Will forwarding mail still be free and who do I file my change of address order with if there are several delivery businesses to notify? If I live 50 miles up the Stehikin River only accessible by boat, or in any remote area, what business out to make money would even consider delivering mail to me? I can visualize the delivery entities fighting for the right to deliver to densely populated areas and cities, only to ignore the rural and remote because it would require too many carriers and too much fuel and vehicles. Will these entities require background checks as the USPS does, thus ensuring some semblance of honesty and integrity or will they be minimum-wage, no background check jobs with mail theft unchecked? If too low-paying, will there be a continual turnover of employees who never adequately learn the routes and who don’t get to know their customers? Will anyone notice if I don’t pick up my mail for days and then knock on my door to check on me?

I do agree that the unions have ruined the Postal Service. I have many stories to tell, but not here and not now.

If the USPS is privatized, who decides whether it is run by one company or many? Think of the unintended consequences if run by many: There will no longer be “sanctity” of the mail when anyone can have access to my mailbox to deliver mail. If several companies can deliver, who picks up my mail when there is a misdelivery and my flag is up? I can imagine misdelivered mail addressed to me languishing in someone else’s mailbox because there is no one to fix the error. Who picks up my outgoing letter from my box? Will each delivery entity/business have their own postage to purchase, thus ignoring outgoing mail without their special stamp?  When I go on vacation, whom do I notify to hold my mail? Will forwarding mail still be free and who do I file my change of address order with if there are several delivery businesses to notify? If I live 50 miles up the Stehikin River only accessible by boat, or in any remote area, what business out to make money would even consider delivering mail to me? I can visualize the delivery entities fighting for the right to deliver to densely populated areas and cities, only to ignore the rural and remote because it would require too many carriers and too much fuel and vehicles. Will these entities require background checks as the USPS does, thus ensuring some semblance of honesty and integrity or will they be minimum-wage, no background check jobs with mail theft unchecked? If too low-paying, will there be a continual turnover of employees who never adequately learn the routes and who don’t get to know their customers? Will anyone notice if I don’t pick up my mail for days and then knock on my door to check on me?I do agree that the unions have ruined the Postal Service. I have many stories to tell, but not here and not now.

The Ed Show (MSNBC) reruns at 11:00 PM Eastern his 1st segment about 12:00 minutes covers this Post Office Story I suggest you watch or DVD it. It explains the entire thing,

Read the post I just posted about The Ed Show

Msmbc, you have got to be kidding. You must be a lefty. That is the pure, without question communist news media. All they know how to do is distort the truth.

Right on Stephen. The communist Unions donate to the democrats (communist party) and keep trying to enslave the rest of us. A revolution is coming so arm up and get training and lots of ammo. I do not believe the military will support the left. They will be forced to run and it will have to be out of this country. They will not be welcomed back. We learned that after Vietnam when the lefty congress allowed the likes of murderer Bill Ayers back in with out prosecuting him. What a crock. He has admitted to committing murder, quite a few of them the communist SOB.

 well said!!

Most of you Post Office workers do a great Job, But you have some bums amongst you, most of which are in management positions, and I say that because of my on personal experience not second hand info!

If it’s privatized, then many people living in rural areas won’t get mail at all. And isn’t that where most of you beckheads live?

Communist News Media ? Ha Ha no that is FOX forget the snide remarks just watch that segment it’s about 12 minutes. I assume you do not read the New York Times either ?

I have no idea who you’re talking about, but I don’t know anyone who drinks at lunch, has pot parties, whatever they are, etc. 
But you have some imagination.

To put it another way, OK, I’ll give up my boozy lunches and you give up weekends. Deal?

Wow. Another insane rant. You people do have vivid imaginations, I’ll give that to you. 
But you’re a perfect example of someone who should never own a gun due to mental health issues.

Read the post I posted about The Ed Show and watch that segment were Ed shows it’s not the Unions or the USPS it failing because of The Republicans in Congress who want to destroy the middle class. Beside how can you be against government jobs when you have one (Congress)

It’s a fact. Just yesterday Republicans once again refused to help the economy and chose to sabotage it, just so rich people can keep their corporate jet tax loopholes.
Do you guys ever watch actual news? 

Yeah, because lots of us middle class people use corporate jets and swiss bank accounts.

Yup, tha’ts wrong too. You think I want liberals to have tax loopholes, just not conservatives? LOL. That may be how you think, but not me. 
Yes, many of the rich entrepreneurs are liberals, because liberals are smarter. That’s why right wingers hate universities so much. Hotbeds of liberalism. And intelligence.

It’s flattering the way you like to copy me, but when you put in your buzzwords, it ceases to make sense. 

the constitution mandates the government provide a national postal service not sell it to a private concern.  The postal service is iintrouble almost entirely by a govt. mandate that requires the USPS to pre fund 75 years into the future retiree pension and health benefits.  That is the problem.  Yes there is dead weight in the Service, any org. that has over 630,000 people will!  It is funny that the post office is ragged on yet it is the best in the world.  It is also required by the constitution while the Dept. of Ed., the EPA, Social Security, Medicare, Dept. of Energy, as well as numerous other govt. branches nowhere appear in the constitution and should be left to teh states and towns.  UPS aND FED EX DO NOT DELIVER TO EVERY ADDRESS LIKE THE usps DOES BUT CHARGE FAR MORE FOR THE PRODUCTS THEY SERVE. THE Y ALSO LIMIT THE SIZES OF THE PACKAGES THEY WILL RECEIVE WHILE THE POST OFFICE DELIVERS FROM THE SMALLEST POST CARD TOT EH LARGEST PACKAGE. When UPS wishes to raise prices they just do so and no one barely wimpers, but when the Post Office seeks to raise rates it has to go through a ten month process before Congress and every scrreams when a stamp goes up a penny or two.  Full Time UPS workers are paid more and have bettert benefits than a typical postal worker.

The post office would be fine if it weren’t hamstrung by government regulations. It literally takes an act of congress to make any moves that would save money. The USPS is forced to maintain a number of far-flung post offices and of course the pension problem will only ever get bigger. The USPS has a monopoly on letter delivery, but as it’s been pointed out, that revenue stream has fallen off and will continue to do so thanks to the internet. I personally like the USPS, but I don’t think Congress will ever allow the company to make the moves it needs to become profitable. Privatization is an option, but either the monopoly on letter delivery would have to be broken up to allow for competition in postal rates, or stamp prices must continue to be regulated.  

It just “borrows” (wink, wink) tax money from the government for a “loan” it cannot repay.  Also, the government pays the Post Office (with tax dollars) to deliver the mail.

Have a talk with Chrysler and the UAW.

It’s the non-unionized people who keep elitist unions afloat.  The union costs are passed down to the retail and service level of the middle, lower and destitute classes.  What the unions are doing is no different than what the progressives are saying what the rich are doing to them.  The *union* is a loophole.

Check FEGLI.gov- postal workers d NOT have their ealth insurance and retirement benefits taken from their paychecks, as all other Federal employees…so what, no mail on Saturday! Bigger issues re: postal workers…need a job? Apply there!

Read the terms and agreements if you want to post on the Ed show…scarey!

Postal rates are regulated by the rate commission and not able to respond to free market forces.

Lots of people have opted for receiving and paying bills online, which has decreased some revenue for the USPS, altho’ that’s been offset by shipping costs from sales on Ebay, Amazon, etc. for what – about 10 years now or longer? And the lines at the post office have been getting shorter every year for people shipping off Christmas gifts. A lot are buying gift cards instead that the recipients can pick up online. I’ll bet not too many are even mailed anymore. And mailing out Christmas cards seems to be becoming a thing of the past. I have friends who work for the USPS here in Houston. They work hard, long hours and appear to be shorthanded, and the facilities are not hiring. As for Saturday mail delivery being discontinued….doesn’t affect me one way or the other. It means one less day a week to throw away that pesky junk mail!

Actually Cyndy, they receive about $96 million annually from Congress to fund well needed programs that USPS handles.   But more imporantly, the USPS has benefits that private companies don’t get and that is they pay no federal taxes and they are able to borrow money at discounted rates.  So you say they receive no tax money but besides what I mentioned above it should be known that the USPS has fallen behind in making payments of $5 billion dollars owed to the US gov’t twice.    So who makes up paying the interest on those unpaid amounts, the taxpayers of course.    And the USPS rate increase for international mail has been increasing by 25-35% the last two years.    This year has seen crazy increases that will hurt small businesses and not help the economy.   Each class of mail is suppose to sustain itself and if the internet (email) is hurting regular mail delivery (losing money) then reinvent it, downsize, or something and allow the package side of business to mantain reasonable rates (thus the USPS is suppose to be neutral-revenue operation).   Just like President Obama passed the $6.00 tax on cigarettes in 02/2009 and with these last few years seeing these noticeable price increases in USPS international rates and the fact that USPS has money to spend touting green shipping with flyers and more…….that in essence the USPS is taxing us with these price increases. 

i agree it’s indoctrination and everything the left does stems from the propaganda mentality.

Why Are You Blaming Republicans?They Are Not the Ones In Control!! The DemocRATS Are! or should I say Democrat-Socialists-of-America!!They have Been Trying For This Control For Fourty Years! and as Thatcher says,” The Problem With Socialism Is You Always Run Out Of Other People’s Money!”
If Hussein-Obama REally wanted To Help AMerica All His Funraisers would be for America Not Himself!But He Is Keeping All The Money For is Own Power and Control..(thank you george soros-the Evil DUDe!) Noted terrorist Bill Ayers who started Hussein-Obama’s career when he was 8(acorn)in his home..is still bombing America with barry-hussein-o-bomb-a! all he did was take over schools change the radical pose for the radical means! with hundred years of saul alinsky RulesForRadicals Left’s Bible a book dedicated to Lucifer!! and when you combine two antiSemetic Jews (Soros&Alinsky) with the Muslim brotherhood you get the anti-America Islamist Terrorist Barry-Hussein-Obomba!
who just might be the 12th Imam as Achmindinijad says to bring on Soros’ One World Government New World Order…which will lead to the apocalypse…. which i like to call the barackalypse!! so get right with the one &only GOD Lord Almighty!!

Its Not The Unions,persay, It IS The Greedy Union Leaders That Has Their Selfish Greedy Hands In Everything including The POTUS-barry-hussein-osama..oops..obama=the anti-America-Islamist-Terrorist! and the TeaParty Is Not Right-Wing Nutcase, The TeaParty Is The Only Thing Saving You From Slavery hussein-osama has in store for you when obamadontcare law comes to full-motion! The TeaParty Is George Washington trying to Save This Beloved God-Fearing Country, TeaParty Is Not Fixated on/with a ‘Party’ But on Country!
On WE THE PEOPLE! A Country For The People And By The People!! Read History Or You Will Be Doomed To Repeat it for obama=o-bomb-a is worse than hitler! he believes in Mao and Lenin too,who killed more than Hitler! BHO spoke to the Russian Leader, “..wait til after I’m re-elected I’ll Have More Flex-ability!” and with that attitude and being Muslim believing America Is ‘The Great Satan’  wait for His ‘Transformation’ you’ll see what he has instore….then you will be crying for the TeaParty to help!!

where have you been for the past  20 years public employees are already on more pay , bigger benefits and holiday , sick days

If Only We Can Make Workers In Washington Work FOR US! Politicians Should Be PUBLIC SERVANTS Working For US,We The People! Public Servants Should Be Volunteer Work! They Should Have To Work at other Jobs and SERVE the American People as Volunteer Work! Then Maybe, Without Pay, We Will Get People Who Actually Like America As Her Leaders! 

That Is My Whole Point! We Have To Change The System And MAke Them Work For US As A Volunteer Service. Then Maybe We Will Get Leaders Who Actually Care For US The American People And America And NOT The almighty Dollar!! They Shouldn’t be in charge of their own paycheck..they raise their own and not minimum wage? thats not out for America and AMERICAN PEOPLE!

stop watching the idiot Ed show that network is so owned by Soros/Obama you do NOT get The News from that network you get propaganda brainwashing, owned by GE/nbc which created obamadontcare law who made the profit from it=the slavery bill! republicans have no power the DemocRATS in power want to destroy the middle class! Everything DemocRATS complain of the Republicans Is What They Are Actually Doing!rulesforradicals their bible dedicated to Lucifer! Lucifer/Satan Is What Guides The DemocRATS (theLefts) agenda! 

They would probably be able to make it if, the PostMaster wasn’t making over 500,000.00 a year and the all the pensions were not so over the top.  Ridiculous!  They should be having trouble because they have gotten so greedy just like all the government.  Failure is emanate as you can see.

You heard the term “One Man’s terrorist is another man’s Freedom Fighter” ? Bill Ayres was a freedom fighter The Vietnam War had to be stopped by as Malcolm-X once said “By any means necessary”  

Before I retired in 2009 from a NJ State job we used to get 15 holidays per year we had a clause in our contract that ever worker in any job should have and that is “You get any holiday named by the President, the Governor or the Mayor” 

In that case instead of attempting to cut pay and benefits to public workers how about lifting private employers to match public pay and benefits so instead of a major corporation making 10 Billion in profit it will make 9.99 Billion and the rest go to there workers

Why is the USPS forced to fund pensions 75 years in advance ? Why to put them out of business by the Republicans 

To garak99
What are you going to do when the economy collapses?Just like the bubble in the housing market helped collapsethe housing market, the overspending of the FederalGovernment is going to collapse the American economy.The collapse of the American economy will be 1,000 timesworse than the collapse of the housing market.  We cannot
continue spending money we don’t have and printing money
which is devaluing our dollar.    Inflation is climbing and I
don’t know how anyone can afford to buy anything now and
it is going to get worse.  The Federal Reserve has an open-
ended ability to print money as long as they want.  Neither
the President, or the Senate, or the House of Representatives
(both Republicans and  Democrats, and also Independents,
have done anything meaningful to stop this.
Again, I ask you what will you do when our economy collapses?
I am an Independent voter and I’m just sick about the future
of all of Americas children.  Will all of our children have a viable
future?

No biggie. Not having Saturday delivery of letters means it’s another day bills that don’t get paid right on time won’t be late. Having mail delivery on the weekdays is just like when the Post Oficce stopped having mail service twice a day back when stamps cost 6 cents.

It is not the government OR the inefficiency of the USPS itself alone that has done in the USPS – or even the unions although I hate them.  Let me first say that I worked for a Remote Encoding Center of the USPS for ten years.  The employees were hard-working, and we went out of our way to try to get mis-addressed or otherwise hard -to-deliver mail to it’s intended recipient.  During the time I worked there, the USPS actually made money.  No, it is technology that has done the USPS in.  The internet – online bill pay, online shopping, emails, etc.  Even within the USPS, Remote Encoding Centers became less necessary with technology producing software that became more efficient in reading handwritten mail, sorting mail for carrier routes, etc.
But the most important reason it would not be wise to privatize is THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES!  You think our postage is too high?  It is nothing compared to ANY other advanced nation!  Think about it – a private company has going to have profits first and foremost on its mind.  There are no profits to be gained by delivering out-of-the-way routes.  Those would be dropped and it would cherry-pick the lucrative urban areas.  No longer would there be universal pick up and delivery of mail as intended by the Founders when they wrote it into the Constitution.  As far as the Unions, I belonged for a short time falsely believing I could have some influence on my job.  I was wrong.  They did help me once on a job-related issue, but otherwise I hated my dues going for liberal causes and candidates I didn’t believe in.  They won every arbitration over wages and COLA increases, which helped my bottom line, but I agree I was overpaid for the type of work I did.  That isn’t the fault of the USPS in particular, though, but in unions in government in general.  Get them the heck out of government!

The USPS should have JUMPED to attention and started scrambling when the very first email (with or without documents attached) was sent. They didn’t. So now they are in trouble because of a failure (for decades now) to adapt to the changing communications style of the modern age.

One profits-eating activity that must be changed is the practice of buying the current homes of employees who are being transferred, and the many ancillary costs it covers. See: http://www.uspsoig.gov/foia_files/FF-AR-09-211.pdf

Will the estimated $2 billion have any effect? I doubt it. Prove me wrong, USPS.

As for the effect of unions, at one time they were the savior of many people, saving them from deplorable work conditions and practices and securing fair wages and benefits for employees.

Unions still do good work, but seem to know no limits. To strike or
threaten to strike because every demand isn’t met, is tyranny in the
present day. In my opinion, unions have become too powerful. They are driving jobs overseas by the hour.

And who would not accept more pay and benefits? Isn’t it all American’s desire to live “the good life” and raise their “standard” of living? How high does that scale go? Union members have cut their own throats, and will have to see that point and take responsibility for their own complicity.

For example: American-made products are many times unaffordable due to the high wages demanded by unionized employees. Check out what a pair of American-made jeans, shirts etc. costs: Look at the prices of the “1791: The Original Blueprint” clothing on this website. I for one cannot afford to spend that kind of money on basic clothing. Sorry Glen, you have lost perspective and my respect.

But, if major carriers like UPS, FedEx, SmartPost, DHL, Streamlite, Argix Direct, and Newgistics can carry on, why not the USPO? They have the US to bail them out. There are no repercussions for their mismanagement. What do they do except to keep everything the same and cut service to correct the problem. Idiots.

The main reason the PO is losing money is because Congress mandated it pay $ 5.5 billion a year to pre-fund its retirement accounts 75 years into the future. They are paying retirement for people who are not even born yet. How many of you think Congress will simply set this money aside for the future. They will blow it just like they did the social security trust fund. As far as Saturday delivery goes, UPS and fed-ex do not deliver on Saturday either. In most towns UPS and fed-ex have one business location ,where the PO may be required to operate 15 locations. If Congress would keep their grimy little fingers off it the PO would be fine. By the way how many of you think a private business would drive a mile up a gravel road to serve one or two boxes and many times these boxes have no mail but the carrier has to drive up anyway just to check for outgoing mail. No way UPS or fed-ex can make a profit doing that.

 So you are for everyone’s pension funds  being reduced. FYI, people’s pension funds get their money from investing in those companies whose profits you want to reduce by giving profits to workers, above their going wages.. Reduce the profits = reduce money paid out to shareholders, which include huge $$$$ in pension funds as well as people who invest what they can to bolster their retirement income. Where did your pension money come from?

You seem to think it is a simple matter of “lifting private employers to match public pay and benefits”. In the private sector, businesses have to earn money. They have to compete for it. In the public sector (government) they don’t have to earn it by competing with other businesses, they just tax those of us who work in the private sector, and way too much, to cover bloated wages and pensions of the public sector employees, that were obtained through union pressures. So, the appropriate thing to do is drop the public sector wages and benefits to fall in line with the private sector.

Public sector employees are paid more in wages and benefits than private sector and don’t even have to compete.

 The Ed show? that figures. He blames everything on the Republicans. His propaganda Republican hate is well known.

 So Osama Bin Laden was a really cool freedom fighter then?

 They would fall in line with their equivalents in the private sector.

 Yes, they should and that’s part of the problem. They are getting more and the private sector employees can’t afford to pay more taxes to support those comparatively excessive wages and benefits.

 I suppose you got that bit of nonsense from the “Ed Show” Did you know that Democrats in Congress passed legislation that requires that pensions be funded? Or did you think it was all done by the Republicans!. You really have to stop listening to Ed.

 It is a lot of misinformation. I suggest you ignore it.

 Read? From the lack of intellect you display here, I am surprised you read the NYT.

 Really? How are those jobs the “unions saved” at Hostess? What unions do these days is demand so much they break the backs of the companies, forcing them out of business or abroad, consequently LOSING those jobs. What unions did in the past was a good thing as far as work place safety, working conditions, etc were concerned, but they are hardly needed any longer. As far as pying decent wages, the market will determine it – the employers have to compete for the best workers and will pay them for it… that is unless the current administration gives amnesty to those illegally in the country, encouraging more to enter, and allows more work visas for technical jobs so that imigrants who take jobs for less money bring down the wage scale. But your frien Ed won’t tell you about all that stuff.

Not to us no but ask some in the Middle East what they think ?

Sandi -Who is trying to force woman pregnant by rape to carry the rapist baby to term with no say in the matter 2-Who is trying to cut all Government Workers except there $175,000.000 Congressional pay 3-Who tells  people that cannot afford healthcare “tough go to the emergency room” 4-Who say the teachers are the reason for failing schools and not budget cuts 5- Who does not want to tax the richest 2% of people and corporations but thinks seniors and the poor should pay more 6-Who want to teach the Bible as fact in Public Schools 7-Who thinks video games are causing mass shootings (Remember the 1950′s Rock and Roll will destroy the American Way of Life) 8-Who thinks Gay and Lesbian Citizens should be second class citizens but still pay there full share of taxes 9-Who thinks it’s OK for our roads, bridges, rail system and public transportation should crumble because we can’t afford to repair them 10-Who thinks a Violence Against Woman Act is a bad idea ? Answer–REPUBLICANS 

Have you read “Rules for Radicals” Good book with good ideas I also recommend “Fugitive Days” by Bill Ayres “Angela Davis(An Autobiography” by Angela Davis “The Story of my Live” be Clarrence Darrow “Tears of a Clown (The Tea bagging of America” by Dana Milbank and finally William H. Kunslter (The Most Hated Lawyer in America) by David J. Langum 

My Tweets are always posted on The Ed Show and C-SPAN Washington Journal

You want to believe that 1. all Republicans are of this mindset that Ed claims them to be conconcerning women pregnant by rape? This is false.2., This  statement makes no sense – “except there [sic] $175,000,000″ . another Ed piece of misinformation and exageration. 3. This is another Ed piece of propaganda. Show some independent proof of this nonsense. 4. Teachers ARE one of the reasons for poor student results (what Ed implies to be ‘failing schools’ and this is the opinion of many Republicans AND Democrats. 5. This is pure Ed crap. No Republicans want  seniors and poor (who by the way pay little or no income taxes) to pay more. He couples this  with the tax on the 2% and corporations that the Dems want but the Reps do not (as it will be bad for  an already troubled economy) , to effect an emotional rather than logical reaction in his easily manipulated audience,. 6. The Republicans do NOT want to teach the Bible in public schools – another Ed outright lie. There are a tiny percentage of fanatics that may, but Ed paints the entire group of Republicans with this dishonest meme. 7.  This is another piece of Ed misinformation and exaggeration.  While there exists this view, it is shared by a number of both parties, but Ed will misinform and try to cast his dishinest aspersions on Reps only. 8. Another piece of Mister Ed’s misinformation and exagerations.. 9. More Mister Ed misinformation. Again he wants to paint all Rewpublicans with this lie. They are well aware that the infrastructure needs work. they insist on finding a way to pay for it like everything else. 10. More Mr Ed crap. As you would be able to see if you weren’t so misinformed and gullible to Mr Ed the talking horses ass, this is all his left wing misinformation champagne and propaganda. He has not given any proof of his garbage and neither have you. This is typical of DEMOCRATS! especially those on MSNBC, like your ‘guru’ Ed Schultz  who speaks in half truths, exagerates, and outright lies.

So that makes it OK then in your mind.

Final Comment on this there is not a single thing we cannot afford all we need is a balanced budget amendment that reads “We must bring in revenue equal to what we spend each FY” your share is based on your income if you are on Social Security or Welfare you pay a few dollars if you are making $10,000,000 your share will be around $4,000,000 

Am I the only one who sees a headline of ”
Why won’t you be getting anymore mail on Saturday?..

But the video is about gun control???? Feel like i’m in the twilight zone

I agree that we need a balanced budget, however, that does not mean keep spending like crazy and then have to raise taxes to cover it. A balance budget alone will not get us out of this outrageous debt. Your philosophy of tax and spend is unrealistic and irresponsible. Government has to cut the spending, just like we have to when things get out of hand. Thing is, most of us don’t let things get out of hand like Congress does. They get bent out of shape when they reach a new fiscal cliff and claim they have to raise the limit because we have already committed the spending so we have to pay the bills. How stupid is that? That is a sign – Stop passing bills that are going to cost us more, which requires us to borrow more, which requires us to pay on that loan which drives us to the fiscal cliff again”

If everyone was taxed as you propose, it would crush the economy and we would lose our tax base. As it is, the talk of increasing taxes has already had about 50 people take their millions/billions and leave the country. No more tax revenue from them! so now YOU get to pay more. You need to take some courses in economics.

You are delusional if you think getting rid of union thuggery is going to get rid of minimum wages, health care, paid holidays & sick leave.  They are here to stay & yes past unions had a lot to do with that, but present day unions are nothing like the ones who fought for those things.  Now they are all about getting their dues & forcing companies & states to do away with free will when hiring.  Forcing people to either join the unions or not work.  Putting companies out of business so they can get their exorbitant wages, that are far from minimum, even when the company is struggling with reduced profits.  When I was a girl, the minimum wage was about $2.75/hour, as a journeyman welder with the AFL/CIO my dad’s wages were $13/hour.  And I’m sure the inequity between union wages & non-union wages has gotten worse.  So don’t tell me the unions are good for business when all they care about is lining their pockets, even if it means putting their minions out of a job because a company has to go out of business because of those exorbitant wages.

people are stupid.  some of these morons deserve to go to hell.

are you seriously this stupid or are you playing a joke?

you’re the exact type of person who will accept the mark of the beast.

god you’re a loser.

public workers always get better benefits because they are living off of the backs of the rest of us – and most of them are lazy bastards.  get off the tit garak and get a job in the real world and see how well you do.  doesn’t sound like you could hack it.  if brains were taxed you’d a get a rebate.

 Yes, he is seriously that stupid and he is a joke.