[QUOTE]WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- The next deadline facing Congress to save the U.S. Postal Service is Aug. 1. That's when the agency won't have enough money to make a $5.5 billion payment to a retirement fund mandated by law.
No one's quite sure what happens if Aug. 1 rolls around and the Postal Service has to use all its cash on the fund to prepay healthcare benefits for retirees. But when a similar deadline loomed last year (and was pushed back by Congress), Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe predicted doom.
The last big deadline was a Postal Service moratorium on postal closures, which expired on May 15.
Since then, the Postal Service has announced new plans averting closures of rural post offices and delaying consolidations on postal plants. Only 48 plants are to be closed or consolidated in July and August this year. Other consolidations happen in 2013 and 2014 -- and could be trumped by Congress.
The Senate passed a bill last month, which would avert the Aug. 1 cash crunch. The House has a vastly different approach to resolving postal woes and doesn't appear to be in a hurry.
Postal policy veterans say they don't expect the full House to take up the bill until this summer at the earliest, which irks some in the Senate, like Sen. Thomas Carper, a Delaware Democrat.
Carper launched a website highlighting that the U.S. Postal Service loses $25 million each day Congress does nothing.
"I hope that my colleagues in the House will recognize the urgency of this situation and announce when they intend to act to save the Postal Service," Carper said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Postal Service reported a $5.1 billion loss last year citing the recession, declining mail volume and a congressional mandate to prefund retirement health care benefits.
The health care mandate is a major liability for the Postal Service. Officials have said they won't have the cash to make a $5.5 billion payment that's due Aug. 1, nor the $5.6 billion payment due Sept. 30.
So far the main cost cutting measures on the table have been consolidating plants and ending Saturday service. Unions say the health care payments are the main cause of the Postal Service's financial woes and should be eliminated instead. They say plant closures and mail service delays turn more customers away.
"Since $3.1 billion of the reported $3.2 billion loss in the most recent fiscal quarter stems from pre-funding future retiree health benefits -- which no other entity in America is compelled to do -- the USPS and congressional response ought to address the actual problem," said Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers in a statement issued Thursday.
House lawmakers did make progress this week, with a move aimed at resolving concerns from lawmakers from rural districts.
In both chambers, lawmakers from rural areas have fought to save their postal plants and offices from closing. They say the local postal office serves a far greater need to rural areas that lack Internet and faster ways to communicate more readily available in big cities.
However, measures saving any postal facility undercut cost-cutting efforts, making it tougher for the U.S. Postal Service to shrink the number of facilities and employees, an effort embraced by the House bill.
Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican, agreed to make a change in his postal reform bill that would limit the number of rural post offices closed to no more than 5% of all closures that happen each year.
Additionally, Rep. Adrian Smith, a Nebraska Republican who runs the House rural caucus, agreed to work with Issa to help smooth out other concerns lawmakers from rural areas may have.[/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/18/news/economy/postal-service/index.htm?hpt=hp_bn5[/url]
Congratulations Congress, your mandated healthcare plans and retirement benefits continue to fuck businesses large and small, [B]AND[/B] the people that work for them.
All that the shitty manditory healthcare/retirement is doing is making businesses go bankrupt, axe tons of the workforce to cut costs or fire employees that are on the virge of retirement to avoid having to pay healthcare and retirement benefits.
I fail to see what healthcare has done to screw the postal service.
This situation has gone postal!
[QUOTE=Daniel Smith;36010327]This situation has gone postal![/QUOTE]
Still have time to [I]ass[/I]ess the situation.
[QUOTE=bohb;36010189]Congratulations Congress, your mandated healthcare plans and retirement benefits continue to fuck businesses large and small, [B]AND[/B] the people that work for them.
All that the shitty manditory healthcare/retirement is doing is making businesses go bankrupt, axe tons of the workforce to cut costs or fire employees that are on the virge of retirement to avoid having to pay healthcare and retirement benefits.[/QUOTE]
Oh look it's [b]Bohb[/b], the guy that said Europe has so much debt because of tight banking restrictions and socialism.
[QUOTE=bohb;36010189]Congratulations Congress, your mandated healthcare plans and retirement benefits continue to fuck businesses large and small, [B]AND[/B] the people that work for them.
All that the shitty manditory healthcare/retirement is doing is making businesses go bankrupt, axe tons of the workforce to cut costs or fire employees that are on the virge of retirement to avoid having to pay healthcare and retirement benefits.[/QUOTE]
Last time i checked obama care hasnt been put into effect yet.
[QUOTE=bohb;36010189]Congratulations Congress, your mandated healthcare plans and retirement benefits continue to fuck businesses large and small, [B]AND[/B] the people that work for them.
All that the shitty manditory healthcare/retirement is doing is making businesses go bankrupt, axe tons of the workforce to cut costs or fire employees that are on the virge of retirement to avoid having to pay healthcare and retirement benefits.[/QUOTE]
Glaber's posts were funnier.
[QUOTE=codemaster85;36011087]Last time i checked obama care hasnt been put into effect yet.[/QUOTE]
Parts of it are, other parts don't going into effect until certain dates.
I do not, however, know if what is mentioned is part of the "in effect now" part.
This will deliver the packages in record rates.
[img]http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/9882/picture003vq7.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=bohb;36010189]Congratulations Congress, your mandated healthcare plans and retirement benefits continue to fuck businesses large and small, [B]AND[/B] the people that work for them.
All that the shitty manditory healthcare/retirement is doing is making businesses go bankrupt, axe tons of the workforce to cut costs or fire employees that are on the virge of retirement to avoid having to pay healthcare and retirement benefits.[/QUOTE]
Except this has nothing AT ALL to do with healthcare reform. Its a entirely other piece of law (In fact it was put into law in 2006 [new amendments have been added in 2011]). This whole thing with the postal service having major problems with paying things (especially a health care fund) is nothing new. Please get your head out of your ass and if you want to blame people, blame the last guy in office (his name was Bush)
And a link to shut you up: [url]http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2010-title5/html/USCODE-2010-title5-partIII-subpartG-chap89-sec8909a.htm[/url]
[QUOTE=Keegs;36010699]Oh look it's [b]Bohb[/b], the guy that said Europe has so much debt because of tight banking restrictions and socialism.[/QUOTE]
More because of socialism and less of the former.
Socialism is a great idea on paper (and so is communism), but practical implementation isn't, and Europe is a prime example of that. When you get a huge government that has its tendrels in every part of the economy, it becomes unsustaniable. You get your "free healthcare" (ps. not free) and government pensions and other public programs that amass a monstrosity of a budget requirement. All is fine and dandy until the economy falls into a recession when and people can no longer sustain the crippling tax burden and spending slows.
Of course those two things aren't the only huge drain on EUs economy, but they are two of the biggest.
[QUOTE=codemaster85;36011087]Last time i checked obama care hasnt been put into effect yet.[/QUOTE]
If you read anything about how the obamacare legislation worked (ps. you didn't), you'd know that obamacare is enacted in several steps on set dates. Many parts of obamacare are already in effect, and many more parts of it will be put into effect in various future dates. The big one (mandated healthcare) will start in 2014, that is unless the whole bill wasn't thrown out by the supreme court, which will likely happen. It was hilarious reading the oral arguments from Obamas' croney, they were so idiotic.
[QUOTE=bohb;36012901]More because of socialism and less of the former.
Socialism is a great idea on paper (and so is communism), but practical implementation isn't, and Europe is a prime example of that. When you get a huge government that has its tendrels in every part of the economy, it becomes unsustaniable. You get your "free healthcare" (ps. not free) and government pensions and other public programs that amass a monstrosity of a budget requirement. All is fine and dandy until the economy falls into a recession when and people can no longer sustain the crippling tax burden and spending slows.
Of course those two things aren't the only huge drain on EUs economy, but they are two of the biggest.=[/QUOTE]
Capitalism is pretty great on paper but it's not so hot in practice.
[editline]19th May 2012[/editline]
america circa 1930s is a good example of that
[editline]19th May 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE]You get your "free healthcare"[/QUOTE]
it's called universal health care if you're gonna disagree with something get the name right
[QUOTE=bohb;36012901]More because of socialism and less of the former.[/QUOTE]
And you say this based on what figures exactly?
[QUOTE=bohb;36012901]More because of socialism and less of the former.
Socialism is a great idea on paper (and so is communism), but practical implementation isn't, and Europe is a prime example of that. When you get a huge government that has its tendrels in every part of the economy, it becomes unsustaniable. You get your "free healthcare" (ps. not free) and government pensions and other public programs that amass a monstrosity of a budget requirement. All is fine and dandy until the economy falls into a recession when and people can no longer sustain the crippling tax burden and spending slows.
Of course those two things aren't the only huge drain on EUs economy, but they are two of the biggest.[/QUOTE]
Please tell me, then, how Australia has managed to stay so strong economically despite having universal healthcare and other public programs.
I hope the Postal Service doesn't go under :(. Theyre the only way us overseas service members can get mail from back home and order stuff.
[QUOTE=bohb;36012901]More because of socialism and less of the former.
Socialism is a great idea on paper (and so is communism), but practical implementation isn't, and Europe is a prime example of that. When you get a huge government that has its tendrels in every part of the economy, it becomes unsustaniable. You get your "free healthcare" (ps. not free) and government pensions and other public programs that amass a monstrosity of a budget requirement. All is fine and dandy until the economy falls into a recession when and people can no longer sustain the crippling tax burden and spending slows.
Of course those two things aren't the only huge drain on EUs economy, but they are two of the biggest.
If you read anything about how the obamacare legislation worked (ps. you didn't), you'd know that obamacare is enacted in several steps on set dates. Many parts of obamacare are already in effect, and many more parts of it will be put into effect in various future dates. The big one (mandated healthcare) will start in 2014, that is unless the whole bill wasn't thrown out by the supreme court, which will likely happen. It was hilarious reading the oral arguments from Obamas' croney, they were so idiotic.[/QUOTE]
The major part of the healthcare hasnt been put into effect and thats really the only massive part of it. And i could say it is hilarious reading the oral arguments from your croney, they are so idiotic.
[QUOTE=bohb;36010189]Congratulations Congress, your mandated healthcare plans and retirement benefits continue to fuck businesses large and small, [B]AND[/B] the people that work for them.
All that the shitty manditory healthcare/retirement is doing is making businesses go bankrupt, axe tons of the workforce to cut costs or fire employees that are on the virge of retirement to avoid having to pay healthcare and retirement benefits.[/QUOTE]
You are a really shitty poster.
[QUOTE=bohb;36012901]More because of socialism and less of the former.
Socialism is a great idea on paper (and so is communism), but practical implementation isn't, and Europe is a prime example of that. When you get a huge government that has its tendrels in every part of the economy, it becomes unsustaniable. You get your "free healthcare" (ps. not free) and government pensions and other public programs that amass a monstrosity of a budget requirement. All is fine and dandy until the economy falls into a recession when and people can no longer sustain the crippling tax burden and spending slows.
Of course those two things aren't the only huge drain on EUs economy, but they are two of the biggest.
If you read anything about how the obamacare legislation worked (ps. you didn't), you'd know that obamacare is enacted in several steps on set dates. Many parts of obamacare are already in effect, and many more parts of it will be put into effect in various future dates. The big one (mandated healthcare) will start in 2014, that is unless the whole bill wasn't thrown out by the supreme court, which will likely happen. It was hilarious reading the oral arguments from Obamas' croney, they were so idiotic.[/QUOTE]
I disagree, socialism is a bad idea both on paper and in implementation. Private ownership and profits do the best job of signalling what goods to produce and also tells us where we need to cut inefficiency and waste. In a planned economy, any attempt at setting prices is going to be guesswork, at best, and there is little to no incentive to cut inefficiency. One example of socialism in action would be North Korea.
Countries like Norway that are often called "socialist" countries are actually capitalist nations with a mixed economy (the US also is mixed economy).
[QUOTE=MisterMooth;36013755]Please tell me, then, how Australia has managed to stay so strong economically despite having universal healthcare and other public programs.[/QUOTE]
Because they censor every violent video game that goes in there. If one in censored copy of left 4 dead went in, the whole country would explode.
[QUOTE=Ericson666;36018899]Because they censor every violent video game that goes in there. If one in censored copy of left 4 dead went in, the whole country would explode.[/QUOTE]
Are violent video games to blame for the recession? MORE AT 11, BROUGHT TO YOU BY FOX.
[QUOTE=Noble;36018835]I disagree, socialism is a bad idea both on paper and in implementation. Private ownership and profits do the best job of signalling what goods to produce and also tells us where we need to cut inefficiency and waste. In a planned economy, any attempt at setting prices is going to be guesswork, at best, and there is little to no incentive to cut inefficiency. One example of socialism in action would be North Korea.
Countries like Norway that are often called "socialist" countries are actually capitalist nations with a mixed economy (the US also is mixed economy).[/QUOTE]
Honestly, the word socialist has been so skewed by so many "definitions" made by the media and politicians that people are better off being specific and not using the word at all.
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