Postal Service Urged to Weigh Contracting Most Operations

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

The U.S. Postal Service should consider keeping door-to-door delivery while privatizing the rest of its operations, a panel led by former Government Accountability Office head David Walker found.

The Postal Service, which lost $15.9 billion last year and exhausted its $15 billion borrowing limit, should consider expanding partnerships with the private sector, a report released today by a National Academy of Public Administration panel said. The post office already partners with companies including FedEx Corp. (FDX) and United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS)

“We do believe that this deserves serious consideration,” Walker said today on a conference call with reporters.

The recommendations in today’s report may lay the groundwork for a new business model for the Postal Service, which plans to end Saturday mail delivery in August over objections from some members of Congress. The service, which has about 521,000 career employees, is also pushing lawmakers to relax a requirement to pay now for future retirees’ health-care costs.



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-14/postal-service-urged-to-weigh-contracting-most-operations.html

[onehandle]

1. I think Republicans should be taxed to reverse the Postal Service shortfall.

See. I can propose stupid shit too.

[hobbit709]

2. I wouldn't call taxing Republicans stupid.

[DainBramaged]

3. tHIS IS WHAT Fedex and UPS and the Pukes wanted when they imposed their

draconian pension obligations

[freshwest]

8. And are shamelessly moving forward with it. I prefer my postman, not the other guys.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

17. REPUBS AND CORPS ARE THE ENEMY WITHIN

TRYING TO GUT OUR DOVERNMANT

[NOVA_Dem]

4. That was the plan all along...

cripple the USPS and hand over pieces to the private sector.

[Brigid]

5. Are any of us fooled by this?

No? I didn't think so.

[groundloop]

7. Unfortunately many Americans will buy into this.....

And of course the question they fail to ask is exactly how privatizing will accomplish anything. Of course the answer to that is that the privatized segments will cut service/raise prices along with cutting wages and benefits for employees to insure a large profit margin.

[freshwest]

9. Correct. And just put blinders on to the diversity of customers that will be left out.

Privatization = Economic Apartheid.

[SunSeeker]

6. This is just so wrong. I hate the fucking Republicans.

[GoneFishin]

10. You know whoever suggested this is hack. Notice they say the USPS should keep

the door-to-door service for which they get paid less than 50 cents to move an envelope 3000 miles across country, but they should privatize the rest. Assholes.

[AgingAmerican]

11. This is unconstitutional

The postal service is mandated in the constitution. It's called the 'postal clause'.

Article I, Section 8, Clause 7

This ruining of the postal service by the GOP will be horrible for businesses. Are you ready to spend $4 to send a letter?

[Orrex]

14. I look forward to hearing complaints about $4 letters, in fact

Because I've so enjoyed reading people's complaints about $0.48 stamps (etc.) here and on DU2 over the years.

[Swede Atlanta]

18. Correction, the Post Office is not mandated in the Constitution

Under Article I, Section 8, Congress is given express POWER to, among other things, establish Post Offices and Post Roads.

There is no mandate. Congress is free to establish and maintain a post office or not. Congress has the corresponding power to terminate the Post Office.

I agree with your assessment that prices will go up uncontrollably once operations are privatized. This is exactly what the GOP wants.

[MannyGoldstein]

12. David Walker is a Pete Peterson Flack

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_M._Walker_(U.S._Comptroller_General)#Peter_G._Peterson_Foundation

This shit has really got to stop. They won't be happy until we're all crawling through garbage dumps to find our meals.

[KansDem]

15. "They won't be happy until we're all crawling through garbage dumps to find our meals."

Even then they'll charge us an "admission fee."

[MannyGoldstein]

16. Indeed.

It's all gotten so nuts.

[NYC_SKP]

26. Link please

To a thread in support of a Warren group on DU, if you've posted one.

[MannyGoldstein]

27. Here ya go...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022509031

[Brigid]

24. And then, when we get sick . . .

From that fine cuisine, they'll just stand around and watch us die of food poisoning because we can't afford to go to the ER. That would be just fine with them.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

21. And privatizing the USPS and busting the biggest union in the nation is their objective.

The Koch/Peterson-pwnd CONgress should remove the 75-year pre-funding requirement. Period. Of course they won't. This is yet ANOTHER goddamned Republican-manufactured "crisis" created to get them and their rich owners and controllers what they want.

[byronius]

13. This is so fucking disgusting. So dark. So backward. So stupid. So evil.

Fuck.

[booley]

19. isn't the private sector MORE expensive?

Seems that every time we privatize some public service, it just gets more expensive.

I mean for one thing, a private company always has to make a profit on top of whatever the cost is.

[Dryvinwhileblind]

20. Hey, how about "urged to weigh the scource stated by a stenographer posing as a news man".

David M. Walker member of..
The Brookings Institution
The Heritage Foundation
Concord Coalition, and, of course...
The Campaign for Fiscal Responsibility FKM!

[Lenomsky]

22. So sell off ..

the most profitable part of the business to pay for ALL FUTURE RETIREES! Incredible that's basically blackmail.

Madness .. I don't know the history but the most expensive part is delivery to the door. UPS/FedEx do that sure but for a hefty fee!

I suggest if the BULK providers al la FedEx/UPS etc purchase core portions of that business then they profit share with USPS to recompense USPS for carrying out the unprofitable end of the business.

Better yet keep USPS the entity it is but we all know that will never happen.

Good luck America.

[dawnie51]

23. That's rich....

UPS and Fed Ex already dump off packages that they don't want to deliver at the post office. If it's small or rural, they don't want to bother and just contract the PO to take care of it. UPS pulls up everyday at my local PO with packages for them to deliver for them. These people are clueless.

[JDPriestly]

25. If the postal service operations are privatized, we could lose our right to privacy

in the mail. That is not certain, but it could arguably happen.

[fascisthunter]

28. um, duhhhh.... how'd dis happen.... duh

where are the democrats on this issue? Why did they allow this to happen. "Um... duuuuh... I don't know."

[olddots]

29. Can't they imagine what life would be if they got what they want ?

Our enemy is insane and dangerous but we have the brains and courage .

[HoneychildMooseMoss]

30. Booooooo! Hisssssssssssss!

I hate these people who are constantly trying to "fix" things that aren't broken.

[davidpdx]

31. This is right in line with their plan

Cause the Post Office to run deficits because of the payments into the employee health fund, tell the public the Post Office is broke and cuts have to be made, privatize, and privatize the post office.

And just what will happen to that pile of money being set aside for the employee's health fund? There is the big question.

[TM99]

32. Who did not see this coming?

I do not want to hear from another damned apologist for 'modernizing' or 'fixing' the USPS.

It was never broken. Now it is. Why? Because these parasites want to suck the marrow from its bones leaving it with nothing...leaving US with nothing.

I will virtually slap the next Neo-Liberal who calls me a Luddite because I still prefer the USPS over the alternatives including Facebook and DHL!