I just talked to my letter carrier about the insanity of the GOP... (xpost from gd)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026618259
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 servicesnot 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