Cash-strapped USPS considers emergency rate hike

[The King]

If they didn't have to pay Congress 5.5 Billion every year for "Future retiree health benefits" has ordered by Congress in 2006 that no other government agency or business is required to make. "Absolutely, we would be profitable right now,"

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/post...ngress-6209830

Is there some reason why pre-funding future retiree benefits should be seen as a bad idea?

[otrtruckpro]

Is there some reason why pre-funding future retiree benefits should be seen as a bad idea?

No,But why are they the only ones who have to pay congress for something that hasn't happened yet. 22 million people work for Federal,State and Local governments and none of the other agencies pay anything. And 5.5 Billion seems a bit much every year.

[The King]

To my knowledge all Federal agencies and their employees have been paying into their current retirement system since the mid-1980s or thereabouts and paid into their old civil service retirement system before that. State government I don't know about, but Fort Worth municipal employees and their departments pay into their retirement system. Pre-funding USPS retirement benefits is no different to me than any individual and their employer pre-funding their own Social Security or 401K accounts for something that hasn't happened yet. The upfront amount required from the USPS may seem high, but consider that the typical USPS employee may have been offered relatively generous retirement benefits with associated liabilities that are greater than those offered elsewhere.

[Chas_svo]

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. But park a car anywhere near your mailbox and you can go fuck yourself.

Fixed.

[jayjohnson600]

The USPS pays their own pension and they are in distress. Private companies found this out decades ago. They just weren't fiscally responsible in promising benefits and funding them. Many excuses have been used from all angles.

You will never hear a word of the tax payer funded US Federal gov't pensions in distress, because they simply siphon it off of the US taxpayer. They vote for their own pay and benefits package. They can even exempt themselves from Universal Healthscare. It's very telling when politicians say it's a good program for the American people, but they themselves don't want to be subject to it.

And if it is politically impossible to squeeze their funding out of the current US tax payer, they will simply hand the bill to future generations. ie multi-trillions in debt.

When the best jobs are Gov't jobs, it's usually a signal that the end is in sight.

This is why we need a smaller and fiscally responsible gov't.

[Forever_frost]

I've always found it interesting that the USPS is bitching that they can't do their job on how much stamps cost but they give very generous benefits to idiots. I can't think of a time when massive legacy costs and increasing the price of your product spurs demand.

[03mustangdude]

Last time I went to the post office I was forced to. Line was out the door and you could hear all the employees playing around in the back while there was only 1 person at " register"

[Whiteboy]

I gave them $75 buck today

[Forever_frost]

Same here. Last time I was there, I saw 4 people playing on their phones and one had to tear himself away to check customers out

[War Machine]

government employees are worthless and do not appreciate their jobs. My bro inlaw is a god damn mail man and all he does it bitch. He makes over 60k a year, crazy ass benefits and cannot do anything other than sling mail.

[BMCSean]