The US Postal Service (USPS) is a “government corporation” that is supposed to be run like a business. That’s not worked out well. The USPS needs to go back to being a government agency, like the Defense Department and the US Park Service. Government is not a business.
@bradenslen We too have a “conservative” government at the moment, and they try to squeeze the railways and postal services too. The mail only comes every other day now. I will vote otherwise come 2021.
@bradenslen that makes it sound like the USPS did not do a good job, when the truth is it works OK as a self-funding agency. It should not have to, since it is a constitutionally mandated service, but absent the ridiculous pre-funding albatross it would work well.
@SciPhi The idea, when the USPS was turned into a gov't corporation was that it should be run as a business and at least break even. To my knowledge that has never happened and they always needed more funds from Congress. Yet in spite of that the USPS has done a good job of delivering the mail. I just think we should get rid of the fiction that it should be run like a business - run it like it used to be as a dept of gov't and the cost is the cost, since it is a needed service.
@bradenslen the post office is the only agency Required to fully fund its retirement. Very few cities or States do that. It is an unusually heavy legislated burden that guarantees financial distress. This is not new.
@bradenslen (and all): My response to Brad was oversimplified. See: www.forbes.com/sites/eba... for an interesting look at the problem(s)
@Marty Interesting about the pensions. Congress imposes a lot of restrictions on USPS (ie Saturday delivery, rates, etc.) which are a burden if they are expected to be profitable.