GOP continues quest to end USPS

Our US Postal Service is going broke largely because they don't get to run their own business. All their decisions are subject to the whims of Congress. When Republicans mandated they have to fully fund 75 years worth of retirement benefits, that put them on the path to insolvency. Yet the Postmaster General struggles on, trying his best to overcome a $16 billion shortfall (70% of which stems from the onerous pre-funding of retirements) that grows bigger daily. Toward that end, he decided to end Saturday deliveries to save a couple of billion in costs. Nobody loved the idea, but as they like to say in the Village -- hard choices must be made. Certainly it's better than no federal postal service at all.

This brings us to the current Congress where the Republican House majority is putting together their "sensible" spending bill for this session and what have the GOPers in their great wisdom decided to do about the USPS you ask?

A House Appropriations aide confirmed that the spending measure, which would fund the rest of fiscal 2013 and avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month, mandated that USPS continue six-day delivery.

Congress has used the appropriations process to force USPS, which has lost billions of dollars in recent years, to continue Saturday delivery for roughly three decades.

Apparently this government service isn't dying quickly enough to suit the GOPers. So they decided to slice another major artery in the hope it will bleed out faster. But not to worry, a bi-partisan committee is working on a "postal reform" bill that's going to fix everything. They promise, this session for sure, they're going to pass it. Advise you not to be holding the breath while you're waiting. [image via]