Quote:
Originally Posted by Schaumburger
Here is some food for thought in defense of the USPS, which does need reform, instead of being abolished.
My elderly dad, along with 20% of Americans, gets maintenance medication delivered by the USPS. In 2019, the USPS delivered 1.2 billion prescriptions, including almost 100% of the prescriptions delivered by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
The USPS is mandated to deliver to all addresses in the U.S. Fed Ex and UPS do not have this mandate; if it is not profitable for Fed Ex and UPS to deliver to a rural area, they are not required to. So how will Americans living in remote areas get their packages and mail? How will veterans living in remote areas get their maintenance medication shipped to them if the USPS is abolished?
One requirement that needs reform regarding the USPS is the requirement that USPS is required to pre-pay health benefits for retirees 75 years into the future. This requirement has been a major factor in the USPS' operating losses since 2006.
Please note: the statistics are from CNBC and The American Prospect.
|
Of course retirement and health benefit costs are a major factor in the Post Office losing money. But, who else should pay those costs? The Post Office hired the employees and promised them the benefits. If they don't want to fund the benefits, then hire more contract employees, who don't get the same generous benefits. But, I believe that another factor in the Post Office losing money is that they don't charge enough to deliver junk mail. If junk mail is profitable, why don't UPS and FedEx deliver any of it? More than 95 percent of my mail is trash, and the Post Office expects someone else to dispose of it.