Postal Service cutting Saturday mail delivery

[Midpack]

Originally Posted by kanhawk

I work for the postal service. I know most people believe the postal service is a drain on the government and the taxpayers. How many know that two independent audits [who besides the Segal Group?] by OMB [wasn't it the PRC?] and by the office of inspector general showed the postal service overpaid into the Civil Service Retirement System for 30 years to the estimate of $50-$70 billion dollars? Congress knows this and they refuse to ever pay that money back. With a $1.6 trillion deficit they aren't going to give back the money they owe because they don't have it.
If anyone has really been subsidizing anyone, it's the USPS that has been subsidizing the US government.
The USPS is poorly run, but part of that is the fault of the US Congress. Big surprise, huh?
As far as Saturday delivery ending, it will give me a regular weekend so that is a nice benefit.

Seems a little self-serving to forget to mention that the OPMOIG & GAO disagree re: any overpayment? My links are all below instead of heresay, could you provide yours?

And even if someone owed USPS $50-70B, that would only buy the USPS time. Since 2009, USPS has lost money EVEN if there are ZERO PAEA/RHB payments (another common tactical distraction that's no longer valid). Even when the RHB payments end in 2016 or 2017, USPS will be losing money. How is that going to be addressed?

So as you know, this is all a distraction anyway. Fundamentally, there's no question people have/are quickly moving past snail mail. With 2/3rds of snail mail largely unwelcome junk mail that most of us DON'T WANT How Junk Mail Is Helping To Prop Up The Postal Service | StateImpact New Hampshire - it's inevitable USPS is going to have to adapt and dramatically reduce costs/services like every other business.

In March 2010, the PRC said that it would examine the USPS’s pension liability in response to the USPS’s request. The agency hired a private auditor, the Segal Group Inc., to produce a report, which the PRC released publicly on June 30, 2010. The report largely agreed with the conclusion of USPSOIG’s January 2010 report; and the PRC has stated that “an adjustment of $50-$55 billion in favor of the Postal Service would be equitable.”

The OPMIG has contested the USPSOIG’s claims. It has said that the current apportionment of the CSRS pension costs is in line with both congressional intent and federal law. Additionally, the OPMIG warned that allowing the USPS to draw back any CSRS pension funds would “create a dangerous precedent” by permitting pension funds to be used for purposes other than the payment of benefits owed. Similarly, the GAO has stated the USPS has not “overpaid” its CSRS obligation, finding, “The current methodology used by OPM for allocating responsibility for CSRS benefits between USPS and the federal government is consistent with applicable law.”

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41024.pdf
http://archive.opm.gov/oig/OPM_OIG_S...028%202011.pdf
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d12146.pdf