Their pensions are OVER FUNDED. USPS is forced to pay more than it needs to cover their pensions. can you name any other company with that mandate? Didn’t think so!
Although I am for serious reform of the USPS, I believe that you are correct about the overfunding of the pensions. The Postmaster General has indicated that that is one thing he wants Congress to address. That said, the money that should come back to the USPS won’t fix their deficits for very long. Just using the money up is just like what the States did with their cut of the stimulus. Now its gone and the States are left with the deferred problem of what to cut now. The fact of the matter is that thanks to other modes of communication, the USPS is going to be forced to undergo a substantial downsizing. But what we will likely see is the Congress trying to please their rural constituents and thus ignore the overall realities of the situation to curry favor and buy votes. It’s like Harry Reid’s little goodies for air service to Ely, NV. The planes go empty and each passenger costs the taxpayer something like $5,000. Stuff like that is going away and it can be handled effectively or by default, your choice.