http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/postal/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:36:10 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418148/posts WASHINGTON - If the nation ever faces a large-scale attack by a biological weapon like anthrax, the U.S. Postal Service will be in charge of delivering whatever drugs and other medical aid Americans would need to survive. In an executive order released Wednesday, President Barack Obama put the Postal Service in charge of dispensing "medical countermeasures" to biological weapons because of its "capacity for rapid residential delivery." While most likely unrelated, the release of the executive order comes less than a week after a man with alleged ties to al-Qaida tried to bring down a Detroit-bound U.S. airliner. In recent... NBC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418148/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:36:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414087/posts <p>The man entered the Wytheville, Virginia, post office about 2:30 p.m. and fired a shot, Mayor Trent Crewe said. No one has been hurt, but three postal workers and two customers are being held hostage, he said.</p> <p>There also are reports that the man has a "device" and it appears the man's car, parked outside the office, is equipped with some type of device, Crewe said. He did not elaborate on what the device could be.</p> http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414087/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:13:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407467/posts The U.S. Postal Service has more tax delinquents in its ranks than any other federal agency or department, according to Internal Revenue Service data. Maybe their tax payments got lost in the mail. The U.S. Postal Service turns out to have more tax delinquents in its ranks than any other federal agency or department, according to the Internal Revenue Service. IRS statistics from 2008 detailing the amount of money federal workers failed to pay the government in taxes showed postal service employees owed $297.93 million -- nearly 10 percent of the $3.04 billion owed by federal employees and retirees from... Fox http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407467/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:46:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391216/posts After losing more than $11 billion over the past three years, the U.S. Postal Service may eliminate Saturday delivery. The growth of alternative delivery services, particularly Email, and the recession that began last year have cut into the quasi-governmental agency’s revenue. It delivered 13 percent less mail -- 26 billion fewer pieces – in the year ended Sept. 30 than in the previous year. The Postal Service can’t take tax dollars, but it can borrow from the Treasury and now owes the government $10.2 billion. By law that debt can’t exceed $15 billion. Without major changes, the Postal Service figures... newsmax.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391216/posts#comment Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:07:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2392065/posts The nation’s oldest taxpayer group slammed the Senate for moving forward with debate on Majority Leader Harry Reid’s enormous health care “reform” legislation. Packed to the gills with tax hikes, more government spending, and damaging regulations, this bill would add tremendous burdens to taxpayers while ignoring some of the fundamental problems with America’s health care system. Andrew Moylan, Director of Government Affairs for the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union (NTU) provided the following the statement on behalf of his organization: THE FREEDOM POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2392065/posts#comment Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:54:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390145/posts ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Starry-eyed children writing letters to the jolly man at the North Pole this holiday season likely won't get a response from Santa Claus or his helpers. The U.S. Postal Service is dropping a popular national program begun in 1954 in the small Alaska town of North Pole, where volunteers open and respond to thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. Replies come with North Pole postmarks. Last year, a postal worker in Maryland recognized an Operation Santa volunteer there as a registered sex offender. PMSnbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2390145/posts#comment Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:51:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388050/posts The Postal Service reported a loss of $3.8 billion last year, despite a reduction of 40,000 full-time positions and other cost-cutting measures. The loss was $1 billion more than the year before despite job cuts and other efforts designed to save billions of dollars, postal officials said Monday. "Our 2009 fiscal year proved to be one of the most challenging in the history of the Postal Service," Chief Financial Officer Joseph Corbett said. "The deep economic recession, and to a lesser extent the ongoing migration of mail to electronic alternatives, significantly affected all mail products, creating a large imbalance between... Associated Press Via Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388050/posts#comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:35:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373709/posts USPS spokesperson Joanne Vito told the Examiner.com that 39 CFR 232.1(l) “applies to anyone coming into a Post Office or a Postal facility. The regulation prohibiting the possession of firearms or other weapons applies to all real property under the charge and control of the Postal Service. . . . Both open and concealed possession are prohibited, so storage of a weapon on a car parked in a lot that is under the charge and control of the Postal Service would be prohibited.” . . . Philip Van Cleave, President of the Virginia Citizens Defense League . . . said... The Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2373709/posts#comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:54:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368197/posts Mr Clarke said the company needed private capital and private management to bring it up to date and change it from being "old-fashioned". The shadow minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the Royal Mail was "broke" and its future had to involve a change of culture to stop business "draining away". "We propose to bring in private capital, assuming it is not in too disastrous a state by next May." Mr Clarke said the Royal Mail was becoming a "total disaster", attacking the Prime Minister for "changing his mind" over the stalled part-privatisation plans. "The Government has done... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368197/posts#comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:13:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2347372/posts Democrats moved Thursday to give special relief to the financially strapped Postal Service, which would be allowed to defer $4 billion in payments due at the end of this month to cover retirement benefits for its employees. Republicans protested the bailout but made no significant effort to block the provision, which has now been attached to a stop-gap spending bill slated to come before the House and Senate in the next week. Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2347372/posts#comment Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:19:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2347405/posts Democrats moved Thursday to give special relief to the financially strapped Postal Service, which would be allowed to defer $4 billion in payments due at the end of this month to cover retirement benefits for its employees. Republicans protested the bailout but made no significant effort to block the provision, which has now been attached to a stop-gap spending bill slated to come before the House and Senate in the next week. Proponents of the language argued that the House has previously endorsed equivalent relief for the Postal Service, which faces a $5.4 billion payment to the retirement fund at... Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2347405/posts#comment Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:54:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2346560/posts (SPRINGFIELD, Mass.) — A former postal service employee has pleaded guilty to stealing more than 30,000 DVDs that moved through a western Massachusetts post office... Federal prosecutors say the movie rental company alerted Springfield post office officials that a suspiciously high number of DVDs were disappearing. As many as 100 movies a week were disappearing. Weathers was arrested in February 2008 after investigators filmed him taking DVDs from packages and slipping them into his backpack. He faces 10 months to 16 months in prison and restitution costs of about $38,000 at his Dec. 23 sentencing.... Time http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2346560/posts#comment Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:12:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2337424/posts A former Austin woman convicted of threatening to shoot local officials pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to making bomb threats against eight U.S. post offices in southern Minnesota. Austin Post-Bulletin (Minnesota) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2337424/posts#comment Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:58:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334647/posts This article from Federal Times is linked at The Eye: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/09/eye_opener_federal_hiring_sala.html ___________________________________________________ The U.S. Postal Service, struggling with a massive deficit caused by plummeting mail volume, spends more than a million dollars each week to pay thousands of employees to sit in empty rooms and do nothing. It’s a practice called “standby time,” and it has existed for years — but postal employees say it was rarely used until this year. Now, postal officials say, the agency is averaging about 45,000 hours of standby time every week — the equivalent of having 1,125 full-time employees sitting idle, at a cost... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334647/posts#comment Tue, 8 Sep 2009 16:14:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334631/posts "Some Boulder County residents said their afternoon at the Louisville Labor Day Parade turned sour Monday when a Regional Transportation District bus and a U.S. Postal Service mail truck crawled along the route bearing posters supporting President Barack Obama's health-care plan and labor unions. “They were basically supporting ‘ObamaCare,'” Ted Hine said afterward. “That's not what public funds should be used for.” Boulder Daily Camera http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2334631/posts#comment Tue, 8 Sep 2009 15:51:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327275/posts Yet another giant company has plunging sales, soaring debt, and is weighed down by massive labor costs. Will taxpayers have to pay for another federal bailout? Alas, it's already in the cards because this company is the U.S. Postal Service, which has estimated losses of $7 billion this year. With email grabbing ever more market share from snail mail, USPS's finances are steadily deteriorating. What should federal policymakers do? They can't give USPS the General Motors treatment and nationalize it, because it's already government-owned. And they can't reform postal markets with a "public option" because that's what the USPS already... CATO / The American Spectator http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327275/posts#comment Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:15:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324276/posts U.S. Postal Service Offering 30,000 Workers Buyout SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Postal Service said Tuesday that it will offer buyouts to 30,000 workers, or about 4.5% of its workforce, in an effort to cut costs. The one-time offer is expected to save USPS as much as $500 million next year. The agency said the buyouts are part of an effort to cut $6 billion in annual costs. FOX http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2324276/posts#comment Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:49:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2321966/posts They are icons of the American mail service, but they may be about to go the way of the Pony Express. In villages, towns and cities across America, residents are waking up to find the familiar blue mailbox at the end of the road is gone. In the past 20 years, more than half of America's mailboxes have been taken out of service, leaving just 175,000 nationwide. It may make commercial sense, but it has dismayed letter-writing aficionados. "Mailboxes are like phone booths, that part of the scenery that you take for granted until one day you need one and... bbc. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2321966/posts#comment Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:29:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2321977/posts Whatever possessed President Obama to mention the travails of the post office while discussing health care the other day, his timing was certainly apt. The Postal Service is headed toward a loss of $7 billion this year and another $7 billion in 2010. Naturally, Congress is planning another bailout rather than the kind of reform that would recognize how technology has transformed modern communications. Most mail today is delivered electronically via email. Traditional postal mail volume has fallen by nearly 20% since 2000, and the average household gets one-third fewer letters than a decade ago. But this is only the... THE WALL STREET JOURNAL http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2321977/posts#comment Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:46:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2319827/posts President Obama couldn't have been more right: The post office is struggling, and for good reason. While defending his government-funded health insurance option a week ago - a controversial idea that, at this writing, he appears to be willing to ditch - he said private insurers shouldn't worry about competing with the government. He said it is the U.S. Postal Service, not FedEx and UPS, that is struggling. To be sure, our quasi-government postal operation is on track to lose $7 billion this year. Why? In the Internet era, fewer people are mailing things. They're mailing even less during a... The Red Bluff Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2319827/posts#comment Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:39:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2314278/posts Speaking to a town hall of mostly ObamaCare supporters on August 11, 2009, the President compared the money-losing U.S. Post Office as an example of how a government-run program can compete with private enterprise. Oops! Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2314278/posts#comment Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:18:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2313663/posts Gulp: And Postal Office is facing a nearly $7 billion potential loss. And this is what Obama is envisioning the Healthcare reform? Post officials sent a list of nearly 700 potential candidates for closing or consolidation to the independent Postal Regulatory Commission for review. PS: Notice how Obama was lost for words numerous times. Is it because he does not even know what the health care reform is all about? www.mofopolitics.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2313663/posts#comment Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:30:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2313682/posts Video Obama makes the point that the Government can't run anything. breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2313682/posts#comment Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:05:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308839/posts A double-digit drop in mail volume helped pushed down third-quarter earnings at the U.S. Postal Service, which posted a loss of $2.4 billion for the quarter ended June 30. The service, which has lost $4.7 billion so far this year, compared to a loss in the same period last year of $1.1 billion, said it expects to lose more than $7 billion by fiscal year’s end on Sept. 30. Phoenix Business Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308839/posts#comment Wed, 5 Aug 2009 17:29:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2307759/posts The U.S. Postal Service is having major financial problems, and could shut down as many as 1,000 branches, and possibly cutting back on home delivery. The Post Office is heading toward a $7 Billion loss this fiscal year. Competition from the internet and other delivery companies are being blamed for the problem, along with the recession. . . . . . (Watch Video) Freedom's Lighthouse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2307759/posts#comment Tue, 4 Aug 2009 11:26:23 GMT