WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 – Sen. Bernie Sanders today issued the following statement on a Postal Service reform bill introduced late Thursday in the Senate that could end Saturday and door-to-door mail delivery and close mail processing plants:
“While I have a great deal of respect for Sens. Carper and Coburn, the Postal Service bill that they introduced is significantly weaker than the bill that passed the Senate last year with 62 votes. That makes no sense. Over a short period of time, the Carper-Coburn bill will allow the Postal Service to shut down over half of the mail processing plants in this country, end Saturday delivery and even deliver mail fewer than 5 days a week.
“In the midst of a severe recession, this bill would lead to the elimination of tens of thousands of decent-paying jobs – many of them held by military veterans. That is why I have introduced the Postal Service Protection Act with 28 cosponsors, a bill that would sustain the Postal Service, avert unnecessary closures and save American jobs. Similar legislation introduced in the House by Rep. DeFazio now has 166 cosponsors.
“The Postal Service is an institution of enormous importance to the American people. It must be preserved and protected. About 80 percent of the financial problems of the Postal Service are the result of an unprecedented and onerous mandate that forces it to pay 75 years of future retiree health benefits over a 10-year period.
“While we all understand that the Postal Service is experiencing financial problems today and that changes need to be made, providing fewer services and poorer quality is not the way to save the Postal Service. That is why I am strongly opposed to this legislation.”
I just don’t understand how could this party (republican) still exists. It stands for basically stands for everything against for middle class and middle class is 90+ percent of US population. So much for Democracy. Looks Money can make people’s believe anything.
No one seems to understand the Postal Service is like the Police,Fire Dept,Army,Navy ,that the taxpayers have to serve them. The only thing the Postal Service pay for it’s self with sales and the others don’t.[tax dollars] So while Congress bleeds the Postal Service dry with a $5.5 billion dollar payment every since Congress[Republican’s] came though with the PRA the Postal Service has lost money.
Enough said. with P
Say anything type a guy…. Just to get the vote!!!
We need more senators like Sanders. It’s not only his view on this subject, but many other issues facing the middle class.