Before I get into the Foolishness of this one, consider these facts about the Post Office’s plan to save money by eliminating some House To House Delivery...
- Something has to be done since the Postal Service reported a $1.9 billion loss for the first three months this year despite continued cost-cutting, a 2.3 percent rise in operating revenue and increased employee productivity.
- Something has to be done since the package business has risen but the Postal Service continues to struggle with inflationary cost increases and an ongoing decline in first-class mailing as people move to the Internet for letter writing and bill paying.
- Postal officials have asked repeatedly for comprehensive legislation from Congress to give them more control over personnel and benefit costs and more flexibility in pricing and products.
- Various legislative proposals have been advanced but Congress has not been able to agree on a bill with any broad changes.
- A 2006 law requires the Postal Service to prefund its retiree health benefits. Meeting that requirement accounts for the bulk of the Postal Service's red ink.
- Converting to communal or curbside delivery would save $2 billion annually.
- The plan to put banks of cluster boxes with separate compartments for each address has not been proposed for urban areas since there's no place on city streets to put the cluster boxes.
- People with disabilities who have difficulty leaving their homes could get waivers.
- People who still want delivery to their door could pay extra for it.
- Only 1% of all addresses nationwide would undergo a delivery change.
- Communal boxes offer a safe, locked location for packages, doing away with the need for carriers to leave packages on porches and subject to theft and bad weather.
Everyone ought to agree that something has to be done. Even Congress agrees something has to be done. The problem with Congress is what ought to be done.
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THE PROPOSED PLAN:
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Americans would no longer get mail delivered to their door but would have to go to communal or curbside boxes instead under a proposal advancing through Congress.
The Republican-controlled House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, on an 18-13 party-line vote, approved a bill Wednesday to direct the U.S. Postal Service to convert 15 million addresses over the next decade to the less costly, but also less convenient delivery method.”
Here is what caught my eye in the above two paragraphs, “on an 18-13 party-line vote”.
The Smartfella’s question is, Why can’t the political parties agree on anything in Washington D.C.?
It is an Etched in Stone Undeniable Fact that Congress cannot agree on anything and here is how it works...
- An idea is proposed.
- The idea is brought up for discussion in Congress.
- The first thing any member of Congress asks is, “Which party made this proposal?”
- If the answer comes back that the Democrat Party made the proposal, a Democrat says, “That’s brilliant! I agree wholeheartedly” and a Republican says, “That is unworkable! You can bet that this proposal is DOA (Dead on Arrival)”.
- If the answer comes back that the Republican Party made the proposal, a Republican says, “That’s brilliant! I agree wholeheartedly” and a Democrat says, “That is unworkable! You can bet that this proposal is DOA (Dead on Arrival)”.
As usual I have a fix...
- Do not tell any member of Congress who made any proposal.
- Do not let them discuss any proposal.
- Do not let them go to Happy Hour because this would give them occasion to find out who proposed the proposal.
- Hold a vote within 20 minutes of the surfacing of any proposal.
This would force the various members of Congress to make up their own minds without the Party’s Leadership telling them how to think.
I drove to Washington yesterday and asked the first 12 members of Congress I came across what did they think about the Curbside Delivery Save a Ton of Money Proposal. Without exception each one of them immediately took out his Smartphone and Googled the word “think”.
My drive home was very depressing.
Would I kid u?
Smartfella
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