Marathon Pundit: Issa: Reform, don't bailout the US Postal Service

Closed post office, Brownell, Kansas, 2007.

In an op-ed, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) writes about the problems facing the United States Postal Service.

Issa does not want to bailout the struggling agency. He wants to reform it.

From the Washington Times:

Media reports have indicated that, according to the Postal Service's own economic analysis, postal workers enjoyed a 30 percent to 40 percent edge in pay and benefits over comparably skilled private-sector workers.

Work-force size is also too big for current mail volume. The postmaster general told Congress he wants to reduce the work force by 220,000 through 2015. Right now, more than 150,000 postal employees are eligible for retirement. Another 100,000 employees should be eligible for retirement by 2015.

To be fair, the problems illustrated here are not all entirely the Postal Service's fault. Congress has played a part. The Postal Service has been prohibited by law from altering services such as reassessing Saturday delivery or revising delivery-to-the-door (vs. curb) policies. It can't address special-rate deals or even consolidate retail and processing infrastructure without bumping against policies put in place by Congress.

So what is the solution? A top-to-bottom overhaul - paid for without a penny from taxpayers.