Liberal Forum

Just read this comment on a political blog....Did you know that Cain's 999 plan would end federal social security and medicare? He would require each state to create their own social security and medicare coverage. You know the states have no money for such services. Cain says people could use their state, city, town, church and charity for help. It's in his descriptions of his 999 intents. Cain is a fraud. He's pretending to be a republican presidential candidate. His real purpose is to become famous and to a make a lot of money by selling his book. Sarah Palen is doing the same thing. BBB I think BBB is right. Cain is on a book tour right now.And these right wing pinheads have made him their flavor of the month.People like Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and Cain, have no desire to become president.They pretend to run, so they can raise their speaking fees and sell books.

That's a blatant lie. You just make [excrement] up as you go along.Now I know you'd never, ever, ever make a false charge against me, and you always admit that you're wrong.So why don't you read the following and admit how utterly full of s*** you are?The claim that there is no voter fraud in the U.S. is patently ridiculous, given our rich and unfortunate history of it. As the U.S. Supreme Court said when it upheld Indiana's photo-ID law in 2008, "Flagrant examples of such fraud . . . have been documented throughout this Nation's history by respected historians and journalists." The liberal groups that fought Indiana's law didn't have much luck with liberal justice John Paul Stevens, who wrote the 63 decision. Before being named to the Supreme Court, Justice Stevens practiced law in Chicago, a hotbed of electoral malfeasance.....One of the reasons that Wisconsin changed its voter-ID law was the finding of a special task force, set up by the Milwaukee Police Department after the 2004 election, that residents from other states had registered and voted. Numerous staffers from out of state working for the John Kerry campaign and the Environmental Victory Campaign, a liberal political-action committee, had illegally registered and voted in Milwaukee......Chris Matthews, a former Tip O'Neill staffer and reliable liberal cheerleader in most circumstances......admitted that this type of impersonation fraud has "gone on since the Fifties." He explained that people call up to see whether you voted or are going to vote, and "then all of a sudden somebody does come and vote for you." Matthews knows that this is an old strategy in big-city politics: "I know all about it in North Philly it's what went on, and I believe it still goes on."http://www.nationalr...-spakovsky?pg=2

So much for the right wing narrative of the OWS protesters being a bunch of pot smoking, drum beating hippie losers.

So much for the right wing narrative of the OWS protesters being a bunch of pot smoking, drum beating hippie losers.Strange, I don't recall any conservatives claiming that every single person there fit that description.But there certainly are lots of Leftist, deadbeats and riff raff.Say, why aren't the State-run liberal MSM calling them "all white" demonstrations like they did the Tea Party?Why aren't they reporting the anti-semitism, racism and other ugly sentiments and behavior, like they fabricated about the Tea Party?Why would the, snicker, unbiased media treat these mostly fringe moonbats better than they did solid, law abiding Americans who attended Tea Party rallies?Oh, and nice job at dodging the many examples I cited of widespread Democrat voter fraud, admitted even by Chris Mathews.Lying, fawning DNC toady. Edited by RichClem, 14 October 2011 - 11:02 AM.

Yesterday evening Congress passed the controversial Protect Life Act, a Republican-crafted bill which blocks women from buying health insurance planseven private onesthat cover abortion and are available under the Affordable Care Act. It also repeals hospitals legal obligation to treat women in life threatening conditions, making it legal to deny abortion, even if it could save a womans life. Republican House Majority leader Eric Cantor, a supporter of the bill, explained that its intent is to ensure that no taxpayer dollars flow to health care plans that cover abortion under Obamacare, framing the issue in the same terms they discussed in the defunding of Planned Parenthood in February. But as the Huffington Post pointed out, the Affordable Care Act already keeps public dollars separate from the private insurance payments that cover abortion. As most private insurance plans do cover abortion, the law appears to be pushing private insurers away from offering that particular coverage. As the Huffington Post wrote: H.R. 358, introduced by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), goes beyond the issue of taxpayer dollars to place actual limits on the way a woman spends her own money. The bill would prevent a woman from buying a private insurance plan that includes abortion coverage through a state health care exchange, even though most insurance plans currently cover abortion. An even more controversial aspect of the bill would allow hospitals that are morally opposed to abortion, such as Catholic institutions, to do nothing for a woman who requires an emergency abortion procedure to save her life. Current law requires that hospitals give patients in life-threatening situations whatever care they need, regardless of the patients financial situation, but the Protect Life Act would make a hospitals obligation to provide care in medical emergencies secondary to its refusal to provide abortions. Thankfully, the bill is unlikely to pass in the Democrat-controlled Senate, and even if it did, the White House said on Wednesday that President Barack Obama will veto the legislation if it ever reaches him. The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 358 because the legislation intrudes on womens reproductive freedom and access to health care and unnecessarily restricts the private insurance choices that women and their families have today, The White House said in a statement. That said, the bills success in the House should lead those who support womens right to have an abortionand womens safety in generalto think long and hard about what kinds of legislation could ultimately pass if we elect a socially conservative president in 2012. Below watch Rep Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) share a personal story from her life in which an abortion was a medical necessity.LinkCongresswoman Jackie Speier has several times told her personal story about when she needed an abortion. If the Republicans had their way, she could have been turned away from one hospital, with no obligation to refer her to another hospital, and she could well have died.The Republicans have the nerve to call this the 'Protect Life Act'.

The Tea Party hates women.The usual ugly Democrat Talking Point Lies.It'll really help women if Obama's and Dems' $1.5 trillion deficit and massive overspending bankrupt the entire country, right?Women will be so much better off!

This post is hidden because you have chosen to ignore posts by RichClem . View it anyway?

This post is hidden because you have chosen to ignore posts by RichClem . View it anyway?Gosh, I'm just shocked, shocked.I mean, if you read my posts, you'd have learned that contrary to your lies, Democrat voter fraud is very common, even according to Chris Mathews and liberal SCOTUS Justice John Paul Stevens.Never mind all the other specific examples I cited, all of which you closed your troll eyes to.Say, how do you like the way your thread's going?

Long Ties to Koch Brothers Key to Cain's CampaignRepublican presidential hopeful Herman Cain has cast himself as the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who will bring fresh ideas to the nation's capital. But Cain's economic ideas, support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for Prosperity. Cain's campaign manager and a number of aides have worked for Americans for Prosperity, or AFP, the advocacy group founded with support from billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, which lobbies for lower taxes and less government regulation and spending. Cain credits a businessman who served on an AFP advisory board with helping devise his "9-9-9" plan to rewrite the nation's tax code. And his years of speaking at AFP events have given the businessman and radio host a network of loyal grassroots fans. The once little-known businessman's political activities are getting fresh scrutiny these days since he soared to the top of some national polls. His links to the Koch brothers could undercut his outsider, non-political image among people who detest politics as usual and candidates connected with the party machine.AFP tapped Cain as the public face of its "Prosperity Expansion Project," and he traveled the country in 2005 and 2006 speaking to activists who were starting state-based AFP chapters from Wisconsin to Virginia. Through his AFP work he met Mark Block, a longtime Wisconsin Republican operative hired to lead that state's AFP chapter in 2005 as he rebounded from an earlier campaign scandal that derailed his career. Block and Cain sometimes traveled together as they built up AFP: Cain was the charismatic speaker preaching the ills of big government; Block was the operative helping with nuts and bolts. When President Barack Obama's election helped spawn the tea party, Cain was positioned to take advantage. He became a draw at growing AFP-backed rallies, impressing activists with a mix of humor and hard-hitting rhetoric against Obama's stimulus, health care and budget policies. Block is now Cain's campaign manager. Other aides who had done AFP work were also brought on board. Cain's spokeswoman Ellen Carmichael, who recently left the campaign, was an AFP coordinator in Louisiana. His campaign's outside law firm is representing AFP in a case challenging Wisconsin campaign finance regulations. At least six other current and former paid employees and consultants for Cain's campaign have worked for AFP in various capacities. And Cain has credited Rich Lowrie, a Cleveland businessman who served on AFP's board of advisors from 2005 to 2008, with being a key economic adviser and with helping to develop his plan to cut the corporate tax rate to 9 percent, impose a national sales tax of 9 percent and set a flat income tax rate of 9 percent "He's got a national network now that perhaps he wouldn't have had 15 or 20 years ago because of his work with AFP," said Republican Party of Wisconsin Vice Chair Brian Schimming, who has introduced Cain at events in Wisconsin. "For a presidential candidate, that's obviously helpful to have." He said Cain was smart to hire Block. Cain's recent victories in straw polls in Florida and Minnesota highlight the importance of organizing supporters and Block, who has a deep network in the tea party, "gets that side of it," Schimming said.But Block has had his problems as well. He settled a suit in 2001 accusing him of illegally coordinating a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice's re-election with an outside group. Block agreed to pay $15,000 and sit out of politics for three years. While Cain is quick to promote his career at the helm of the Godfather's Pizza chain, his ties to AFP aren't something the candidate appears eager to highlight. Cain does not include his AFP work on his biography on his website, but spokesman J.D. Gordon said Sunday that Cain was "proud of his business record" and his association with the group. "He has made a lot of important connections through AFP," Gordon said, pointing to Block and Lowrie, among others. And Cain continues to work with the group. While several other candidates will be at an Iowa Republican Party dinner on Nov. 4, Cain is scheduled to be in Washington mingling with activists at AFP's annual "Defending the American Dream" summit. He is the only confirmed presidential candidate for the event. AFP spokesman Levi Russell said Cain has spoken at dozens of AFP rallies and events over the years to support a number of the group's activities. AFP has often covered his travel expenses or paid a "pretty modest honorarium" but he has not been paid since becoming a presidential candidate, he said."He's a dynamic, pro-business speaker that connects well with our activists," Russell said. "AFP is a very large organization, and there is a natural overlap between Cain's message of fiscal responsibility and the basic principles that AFP advocates for." A spokeswoman for the Koch brothers did not respond to The Associated Press's request for comment on Cain. To some liberals, Cain's rise with the help of AFP shows the incredible influence that outside groups controlled by super-wealthy individuals with specific agendas can have on the political process. "Herman Cain is the first presidential corporate spokes-candidate," said Scot Ross, a liberal activist who leads One Wisconsin Now, which has often mocked AFP as a front group for corporate interests. "The best way to have your issues talked about in the issue debate is to have a candidate in your pocket with snappy comebacks and easily branded policy papers which mask how destructive they would be." AFP's agenda also includes weakening private and public sector unions, opposing environmental regulations and undoing Obama's health care reform law, among other policies. But before the tea party and Obama, Cain worked with AFP on more local issues. In 2006, he campaigned all over Wisconsin in support of a proposed constitutional amendment that would have limited state government spending. A slew of officials and analysts said the plan would have ultimately devastated government services, and the Republican-controlled Legislature eventually backed off it. In a statement announcing Cain's tour, AFP sent out a press release touting his "in-depth understanding of the battle to control out-of-control government taxes and spending." Block promised that Cain was a speaker that activists would not want to miss.

Long Ties to Koch Brothers Key to Cain's CampaignRepublican presidential hopeful Herman Cain has cast himself as the outsider, the pizza magnate with real-world experience who will bring fresh ideas to the nation's capital. But Cain's economic ideas, support and organization have close ties to two billionaire brothers who bankroll right-leaning causes through their group Americans for Prosperity.Oh my gosh, there are conservatives who want Americans to be prosperous? How shocking and terrible!But don't worry, folks. Obama is running for office to prevent prosperity!And going a truly fine job at it.

As long as I'm having fun in little Miss Marxist's thread, here's this about what an awesome job Obama has done.I'll bet Jimmy Carter is breathing a big sigh of relief that Obama has surpassed him as the worst president of the modern era..If recent polls are any indication, it is doubtful that President Obama will enjoy another 1,000 days in the White House. And looking at his track record over the course of his first 33 months in office, it is not hard to see why. It is hard to think of a presidency in modern times that has done more to damage the United States both at home and abroad than the current one, with the possible exception of Jimmy Carters. Like his Democratic predecessor in the 1970s, Barack Obama has left the worlds dominant superpower on its knees, with faith in US leadership now being questioned across the globe.Since taking office in January 2009, President Obama has ushered in a period of relentless economic decline for the United States. His administration has added $4.2 trillion to the national debt (now standing at $14.9 trillion), lost 2.2 million jobs, introduced a vastly expensive health-care albatross, and spent nearly $800 billion on a failed stimulus package. At the same time, house prices across the country have tumbled at an unprecedented rate, consumer confidence has plummeted, and millions more Americans are now dependent upon food stamps. International confidence in the US economy has fallen to its lowest levels in decades, with credit agency Standard and Poors downgrading of Americas AAA credit rating for the first time in 70 years in August this year. As I noted in a piece at the time: Since President Obama took office in January 2009, the United States has embarked on the most ambitious failed experiment in Washington meddling in US history. Huge increases in government spending, massive federal bailouts, growing regulations on businesses, thinly veiled protectionism, and the launch of a vastly expensive and deeply unpopular health care reform plan, have all combined to instill fear and uncertainty in the markets.Is it any wonder that just 17 percent of Americans now believe the country is moving in the right direction, according to RealClear Politics? Or that 81 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the way the country is being governed, according to Gallup? As a series of major Gallup polls have shown, public disillusionment with the federal government has now reached an all-time high, with 69 percent of Americans now saying they have little or no confidence in the legislative branch of government, with 46 percent believing the federal government has become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens.http://blogs.telegra...irst-1000-days/

Bunch of right wing hypocrites like Marco Rubio and John McCain give credit to the French and the British for the killing of Gadhafi, when actually it was an American drone that hit his convoy.(I guess we can call them French Fries again, and not Freedom Fries.)Neither House Speaker John A. Boehner, nor Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, nor Mike Rogers, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, mentioned Obama or the role of U.S. forces in bringing Gadhafi down.Republicans hate the president so much, they just cant bring themselves to credit him for the success of the mission, or even thank American servicemen and women for their service in completing the mission.If George W. Bush had killed Osama Bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and Muammar Gadhafi, righties would already have him on Mt. Rushmore.

Neither House Speaker John A. Boehner, nor Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, nor Mike Rogers, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, mentioned Obama or the role of U.S. forces in bringing Gadhafi down.Republicans hate the president so much, they just can't bring themselves to credit him for the success of the mission, or even thank American servicemen and women for their service in completing the mission.It is unfortunately true that Repubs have not given sufficient credit to Obama for his foreign policy successes.But given that you personally couldn't cite one single accomplishment Bush had after almost eight years in office, you must be more of a hater than they are.If George W. Bush had killed Osama Bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and Muammar Gadhafi, righties would already have him on Mt. Rushmore.Obama very likely never would have found Bin Laden had it not been for coercive interrogation that he opposed and ended.He never could have helped topple Gadhafi had Bush not disarmed him of his advanced WMD programs, including nukes he'd have had a few years ago. Gadhafi gave them up because he saw Saddam Hussein pulled out of his rathole and feared Bush's resolve that might have given him the same fate.You and your leftist buddies can never credit Bush for any of his accomplishments. You're on record on this board denying them.So quit your hypocritical bleating. Edited by RichClem, 28 October 2011 - 10:03 AM.

Thirty Companies Paid No U.S. Income Tax 2008-2010.(Reuters) - Thirty large and profitable U.S. corporations paid no income taxes in 2008 through 2010, said a study on Thursday that arrives as Congress faces rising demands for tax reform but seems unable or unwilling to act.Pepco Holdings Inc, a Washington, D.C.-area power company, had the lowest effective tax rate, at negative 57.6 percent, among the 280 Fortune 500 companies studied.The statutory U.S. corporate income tax rate is 35 percent, one of the highest in the world; but over the 2008-2010 period, very few of the companies studied paid it, said the report.The average effective tax rate for the companies over the period was 18.5 percent, said Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, both think tanks.Their report also listed General Electric Co, Paccar Inc, PG&E Corp, Computer Sciences Corp, Boeing Co and NiSource Inc as among the 30 that paid no taxes.Corporations will say rightly that the loopholes that let them slash their taxes were perfectly legal, the report said."But that does not mean that low-tax corporations bear no responsibility ... The laws were not enacted in a vacuum; they were adopted in response to relentless corporate lobbying, threats and campaign support," the report said.Some of the 30 companies disputed the report's findings.A Pepco spokesman said it "pays all its required taxes."Boeing paid its taxes "between 2008-2010 ... Our effective income tax rate was 26.5 percent, 22.9 percent, 33.6 percent in 2010, 2009, 2008," said a spokesman for the aerospace group.PRESSING FOR MOREAs Congress and the Obama administration struggle with a sluggish economy and high deficits, corporations are pressing Capitol Hill for more tax breaks and a lower corporate rate.Taxes are on the agenda of the congressional "super committee" tasked with finding at least $1.2 trillion in additional budget savings by November 23, but it is so far deadlocked across a familiar divide -- Republicans refusing any tax increases, Democrats defending social programs.On Tuesday, a panel of budget experts warned super committee members they would fail the country if they did not meet their goal. Financial markets have been waiting for many months for signs that Washington can get its financial house in order, but few have been forthcoming.The report referred back to the 1986 tax reform pushed through by President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, who approved the largest corporate tax increase in U.S. history, largely by ending tax breaks, while cutting individual tax rates."Reagan solved the problem by sweeping away corporate tax loopholes," said the report, which was coauthored by Citizens for Tax Justice chief Robert McIntyre. His research 25 years ago played a key role in convincing Reagan reform was needed.The industrial machinery business enjoyed the lowest effective tax rate during the study period, while the highest rate was paid by healthcare companies, the report said."Big Business is getting away with taxation murder," said Frank Knapp, vice chairman of the American Sustainable Business Council, a progressive business coalition."They pay little or no taxes on massive U.S. profits and then have the gall to lobby for ... a tax holiday to 'repatriate' profits they have stashed offshore."MANY TAX BREAKSWhat are some of the tax breaks that corporations enjoy? One big one is accelerated depreciation that lets them write off equipment faster than it actually wears out. Deductions on executive stock options help. So do tax breaks for research and development and for making products in the United States instead of overseas. Offshore tax shelters play a role, too.Power group Duke Energy Corp was one of the 30 companies listed as paying no income taxes in 2008-2010.Chief Executive James Rogers told Reuters that Duke cut its taxes thanks to accelerated depreciation, which he said helped the company build new plants and hire construction workers.Rogers is a frequent spokesman for a coalition of large multinationals seeking a tax break that would let them bring foreign profits into the United States at a reduced tax rate.Others among the 30 companies included power producer American Electric Power Co Inc (AEP), chemicals company DuPont and toymaker Mattel Inc.Like Duke, AEP said it benefited from accelerated depreciation. A Mattel spokesperson said the report's claims were inconsistent with the company's public financial filings."DuPont complies with all tax laws and regulations in every jurisdiction in which it operates," said a DuPont spokeswoman.The average effective corporate tax rate, as calculated by McIntyre's group, was about 14 percent before the Reagan reforms; afterward it shot up to 26.5 percent in 1988.As companies found their way around the reforms, the effective rate fell back to about 17 percent by 2002-2003.Unlike in Reagan's time, taming corporate tax breaks alone will not solve the deficit problem. Such breaks cost the government about $102 billion in lost revenues in 2011, a year when the federal deficit was an estimated $1.3 trillion.Corporate loopholes are dwarfed by tax breaks that benefit individuals, such as the mortgage interest tax deduction -- a middle class sacred cow, on its own worth $104 billion.Still, said the report: "If we are going to get our nation's fiscal house in order, increasing corporate income taxes should play an important role."For a related graphic, click here.

Darrell Issa Goes PostalAPWU (American Postal Workers Union) President Says Issa Bill Would Destroy USPS As We Know ItH.R. 2309 is sponsored by Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL). The bill would destroy the Postal Service as we know it, APWU President Cliff Guffey said. The Issa-Ross bill calls for $1 billion worth of cuts in post offices in the first year and $2 billion worth of cuts in mail processing facilities in the second year. It also would abrogate the Collective Bargaining Agreement by granting authority to a newly-established control board to carry out layoffs, despite any provisions in union contracts that might limit such actions. The bill says that employees who are eligible for retirement must be laid off before employees who are ineligible, and dictates that retirement-eligible employees with the longest service must be separated first. This is an outrageous assault on the fundamental principles of unionism fairness and respect for seniority, Guffey said. The Postal Service has announced it wants to reduce the workforce by 220,000, and is seeking authority to lay off as many as 120,000, including tens of thousands of military veterans. H.R. 2309 would authorize the layoffs. The bill also would empower a newly-created solvency authority to unilaterally cut wages and abolish benefits."H.R. 2309 fails to address the fundamental cause of the Postal Services financial difficulties, said Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid. The bill does nothing to correct the requirement to pre-fund the healthcare benefits of future retirees, which forces the USPS to fund a 75-year liability in just 10 years, he said. No other government agency or private business is required to make these payments, which cost the Postal Service approximately $5.5 billion annually. The bill also fails to address billions of dollars in USPS overpayments to federal pension accounts, Reid noted. We call upon APWU members to step up their opposition to H.R. 2309 and their support for H.R. 1351, Reid said. H.R. 1351 would help provide the Postal Service financial stability by allowing the Postal Service to apply the pension overpayments to the pre-funding obligation. The bill, introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), has 225 co-sponsors including 26 Republicans but Rep. Issa has refused to allow it to come up for a vote.http://postalemploye...-as-we-know-it/

Thirty Companies Paid No U.S. Income Tax 2008-2010.Corporations don't pay taxes. They simply pass it along or take it out of the dividends.Meaning mostly the middle class pay the taxes.Darrell Issa Goes PostalAPWU (American Postal Workers Union) President Says Issa Bill Would Destroy USPS As We Know ItGood, it's a mess and quietly lobbying for yet another massive bailout of Other People's Money.Legalize letter delivery by all carriers, and let it sink or swim on its own.Gosh, aren't the OWS moonbats yelling,"No more bailouts!!!!!!" . ?

1) Corporations don't pay taxes. They simply pass it along or take it out of the dividends.2) Meaning mostly the middle class pay the taxes.3) Good, it's a mess and quietly lobbying for yet another massive bailout of Other People's Money.4) Legalize letter delivery by all carriers, and let it sink or swim on its own.5) Gosh, aren't the OWS moonbats yelling,"No more bailouts!!!!!!" . ?1) Higher taxes on corporations force them to re-invest retained earnings in growing the business.2) You're an amusing simpleton, Klem.3) I don't think the USPS loses ANY money.4) That will create yet another market owned by 2 or 3 private firms that will then collude to keep prices high.5) What IS your crew yelling, Klem?

The usual ugly Democrat Talking Point Lies.It'll really help women if Obama's and Dems' $1.5 trillion deficit and massive overspending bankrupt the entire country, right?Women will be so much better off!I've read up on that Protect Life Act, Clem, and it sucks the big one raw. It puts fetal rights ahead of the mother's rights. A woman has already died because a court forced her to carry a baby to term despite her doctors' testimonies that to do so would likely kill her, as she had cancer. She delivered the baby and died, and it was not directly from the cancer. She could have lived a significantly longer life. Who the hell puts courts in charge of people's health? Ah, I know! You folks said ObamaCare would do that. Well, you don't care if the government ususurps medical advice as long it's the GOP's way.

1) Higher taxes on corporations force them to re-invest retained earnings in growing the business.Well hey, raise the corporate rate to 90%, so the economy will really be roaring!I mean, investors never really wanted to get their money out, did they?Could you be any more stupid if you tried?

Darrell Issa Goes PostalAPWU (American Postal Workers Union) President Says Issa Bill Would Destroy USPS As We Know IGood, it's a mess and quietly lobbying for yet another massive bailout of Other People's Money.It's not lobbying for a bailout you jackhole.In 2006 the lame duck Republican Congress passed a law (The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006) that forced the USPS to fund 75 years worth of retirees benefits over a 10-year span. That's like a bank telling you, you have to pay your thirty year mortgage in 5 years. If not for that law, the USPS would not have a deficit now.All they want is for Congress to allow the Postal Service to reallocate the excess funds they paid in, and stop forcing them to overfund their pension plan.Once again.....they are not asking for a bailout. USPS Isn't Seeking 'Taxpayer Bailout'In 2006, Congress mandated through Public Law 109-435 that the U.S. Postal Service pre-fund retirement and health benefits for future retirees for the next 75 years. That includes employees to be hired in the future. An average of $5.5 billion has been paid into this fund each year since 2007. Beginning next year, this amount will increase by $100 million every two years until it reaches $5.8 billion in 2016 and 2017, continuing to increase each succeeding year. The Segal Co. and the Hay Group have each conducted studies of this fund and report that it is $50 billion to $75 billion overfunded at this point. When Congress created this mandate, the Postal Service was operating in the black without any taxpayer funding. For 30 years, the Postal Service has used not a penny of taxpayer funds. All monies used by the Postal Service were earned through retail sales of products and services. The Postal Service is the only government agency required to fund such a program and I know of no business required to provide such guarantees for retirement and health plans for their employees. In addition, this money is inaccessible to the Postal Service without congressional approval. Since 2007, the Postal Service has paid $21 billion into the fund. This is responsible for the entire $20 billion in losses the Postal Service has incurred, not mismanagement or inefficiency and certainly not the employees or their union. Since 2008, more than 110,000 jobs have been eliminated from the Postal Service in an effort to mitigate these losses. Some in Congress are claiming the Postal Service wants a "taxpayer bailout" and our own congressman, Kevin McCarthy, is not saying otherwise, leading the public to believe this patently false claim. Perhaps he doesn't know the truth, but I doubt that. The Postal Service is only asking for enough of its own money, not taxpayer money, to bring it out of the red.Could I be any more stupid if I tried?I don't know Puss. Could you? Edited by MistyBlue, 08 November 2011 - 05:22 PM.