Posted on 03/03/2009 6:19:07 PM PST by euram
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 09-44
March 3, 2009, Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today urged the postmaster general not to increase parcel post and bypass mail rates. In a letter to Postmaster General John Potter, Governor Palin outlined her concerns regarding the rate increases that are to be enacted on May 11.
“Alaska has more than 258 airports serving as the primary mode of transportation, and the only means of access for more than 160 remote and isolated communities. Our rural residents have been besieged by a poor subsistence harvest and high energy prices compounded by an exceptionally cold winter. Although it may not be the intent, the new 4th class mail rate structure will raise the already high cost of living further and effectively cripple the already fragile bypass mail system.
“Residents of the most remote parts of our state are struggling with high fuel prices and the ability to provide food for their families. This postal rate increase has an exponentially greater impact on Alaskans than those in other states due to the reliance of Alaskans on the bypass mail system for food and supplies. Please take this into account before making any final decision on increasing parcel post rates that are utilized under the essential bypass mail system.”
A copy of the letter can be found at: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/pdf/Potter-MailIncrease_Mar3-2009.pdf
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(Excerpt) Read more at gov.state.ak.us ...
A decision to hurt Palin no doubt. Interesting that Obama, who doesn’t like profit, hasn’t seen to it that the Postal Service stop being self-sufficient.
They just don't believe it ~ and won't until the expanding Ice Fields overtower the Catoctin Mountains in Maryland.
“Our rural residents have been besieged by a poor subsistence harvest and high energy prices compounded by an exceptionally cold winter.’
...an exceptionally cold winter...does algore knnow about this???
I think the Ice Fields would have to be closer than that for these people to believe it.
At one time, the postal system was a cabinet level department and one of the few ventures which the federal government permitted to operate at a loss in order to serve all Americans on an equal basis.
I’m sure Obama has a scheme to screw up the Postal service more than it already is.
In the mid 90’s the local paper had an article that said the postal increase did NOT go the postal service. By act of congress it went the treasury. Congress then auyhorizes the budget for the ‘’independant post office’’ which was around 25 billion at that time. Postage income was around 50 billion. So, it’s another gov’t ripoff ever since 1968.
Hope she sent it by email so as not to waste 42 cents of the taxpayers’ money unecessarily.
“Knowing the crowd around Jack Potter”...
Is it true Jack Potter and his crowd recently gave themselves a 37% salary increase? I think this puts Potter around the $800,000.00/year salary. gonna have to raise the price of a stamp again..
Basically Potter got a pretty good deal but nothing extraordinary, and his buddies didn't get 37% either. He'll still have to live to be 90 years of age to beat the curve.
At the same time there's entirely too much APWU influence inside USPS management. Plus, when the Dems run the House of Representatives they reach out and take care of their friends so they get promotions inside USPS. Republicas never do that NOR do they stop the Democrats from re-politicizing the place.
My concern was with the fact that the Leftwingtards who dominate USPS are all good partymen and follow the paradigms set by the Democrat leadership. Ergo, they all believe firmly in Global Warming, and anything suggesting the contrary just slips their minds.
In short, they could care less that it's cold in Alaska.
You may be misremembering some funny stuff with federal retirement that ended up having OPM overbill USPS by over $10 billion, and with another $25 billion due to OPM someone finally found the mistake.
That discovery was made around 2002 and it involved miscalculations made in the mid 1990s.
Rather than enriching the postal workers retirement packages the Congress then decided to restructure postal finances so that the retirement overpayments went toward reduced postage rates for major mailers.
Twice what the president makes.
Bypass mail system = FedGov subsidized air freight.
Case in point - Alaska COmmerical Company (A Canadian firm) ‘mail’ friegt to it’s stores in rural Alaska - with your dollars. (...Rex Wilhelm is the President and CEO of Alaska Commercial Company, which uses bypass mail to supply 18 of their 29 Alaskan stores...”
The Postal Service estimates that it loses about 60 million dollars per year on bypass mail, and a 2006 Post Office review identifies Alaska bypass mail as one of the top 5 cost burdens for the Postal Service nationwide.
Now that Ted is not there pushing for subsidies for Bush Alaska, it’s going to cost a lot more to live out there.
friegt = freight
Goodnite!
About 18 months ago, postal rates went up due to higher gas prices...
Now that gas is lower, shouldn’t postal rates also drop?
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