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Monuments to Waste

Postal service managers have also received unusually large relocation packages in some cases.

When Richard Porras, the former chief financial officer of the Postal Service, moved from Fairfax, Va., to Vienna, Va. — a distance of 15 miles — he was given $142,000. On top of that he received $25,000 for miscellaneous expenses.

Porras has since retired, but he told ABCNEWS by telephone that the expenses were approved.

The inspector general's report reveals managers at the Postal Service have also squandered millions of dollars on buildings and equipment.

In Charlottesville, Va., the Postal Service leased a building for $4.2 million for 20 years. Then it left that building empty for two years before subleasing it to a tractor supply company.

In Chicago, the construction of the main post office ended up costing $128 million more than the original budget.

In Seattle, postal officials bought a building without getting a detailed inspection. Later they discovered the building needed $23 million in repairs.

"It's outrageous," says Edward Hudgins of the Cato Institute. "If it did happen in the private sector, heads would roll, the people who wasted $23 million would be out looking for a job."

The Postal Service has also been criticized for spending $158 million in advertising for their overnight delivery services. Critics argue that the post office is a monopoly, and there is no need to advertise. The government agency even sponsors Lance Armstrong and the United States Cycling Team.

Despite criticism and big losses, postal officials have said that they will not cut their advertising budget.

"No business our size would operate without advertising to make people aware of the products they produce," Willhite said.

Add to your list that the USPS once purchased a building in Josephine Ferraro's Congressional district for the purpose of getting it off the Hazmat lists.

It had once been the site of a copper smelter.

It took USPS years and years to get out of that situation, and the dollar values involved dwarf anything you mentioned.

That Ward guy you mention was involved in that particular deal as well as the others in various capacities. Mr. Porras left quickly. Ward hung around. Henderson, Ms. Willhite's buddy, just couldn't bear to see him go.

Sometimes mistakes are made, but in USPS what's going on is that almost 100% of the management team consists of Democrats. I don't think we've had a single Republican in one of the VP or SR.VP. positions in the last 25 years, and that includes when Mr. Casey (now on the Board of Governors) was PMG. In fact, he came in and set in motion a process that resulted in the removal or demotion of almost every management capable Republican in the USPS. Who recommended him for appointment to the USPS Board? That individual should be horsewhipped and sent packing!

If I remember correctly, part of what drove up the cost of the new main post office in Chicago was the initial collapse of the first 4 or 8 stories worth of superstructure onto the train tracks below. A couple construction workers were killed and many injured.

The lawsuits were flying after that collapse.

The old facility that they were replacing had approximately 6 million square feet on something like six floors. The building spanned the 8 lane Eisenhower Expressway. It was built like a fortress.

The building was so huge that large portions weren't in use anymore.

It was so huge that an enterprising manager, that had $250,000 of discretionary purchasing authority on her signature alone, decided to build herself a $250,000 apartment complete with jacuzzi on a portion of one of the unused floors.

Now, before you jump to the conclusion that she built it all for herself, let me tell you that she did use it reward the male employees that she had determined carried the biggest packages day-in and day-out.

She really had those guys humping to continue to receive their apartment privileges.

Well, until someone that was probably a little jealous called those narrow-minded postal inspectors on her.