Democrat Disgraceful Ploy

[geeker2]

The Center for Responsive Politics reports that the Planned Parenthood political action committee donated $286,986 to federal candidates in the 2010 election cycle, 99% of it to Democrats.

No wonder the DEM's want to keep them funded

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

BTW Why do Dems feel PBS needs to be fed funded? If it can't stand on its own it needs to go.

Also wish the Tea Party would wake up and realize in this modern age of online billing and email there is little need for a Post Office and the money saved by shutting that down would be huge! Not to mention the reduction in emissions coming from all of their vehicles and the vacant property that could be sold or leased out.

$75 Billion yearly budget
218,000 vehicles
36,400 Post Offices some of them huge buildings. Not to metion sorting and distribution centers.
596,000 employees and their future pensions and benis.

Huge money!

Yes, it is huge money, and virtually none of it comes from the Federal Gov't: the Post Office is required, by law, to be self-funding for general operations and capital improvements. So you don't need to worry, Del; you don't pay for the mail, other than for a few programs for the needy, as in, the blind. And it's required by law to charge the same rate no matter where the mail goes, whether down the block or to Alaska.

In fact, if the PO were allowed to actually run like a private business, it could cut unprofitable routes and stop delivering on Saturdays, not to mention charge more to send mail to less populated areas, like, say, Arkansas. So it could run five days a week and provide most of its cheaper service to big cities, while cutting out rural routes and charging more for areas that aren't near a big city. But it's not allowed to. While it doesn't get federal funds, other than for things like providing service to the blind and some overseas mail to citizens, it's required to get Congress' approval for any raise in rates or cuts.

As someone who has had to use the mail service in other nations, I really don't get the hatred for the Post Office here- it's cheaper than mail service is overseas and it's much, much more reliable. It is actually something we do better here than anywhere else.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

I thought everyone (women included) will be forced to get health insurance under Obamacare? Surely with all the regulations Barry has attatched Paps smears and mammograms will be included no?

Not sure there will even be a need for Planned Parenthood in the near future.

Wow. You really don't have any real idea about how any of this works in real life? It's all just talking points and sentences and phrases you've heard, rolling around in your head?

You clearly don't understand what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does, or Planned Parenthood. There's no excuse for the continued deliberate ignorance on the PPACA.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

Also wish the Tea Party would wake up and realize in this modern age of online billing and email there is little need for a Post Office and the money saved by shutting that down would be huge!

The Post Office doesn't use tax dollars from the budget.

[Danzig]

from a google search...

The USPS does get some taxpayer support. Around $96 million is budgeted annually by Congress for the "Postal Service Fund." These funds are used to compensate USPS for postage-free mailing for all legally blind persons and for mail-in election ballots sent from US citizens living overseas. A portion of the funds also pays USPS for providing address information to state and local child support enforcement agencies.

Under federal law, only the Postal Service can handle or charge postage for handling letters. Despite this virtual monopoly worth some $45 billion a year, the law does not require that the Postal Service make a profit -- only break even. Still, the US Postal Service has averaged a profit of over $1 billion per year in each of the last five years. Yet, Postal Service officials argue that they must continue to raise postage at regular intervals in order make up for the increased use of email.


dell, no doubt you mean well....but the postal service isn't why this country is broke.

[dellinger63]

Originally Posted by Riot

The Post Office doesn't use tax dollars from the budget.

Who will inherit their debt? You know "The cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday that it will incur about $238 billion in losses in the next 10 years if Congress doesn't permit it to revamp its outdated business model." 3/2/10."

We're already one year into the 10 and $238 BILLION is REAL money!

There is little need for the PO and less need for a $238 billon dollar bill for sticking our heads in the sand.

as far as the USPO making money? lol

"USPS has already begun taking the axe to its budget. The agency made $6 billion in cuts last year, reducing its workforce by about 40,000 employees and chopping overtime hours, transportation costs and other expenses. Congress passed legislation allowing the organization to cut retiree health benefit payments by $4 billion.

Despite those measures, the agency still expects a net loss of $7.8 billion in fiscal 2010."

and quoting CNN feels sweet!

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/02/news/economy/usps/

BTW I started this thread based on the statements of Harry Reid regarding his wife, daughters and grand-daughters and am wondering why he doesn't just provide them with health insurance instead of having them rely on Planned Parenthood clinics for care? I take it his wife is covered under his Senate policy so someone should poke him and let him know. Pitiful for the wife of the leader of the US Senate to be chauffered to a Planned Parenthood appointment for a breast exam.

[dellinger63]

Originally Posted by Danzig

Despite this virtual monopoly worth some $45 billion a year, the law does not require that the Postal Service make a profit -- only break even. Still, the US Postal Service has averaged a profit of over $1 billion per year in each of the last five years. .

The Postal Service itself disagrees.

USPS is trying to curb steep losses. It posted a $3.8 billion loss in its 2009 fiscal year, the latest in a multiyear string of whopping losses. Mail volume was down 12.7% for the year, a trend the agency expects to continue over the next decade as more consumers opt for online bill payments and message delivery.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/02/news/economy/usps/

[dellinger63]

Originally Posted by Riot

Wow. You really don't have any real idea about how any of this works in real life? It's all just talking points and sentences and phrases you've heard, rolling around in your head?

You clearly don't understand what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does, or Planned Parenthood. There's no excuse for the continued deliberate ignorance on the PPACA.

You call it PPACA I call it Obamacare. Either way it's unconstitutional and penalizes some to reward others. Some highlights:

Guaranteed issue and community rating will be implemented nationally so that insurers must offer the same premium to all applicants of the same age, sex, and geographical location regardless of pre-existing conditions.

Medicaid eligibility is expanded to include all individuals and families with incomes up to 133% of the poverty level.

Health insurance exchanges will commence operation in each state, offering a marketplace where individuals and small businesses can compare policies and premiums, and buy insurance (with a government subsidy if eligible).

Firms employing 50 or more people but not offering health insurance will pay a "shared responsibility payment" if the government has had to subsidize an employee's health care

Non exempt persons not securing minimum essential health insurance coverage are also fined under the shared responsibility rules. This requirement to maintain insurance or pay a fine is often referred to as the individual mandate, though being insured is not actually mandated by law.

Low income persons and families above the Medicaid level and up to 400% of the poverty level will receive subsidies on a sliding scale if they choose to purchase insurance via an exchange (persons at 150% of the poverty level would be subsidized such that their premium cost would be of 2% of income or $50 a month for a family of 4). $600/yr for a family policy. Guess who picks up the tab?

Very small businesses will be able to get subsidies if they purchase insurance through an exchange.

Additional support is provided for medical research and the National Institutes of Health.

The law will introduce minimum standards for health insurance policies and remove all annual and lifetime coverage caps.

The law mandates that some health care insurance benefits will be "essential" coverage for which there will be no co-pays.

To a fiscal conservative this is a NIGHTMARE! How in the heck will anything in this save money? When a healthy person goes in and is forced to pay the same amount as an unhealthy individual it's not hard to figure out they are splitting the cost. In much the same way a male teen pays more in auto insurance than a middle aged woman an unhealthy person should pay more than a healthy one. IMO. and after all it is no fault of the male teen driver but in many cases health issues can be blamed directly on the actions of the unhealthy patient

[Riot]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

You call it PPACA I call it Obamacare. Either way it's unconstitutional and penalizes some to reward others.

Sure. Okay.

[joeydb]

It's not designed to save money. It's designed to control you and keep you in your place. This is why the (self-proclaimed) elites wrote it and exempted themselves. They even had to "pass it so you can see what's in it."

And, surprise surprise -- all the "elites" in this case were Democrats.

[Riot]

Originally Posted by joeydb

It's not designed to save money. It's designed to control you and keep you in your place. This is why the (self-proclaimed) elites wrote it and exempted themselves. They even had to "pass it so you can see what's in it."

And, surprise surprise -- all the "elites" in this case were Democrats.

Well, no, actually alot of the PPACA contains Republican ideas that have been presented previously in Congress over the past 20 years .... you know, like it's a virtual duplicate of what Governor Romney has successfully in place in his state?

Mostly the PPACA is a big giveaway to private insurance companies (you might note how their stocks all rose upon it's passage)

If we want to put away the fear away for a while, and dabble in reality, you could check out the CBO scoring on it regarding saving money. But considering your next sentence, ...

No, it is not "designed to control you and keep you in your place". Geeshus, that's seriously paranoid.

[timmgirvan]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

The Postal Service itself disagrees.

USPS is trying to curb steep losses. It posted a $3.8 billion loss in its 2009 fiscal year, the latest in a multiyear string of whopping losses. Mail volume was down 12.7% for the year, a trend the agency expects to continue over the next decade as more consumers opt for online bill payments and message delivery.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/02/news/economy/usps/

I think 1 year in the last 10 the post office made money.