If Obama wants to tell the people that the public option is the solution for reforming health care in order to create competition for insurance companies and he wants to reassure people that government can provide this service efficiently, than the Post Office might not be the best analogy.
So what is the report on the USPS by the US Government Accountability Office:
The post office made GAO’s list of government operations that are
considered costly and “high risk.” GAO submits its High Risk Series
report to Congress every two years…. The last year USPS reported income
from its operations was in 2006. Beginning in 2007, its fortunes soured
and it began to report significant losses: $5 billion at the end of
fiscal year (FY) 2007 and $3 billion in FY 2008, according to its
annual financial report. On June 30, 2009, the third quarter of its
fiscal year, the USPS reported a staggering $4.7 billion net loss.
And the response by the USPS:
“We are subject to Congressional oversight, regulation by other
government agencies, and also oversight by various other organizations
and the public. If we cannot
successfully address their various, and sometimes competing, concerns,
we may be subject to greater regulation, which could increase our costs
or otherwise place additional burdens on our operations,” USPS warned
regulators in their annual report.
Obama - "It's the Post Office that's always having problems"
Precisely the point Mr. President!
14 comments:
This ties into the health care reform issue and debate (if we can call shouting down each other at gun-toting rallies real debate).
Health Care-Related Union Looking Hard to Support Owens (maybe)
I made a post at that site.
BL: Get the nomination, then flip and flop all you want.
This reinforces what I've said before. Damn, I hate being right. Happens all the time and that's really po's me off - and it should every one else, too.
It sure isn't change -- not one bit?
Nuance: "Delicate Shadings?"
I love it... LOL
~ dmf
You may or may not agree... I post, you decide.
The GOP Has Become a Party of Nihilists, by Joe Klein at TIME.com
A very good piece for anyone to read -- from either side of the political aisle.
— dmf
"Duck! What duck?"
Dems to go it alone on health care
The key word is "Option" it's like "choice" and yes, I know there are many who don't like choice ... BTW: what's the opposite of choice? You got it...
"Mandate"
~ dmf
So Dan, the party that loves government, yours, wants to do to healthcare what they have done to to the post office. And your response is this?
I'm confused.
How does PIV get health coverage, medicare, VA or private? And if private, at what cost. I don't have any health care anymore, its just to expensive and the deductibles are to high.
And, all on a conservative-leaning radio talk show - that takes courage, too, doesn't it? You bet cha...
The story from Talk Radio in
Philadelphia
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama guaranteed Thursday that his health care overhaul will win approval and said any bill he signs will have to reduce rapidly rising costs, protect consumers from insurance abuses and provide affordable choices to the uninsured — while not adding to the federal deficit.
Obama listed those four "bullet points" as his basic requirements in response to a question from a caller to a Philadelphia-based talk radio show. Host Michael Smerconish interviewed Obama at the White House during the show and Obama took questions from several listeners.
The president insisted there has been no change in the administration's position that a government option for health insurance coverage should be considered as part of legislation to overhaul the system.
Finally, some spine... not spin, IMHO.
~ dmf
i was a small business owner who used to use the post office to mail out several orders a day. I never had a problem with the packages getting delivered, the clerks provided great customer service, and the prices were usually lower than ups or fedex (except for heavier items where the usps is pricier). People need to remember the post office has a huge cost structure in that they have at least one office in virtually ever community in the united states. Many of these offices are in sparsely populated areas where there isn't enough traffic for the usps to make a profit. ups and fedex only have offices in urban areas, suburbs or larger towns and thus has a cost advantage over the post office.
People who bash the post office as being inefficient and mismanaged need to keep these facts in mind.
Dan, I have no idea what you are trying to say.
And on to another topic, but largely the same. For those who think the government can do anything, the cash for clunkers program is dead, for now, in NY. People can't get their payments so the dealers said no mas.
Gives one a great sense of confidence in govment, don't it, Dan? Can't run a simple program like this but healthcare, you betcha.
Oh those rotten GOPers and talk radio. Dan. People who have no confidence in govment have a reason for no confidence in govment.
Anonymous 8:36... you have no idea about what my posts mean? Likewise, I have no idea what you mean about not knowing what I mean.
Got it now?
12:52
our selection process doesn't leave us with superb candidates, and who wants to get worked over the way they do anyway? The trick is to lay low until after the election.
So, why would we want to create another system bogged down by bureaucracy that by nature breeds inefficiency
Can't run a simple program like this but healthcare, you betcha.
i know this really is like arguing with a dining room table, but the kind of willful denial that goes into statements like those never ceases to amaze me.
the fact of the matter is that we already have a big federal health insurance program called medicare! and it's not perfect, but it works pretty darn well! people really like it! so of course the government can run a health insurance program very well -- as has been the experience in every industrialized country that's tried it.
what's more, medicare is cheaper than what the private sector can offer! it has way less overhead than private insurance -- that's right, less bureaucracy than in the private sector.
for sure, there are lots of things the government is terrible at and should keep its hands out of. it just happens that health insurance is the opposite. government is really good at insurance.
Klemit, before you add to your most recent offering of stupidity, please consider what you've already dripped. I'd advise you to do two things.
Firstly, ask a person who depends on Medicare about their experience. It would be difficult for anyone, even the Frog, to reach the conclusion that this program works "pretty darn well". Secondly, remember that Medicare started as a 65million dollar program.
I'd say do a third thing but being a "dining room table" I forget what that is. But I commend you on your quotation of Barney Frank, a well known guy who is known to do male prostitutes in his congressional offices and was a central figure in the mortgage failures that preceded many of our recent bailouts. I had no idea Frogs and people of this caliber were such close buds.
I'd rather be a dining room table. At least I'm made of hard wood.
ah, our resident representative of the wingnut conservative base, dependable as ever.
i guess there are some glimmers of an argument in there, but it's mostly just hot air, hypocrisy, disrespect, insults, and ad hominem attacks. and it looks to me like there's even a little homophobia thrown in -- nice touch!
for those that like facts and links and documentation, let me expand on what i mean by hypocrisy. i've already suggested to poor anon that he shouldn't go calling things other people say stupid, since that sort of thing tends to come back to bite him. and here we have another example: the fact of the matter is that medicare really is quite popular. again, i'm not saying it's perfect, but people are clearly satisfied with it. it works well.
or maybe our friendly wingnut has another explanation for why so many over-65 protesters have shown up at town hall meetings to implore their representatives to keep the government out of their medicare?
I don't know why the over 65 crowd has shown up at these meetings, Frogger. According to our First Black Prezident, Medicare won't be cut, so they have nothing to fear. So as long as the old folk are as stupid as you, excuse me, gullible as you, there shouldn't be any reason for them to be upset.
If them old people would just be satisfied and keep their mouth shut everything would be alright, now wouldn't it, Frog? Then the Great One would be free to pass the health takeover he wants and we'd all die happy.
You raise a point that I didn't really think of. Why are these dumb ass old folks upset? Don't they know what's good for them? Must be a communication problem between your Chosen One and the poor old folks. Don't they realize how well govment has worked for them and how safe their health care will be? How can they be so confused, angry and upset, when, as you say, they are sooooo satisfied?
I'll betcha they're all GOPers,
or Nazis.
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