[dmschulman]

Realistically too, the post office is running on a shoestring budget. I don't quite understand their biggest overhead costs (beyond paying out salaries and pension benefits to postal employees) but there has to be a way to make the mail system work the way it's worked but at less cost to tax payers.

[wildgift]

Until this 2006 law that requires the pension to be fully funded for 75 years, and that this be achieved in three more years, the USPS was self sufficient. Postage paid for everything. No cost to the taxpayer. I remember when this was achieved in the 80s - it was on TV. This link has a lot of detail about the USPS.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/consumerawareness/a/uspsabout....

[yummyfajitas]

Until this 2006 law that requires the pension to be fully funded for 75 years, and that this be achieved in three more years, the USPS was self sufficient.

Well, self sufficient if you ignore their pension obligations.

The same logic says that if I run a business with $100 in revenue, that pays $50 in cash and $75 in IOUs to suppliers, it's profitable.