So often real, progressive legislation that could benefit large numbers of Americans doesn’t become law because well-placed and well-financed corporate interests don’t want it to.
It happened when President Clinton’s national health insurance proposals were shot down by lobbying and massive propaganda from insurance companies.
And it’s happening again now that the health–if not the survival–of the U.S. Postal Service is at stake.
Last week, the House Government Affairs Committee defeated the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, effectively scuttling the prospect of legislative reform of the USPS for at least two years.
This bill, in various incarnations over the past several years, sought to give the USPS some pricing flexibility, establish the rates for products and services that compete with private business and set its own rates in some cases.
There are parallels with Clinton’s ill-fated insurance proposals.
“I really don’t believe the United Parcel Service wants us to solve this problem,” said House Government Reform Committee Chairman Dan Burton (R-IN), after the Committee defeated the motion on June 20. “Their pressure and their influence has been felt, not to mention the tremendous amounts of money they give to various members of Congress and to the political parties.”
Mailer industry groups believe UPS’ lobbying power is so massive that no postal reform can take place without its say-so. It’s almost like Third World countries where the army essentially determines just what Democratic reforms can take place.
UPS dislikes this bill because it feels the USPS might cut into its business.
Fair enough. But what does UPS think would happen if the Postal Service becomes financially untenable and must charge 75 cents for a first class stamp as Burton suggested?
Does the enormously profitable UPS want to take over the USPS’ functions and lose money on every delivery it makes, say, to remote locations in Alaska?
Not that the USPS itself is faultless. It has the bad habit of running up multibillion-dollar deficits, seems powerless to control its costs, and is now running at least $3 billion in the red. And it’s getting worse all the time.
Maybe it’s time for a radical new way of thinking that puts the interests of the many–especially the mailing industry
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