Id love nothing better than to see the USPS lose money. Seems the US govt is very free with USPS funds. Anyone have a subscription so we can read the whole article?
WASHINGTON -- A constituent saw the story in the newspaper the day after Thanksgiving, and asked his Memphis congressman to intervene. The headline read: "Postage Needed for Iraq Care Packages -- Support Group Broke After Sending Packages to Troops."
U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn., said Thursday he plans to introduce legislation when Congress reconvenes Jan. 25 to make sure care packages sent by U.S. Postal Service get to combat troops for free.
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"Thousands of Tennesseans are serving with great courage and determination in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are separated from their families for long periods of time, and more often than not, they have trouble getting the things that remind them of home, or special items they are unable to get in combat zones," Ford said. "This legislation would not only reduce the financial burden on military families who ship packages and letters to their loved ones, it would also further encourage the spirit of support for our troops."
Although troops serving in overseas combat areas can send mail free of charge, their families often spend hundreds of dollars in postage to send shipments of double-A batteries, canned tuna and clean socks to loved ones. The story the constituent sent to Ford said the support group at Trinity United Methodist Church in the Evergreen Historic District of Midtown had spent $20,000 in postage alone before it considered throwing in the towel. Instead, after the story, donations to defray postage poured in.
Wendel Stoltz, the church's program director, said Thursday evening that the number of packages sent each month reached a high of 220 last year but now averages about 150. If Ford's legislative proposal wins approval, Stoltz said, "It would be a tremendous help."
According to a summary of the bill, troops would be given an allotment of special stamps to send to families and charities. The stamps would permit cost-free postage for sending 10-pound packages from families and 70-pound packages from charity and faith-based organizations. No cost to the Postal Service was available Thursday, and the Pentagon could not immediately estimate the weight or volume of the parcels now being sent to combat troops.
The legislation would not defray the cost of sending packages by private parcel services like FedEx.
What's the color of the sky on this guy's home planet?????
It's easy for a congressman to propose such a costly and unneeded venture---he has no frickin' money when he goes to Washington except the tax dollars WE GIVE HIM. And he has absolutely NO CLUE how much shipping a 70 lb. package to Iraq would cost.
Let people send packages to the noble cause of supporting our troops in the latest war, but the last thing we need is something that will add unnecessary costs to the USPS budget. Even though we haven't raised our prices in three years,(Brown and Blue can't say that), any additional unanticipated costs (like this idiotic proposal) would probably have a negative effect on our bottom line.
Besides, with the two new USPS Priority Flat Rate boxes, you can cram all the batteries, canned tuna and clean socks you want to in the boxes and it will STILL only cost you $7.70 to fly thousands of miles to Iraq! Or to anyhere that the thousands of other soldiers serving in the world. You can bet that FedEx or UPS doesn't have anything that cheap!!!
I don't see what the big deal is. THE USPS only transports the mails to New York, the military gets it to Iraq, and not very expediciously, I might add. Wouldn't this have to go through the rate commission? Hopefully our boys will be home before they would enact anything.
4 comments:
Id love nothing better than to see the USPS lose money. Seems the US govt is very free with USPS funds. Anyone have a subscription so we can read the whole article?
Ford plans to help cut costs on postage
Packages for military cutting into budgets
By Bartholomew Sullivan
Contact
January 14, 2005
WASHINGTON -- A constituent saw the story in the newspaper the day after Thanksgiving, and asked his Memphis congressman to intervene. The headline read: "Postage Needed for Iraq Care Packages -- Support Group Broke After Sending Packages to Troops."
U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn., said Thursday he plans to introduce legislation when Congress reconvenes Jan. 25 to make sure care packages sent by U.S. Postal Service get to combat troops for free.
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"Thousands of Tennesseans are serving with great courage and determination in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are separated from their families for long periods of time, and more often than not, they have trouble getting the things that remind them of home, or special items they are unable to get in combat zones," Ford said. "This legislation would not only reduce the financial burden on military families who ship packages and letters to their loved ones, it would also further encourage the spirit of support for our troops."
Although troops serving in overseas combat areas can send mail free of charge, their families often spend hundreds of dollars in postage to send shipments of double-A batteries, canned tuna and clean socks to loved ones. The story the constituent sent to Ford said the support group at Trinity United Methodist Church in the Evergreen Historic District of Midtown had spent $20,000 in postage alone before it considered throwing in the towel. Instead, after the story, donations to defray postage poured in.
Wendel Stoltz, the church's program director, said Thursday evening that the number of packages sent each month reached a high of 220 last year but now averages about 150. If Ford's legislative proposal wins approval, Stoltz said, "It would be a tremendous help."
According to a summary of the bill, troops would be given an allotment of special stamps to send to families and charities. The stamps would permit cost-free postage for sending 10-pound packages from families and 70-pound packages from charity and faith-based organizations. No cost to the Postal Service was available Thursday, and the Pentagon could not immediately estimate the weight or volume of the parcels now being sent to combat troops.
The legislation would not defray the cost of sending packages by private parcel services like FedEx.
What's the color of the sky on this guy's home planet?????
It's easy for a congressman to propose such a costly and unneeded venture---he has no frickin' money when he goes to Washington except the tax dollars WE GIVE HIM. And he has absolutely NO CLUE how much shipping a 70 lb. package to Iraq would cost.
Let people send packages to the noble cause of supporting our troops in the latest war, but the last thing we need is something that will add unnecessary costs to the USPS budget. Even though we haven't raised our prices in three years,(Brown and Blue can't say that), any additional unanticipated costs (like this idiotic proposal) would probably have a negative effect on our bottom line.
Besides, with the two new USPS Priority Flat Rate boxes, you can cram all the batteries, canned tuna and clean socks you want to in the boxes and it will STILL only cost you $7.70 to fly thousands of miles to Iraq! Or to anyhere that the thousands of other soldiers serving in the world. You can bet that FedEx or UPS doesn't have anything that cheap!!!
I don't see what the big deal is. THE USPS only transports the mails to New York, the military gets it to Iraq, and not very expediciously, I might add. Wouldn't this have to go through the rate commission? Hopefully our boys will be home before they would enact anything.
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