Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues in this do-nothing Congress to take politics out of the post office. The post office was explicitly authorized in article I, section 8, clause 7 of the United States Constitution. It began its operations on July 26, 1775, and Ben Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General. That's a long time ago. It has a legal obligation to serve everyone, regardless of geography, and at a uniform cost with uniform services. And it has exclusive access to boxes that are marked ``U.S. Postal'' or ``U.S. Post Office.'' And it also competes with private package delivery services. In 2006, Congress forced the United States Postal Service to pre-fund 100 percent of retiree insurance premiums. No other company, public or private, is forced to comply with such an unnecessary and destructive policy. Mr. Speaker, House Republicans cited declining mail volumes and a growing labor force as the primary reasons why the 2006 legislation was necessary. Yet 2005, 2006, and 2007 were the highest volume years in U.S. Postal Service history. In fact, 2006 was the highest volume year ever. Mr. Speaker, the real motivation behind the 2006 legislation was to break the back of a public sector union and privatize the mailing industry. Why else would Congress alter an entity that hasn't taken a dime of United States taxpayers' money in 30 years? According to the Congressional Research Service, the U.S.…”