Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Darrell Issa Uses Letters from Tea Party to Drum Up Support for Postal Bill

In two tweets today, Representative Issa links to an unsourced press release that proclaims Tea Party support for his and Representative Dennis Ross's Postal Reform bill.   The tweets were broadcast to both conservative #tcot and liberal #p2 hashtags.  The tweets also focus on an anti-bailout argument that have played well for the Tea Party.


Darrell Issa
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Darrell Issa
 
Getting the Tea Party movement actively behind Issa's bill is critical for its passage in the House.  The Tea Party is increasingly the center of the Republican party base and therefore the political base of Republicans in the House, including those members that are not active supporters. (See Greg Sergent on how the Tea Party as the core of the Republican electorate has shaped the Republican party's process of nominating a candidate for President for a better understanding of the intra-party pressures affecting Republican politicians.) 

The press release was published right after the Postal Service released two important white papers that discuss legislative changes that would result in major changes in labor contracts, employee benefits, and funding for retiree benefits. 

These white papers included significant changes to layoff provisions and full-time employment comitments now in labor agreements that if negotiated would be a major concession by Postal Service unions.  The changes in benefits included would also be significant, although it is less clear how deep they would cut the compensation package now received by Postal Service employees regarless of their union status.   While clearly unpopular with major postal unions, it is not clear how far they are  from what is often agreed to by unions in contracts negotiated under the threat of a creditor driven liquidation. 

The legislative proposal also introduces a quid-pro-quo on labor cost reductions that affect current postal employees by requiring that the creditor (the Office of Personnel Management(OPM)), transfer the management of assets and liabilities of retiree benefit accounts to the Postal Service which could have the affect of reducing the Postal Service's costs for retiree benefits depending on how the assets and liabilities transferred are calculated.  The transfer will reduce OPM revenue by eliminating the Postal Service's retiree health care liablitiy payments but also reduces OPM's benefit service costs for existing retirees.  The Postal Service clearly hopes that this proposal works around the budget roadblocks that have prevented an agreement on fixing the retiree liability issues.

The press release's timing and appeal to theTea Party supporter's "bailout" hot button suggests that the Postal Service's white papers are receiving serious consideration on Capital Hill. Stakeholders should see that these papers are viewed as the basis for an alternative to the sections Representative Issa and Ross's bill dealing with Postal Service labor contracts and retiree liabilities.   How long this serious consideration lasts now depends less on union oposition and more on whether the proposal gets tagged as a "bailout" and must be reflexively opposed by the core of the Republican party.


16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Issa asking for support for his RIGHTWING CONSERVATIVE AGENDA for destroying a centuries old public institution is literally asking MORONS WHO KNOW NOTHING to support something which will adversely affect them in the end.
The Conservative Agenda for decades has been the PRIVATIZATION OF MOST, IF NOT ALL OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND FUNCTIONS.
This is what Issa/Ross and their party do. This is THEIR CORE BELIEF, that PRIVATIZATION IS NEEDED THROUGHOUT GOVERNMENT.
In 2010, portions of our national electorate chose to place morons in office who do not understand much about GOVERNING or GOVERNMENT FINANCE.
Once these people start to FEEL AND SEE what their elected MORONS have done, they will have a few second thoughts. Hopefully the USPS will still be around 2012.

Anonymous said...

Issa is so out of touch he might never come back to earth.

Anonymous said...

mr issa enjoy your last term, i personaly will do every thing in my power to get you voted out!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

dear mr isaa you will do every thing in your power to get rid of the middle class, that the reason i will do ever thing to get rid of you the next election

Anonymous said...

its not a bailout, issa your such a political nightmare, you and the tea party are all one term mistakes and will be corrected the next elections!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

ISSA a nut cake !

shtbull777@yahoo.com said...

This guy is a lying thieving clown who has to go, straight to jail that is.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone taken the time to look up Darrell Issa's biography? This guy has somehow managed to slip out of criminal charges for grand theft auto, insurance fraud, arson,transporting concealed weapons, and numerous other crimes. He and his brother are Chicago's answer to the Bulger brothers; how is it possible that this thug is influencing policy that affects so many american citizens?

BB said...

How can a company survive if it is told how much to charge for its products and is forced to pay penson fees for employees it does not have yet, and if it makes a profit the government takes it away. Then it is told that the government will take it over and attempt to get rid of the employees
and break union contracts. I thought the tea party wanted Government out of our life's! So why not get the government off the back of the Postal Service. With out all there mandates the P.O. would make a profit.

Anonymous said...

You want an illustration of the dumbing down of America? Look at the Tea Party.

PapaTod said...

I read an article today about representative Issa from what I can see he is only doing this for his own benefit. I am sure he will someway buy up the lucrative parts of the postal system. This guy is a slug. Yes the postal service need to clean up their act. Why is there performance pay? We are not a private company, plus we are losing money. Why at my plant , Sacramento, do I see 5 different people walking around with clipboards. They need to do a good cleaning out of people that are not moving mail and see how much they will save. Start at the top. The postmaster does not need to make more than the president.

chuckwalla said...

Issa flat out lies in his tweet. The 75 billion is capital the USPS overpaid into it's prefunded retirement accounts. So it's the postal services own money, how does that translate to a bailout? Issa makes it seem like the taxpayer will get screwed.

Anonymous said...

The tea party serves as the right wing's equivalent of the 'fellow travelers' of the left wing.

What is going on here is the game to capture the prize of the assets of the Postal Service and of the Postal Service 's employees and retirees. The prizes, Land, buildings, shipping routes, warehouse space locations, technology, pension money, fees from controlling health care monies, fees for managing pension money, the power to invest pension money without oversight.

Anonymous said...

The Postal Service is not asking for a bailout!! Just give them back their money that's being held hostage by the Government. The USPS has overfunded two accounts and they can't get it back. Highway robbery!! Issa....you are a liar!!!

Anonymous said...

WHY would we care what another Millionniare thinks about how the USPS runs? He only knows real estate.He has no idea of differences between a BAILOUT VS> a correction of an OVERPAYMENT that he and the other PART TIME LAWMKERS created in 2006. ISSA< stick to your real estate AND maybe your ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT PROBLEM in CALIFORNIA!!SAME FOR YOU ROSS IN FLORIDA

Anonymous said...

Issa is a flat-out liar and Ross is totally clueless. overall, with these two overseeing us, it spells dire trouble for the PO. One can only hope the voters in their districts rise up and get rid of these two clowns next election.