Rasmussen Reports - USPS Proposals Popular with the American People

In a survey results released today, Rasmussen Reports illustrates that the public would prefer almost any solution to the Postal Service's problems to one that could be considered a bailout. The survey clearly showed that proponents of any proposal would improve the chances of popular support if they can  label it as  "not a bailout." These results suggest the use of language used in the tweets that Representative Issa wrote this morning.
The questions and the specific results published were as follows:
1) How closely have you followed recent stories about the US postal service?

• 28%  Following very closely
• 43%  Following but not very closely
• 29%  Not following [iinferred from press release]

2) The US Postal Service lost about $8 billion last year and wants to lay off about 120,000 workers over the next few years. Congressional approval is required for any such changes. Should the federal government provide subsidies to cover the postal service’s losses or should it allow the postal service to lay off 120,000 postal workers?

• 50% Preferred laying off postal employees
• 33% Preferred subsidies of losses
• 17% Undecided

3) Postal Service employees are covered by a federal employees benefits health insurance and retirement benefits program. The Postal Service wants to withdraw from the federal benefits plan, run its own program, and offer its employees fewer benefits. If it means providing employees with lower benefits, should the Postal Service be allowed to run its own benefits program?

• 56% Supported the USPS running its own benefit plans if it means providing employees with lower benefits
• 27% Opposed having the USPS running its own benefit plans if it means providing employees with lower benefits
• 16% Undecided

4) One way to reduce the Postal Service losses would be to reduce mail delivery in some parts of the country to just three or four days a week. If you had a choice, would you rather see the federal government cover the cost of Postal Service losses or cut back mail services in some parts of the country to three or four days a week?

• 75% Prefer cut back in mail service in some parts of the country to three or four days a week
• 17% Prefer subsidies to maintain services
• 8% undecided

It is not difficult finding fault with the questions and the order in which they were asked.  I leave it to readers to do that.

More importantly this survey and the press attention that it will generate will focusing the Postal legislative debate on the bailout - subsidy dichotomy and not a solution that will ensure that the economy is not harmed by the financial troubles of a core part of the nation's economic infrastructure.