This month, the United States Postal Service reported a loss of over five billion dollars from April to June. The Postal Service says it expects to report a loss of fifteen billion dollars for the twelve-month period ending in September. And the government agency has warned of even bigger losses if Congress does not let it change the way it does business.
The United States Postal Service, or USPS, has a long history in America. Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first Postmaster General, or head of the postal service, in seventeen seventy-five.
But the Postal Service says its income has not kept up with growing costs. Profitable first class mail is decreasing.
The service says most of its recent losses resulted from making payments to its health care program for retirees. About a billion dollars of the loss was for payments to injured workers.
The news from April to June was not all bad. Improvements in the economy fueled a nine percent increase in income from shipping and delivery. The Postal Service says it is less costly to send letters and packages in the mail than to use private companies.
The Postal Service says it has cut operating costs by a total of fourteen billion dollars in the past five years. To improve its financial health, the agency has proposed cutting service on Saturdays. It also wants Congress to cancel a requirement that the postal service make advance payments to the health care program for retired workers. USPS also wants the Treasury Department to return eleven billion dollars in overpayments made to its pension plan for retirees.
On August first, USPS failed to make a required payment of five point five billion dollars for health care benefits for future retirees. It was the first time the postal service has ever failed to make such a payment. And, the service is warning that it may have to delay making payments to companies to which it owes money.
The Postal Service says that without major changes, it will continue to lose billions of dollars a year. The Washington Post newspaper reported that Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe told reporters “Congress needs to act responsibly.” In his words, “this is no way to run any kind of business.”
The Postal Service receives money to pay for operations from the sale of stamps, products and shipping services. It does not receive direct government assistance, but is controlled by the federal government.
And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report. I’m Christopher Cruise.
GMAT考试写作指导:Issue写作范文五
GMAT Argument经典范文赏析(2)
为GMAT作文披上黄金战衣
GMAT考试写作例文224篇连载(一四八)
GMAT考试写作例文224篇连载(一五零)
GMAT考试写作例文224篇连载(一四九)
GMAT考试写作指导:Issue写作范文二九
GMAT考试:Argument写作范文十九
GMAT考试:Argument写作范文十四
GMAT考试:Argument写作范文十六
GMAT写作辅导:109题Argument范文(二十)
GMAT考试:Issue写作范文二
GMAT考试写作指导:Issue写作范文三一
GMAT考试:Argument写作范文十七
GMAT考试写作例文224篇连载(一五三)
GMAT考试写作例文224篇连载(一二二)
GMAT考试写作例文224篇连载(一二零)
GMAT写作辅导:109题Argument范文(十四)
GMAT考试写作指导:Argument范文七三
GMAT考试写作指导:Argument范文七六
揭秘GMAT官网满分作文的奥秘
GMAT考试:Argument写作范文十八
GMAT Argument经典范文赏析(4)
GMAT考试写作例文224篇连载(一二一)
GMAT考试:Argument写作范文十五
GMAT写作模板:国家和艺术的关系
GMAT考试:Argument写作范文三十三
GMAT考试写作例文224篇连载(一五四)
GMAT考试写作指导:Issue写作范文八十
GMAT考试:Argument写作范文四十
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |