Just in regard to the United States Post Office - can "the People" sue Congress for:
1) Not doing their Constitutional duty of levying taxes to pay for Postal Service and Postal Roads
(Art 1, Sec 8)?
2) Not giving back the Post Office their $50 Billion Dollars of overpayment in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)?
3) Not giving back the Post Office their $7 Billion Dollars of overpayment in the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS)?
The Postal Workers have asked Congress to have the US Treasurer refund them their $57 Billion Dollars in overpayment but Congress, so far, has willfully, knowingly and with forethought refused to give the Postal Workers their hard earned money back.
The Constitution clearly states that Congress is to levy taxes to pay for Postal Service and Postal Roads yet the Post Office takes ZERO tax dollars.
Can "the People" who live in Rural America - who will no longer get postal service - sue Congress for failing to do their Constitutional duty and levy taxes for Postal Service and Postal Roads?
Can Post Office Workers ("the People") sue Congress for willfully, knowingly and with forethought refusing to give them back their $57 Billion and thereby stealing their money?
The Post Office pays both pension funds by writing checks to the US Treasury after it collects those monies from their employees wages -- thus the money ultimately belongs to the Postal Service Employees ("the People").
I should note: in 2006 the GOP controlled House and Senate passed a Bill requiring the Post Office pay 75 years worth of Federal Pensions in 10 years.
No other government agency or private company is required to make those types of payments.
The Constitution also requires that Congress levy taxes to pay for wars, military, navy, etc. (No mention in the Constitution that Congress has the power to levy taxes to pay Billions and Billions to: Halliburton, Xe, Blackwater)
Instead, in 2001 the George Bush, Dick Cheney and GOP Controlled Congress CUT TAXES and as a result could NOT afford to pay for 2 wars, and could not afford the Billions and Billions of Taxpayer money they gave to Halliburton, Xe, Blackwater to do the job the US Military is paid to do.
Could it be: In 2006 GOP wanted Post Office Workers to "bailout" the lost revenue from the Bush Tax Cuts and pay for 2 wars?
Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Committee that oversees the Post Office said she
"urges passage of a Bill that would refund nearly $7 Billion the Postal Service overpaid into a federal retirement fund.
~Susan Collins, Dec 2011"
But, Susan Collins (R) left out the $50 Billion Dollars owed to the Post Office for overpayment in CSRS.
To reiterate, another thing Susan Collins (R) left out was that in 2006 the GOP controlled House and Senate passed a Bill requiring the Post Office pay 75 years worth of Federal Pensions in 10 years. No other government agency or private company is required to make these payments.
Think about that ... you, or your business, will have to pay for 75years worth of pensions in a small 10 year window ... ummmmm ... hmmmm.....
Again, I ask, could it be: In 2006 GOP wanted Post Office Workers to "bailout" the lost revenue from the Bush Tax Cuts and pay for 2 wars?
My question is this:
Can Postal workers, "the People" sue Congress for willfully, knowingly and with forethought failing to:
1) Do their Constitutional duty of levying taxes to pay for Postal Service and Postal Roads, and
2) Refusing to have the US Treasure write the Post Office a $50 Billion Dollar check they are owed from Overpayment in CSRS, and
3) Refusing to have the US Treasury write the Post Office a $7 Billion Dollar check they are owed from Overpayment in FERS.
In February 2011, Susan Collins (R) introduced: "U.S. Postal Service Improvements Act of 2011"
At the time, Collins put this on her Senate Website
"Senator Collins' bill would fix the overpayment by the Postal Service to the Civil Service Retirement System, estimated to be more than $50 billion, as well as the approximately $3 billion it has overpaid into the Federal Employees Retirement System. This legislation would direct the Office of Personnel Management to correct the methodology for calculating Postal Service obligations to these pension funds and would greatly improve USPS's financial condition."
The $3Billion in overpayment to FERS has been revised up to $7 Billion in overpayment.
In October 2011, the Government Accountability Office [GAO] issued a Report that did not refute the overpayments, but concluded that the overpayments did not violate federal law.
"Some have referred to "overpayments" that USPS has made to the CSRS fund, which can imply an error of some type--mathematical, actuarial, or accounting. We have not found evidence of error of these types."
~GAO Memo
The GAO also wrote:
"Although the USPS OIG and PRC reports present alternative methodologies for determining the allocation of pension costs, this determination is ultimately a policy choice rather than a question of accounting or actuarial standards."
~GAO Memo
So, the GAO acknowledge there were no math errors and no accounting errors - but there was an overpayment.
Now, if the Congress willfully, knowingly and with forethought, refuses to give the Post Office Workers back their $57Billion Dollar overpayment - is that theft?
Would the Congress be guilty of willfully, knowingly and with forethought stealing the Post Office Worker's money that they overpaid to the US Treasurer?
If an employer deducts payroll taxes from employees and then fails to send that money to the US Treasure - then the employer is guilty of theft and can be put in prison for theft.
Does that same legal threshold of "theft" applied to the Congress when they refuse to have the US Treasury pay back $57Billion in overpayment?
No one in Congress denies that Congress put an undo burden on the Post Office Workers when, in 2006, Congress required the Post Office Workers to pay 75 years worth of pensions in a short 10 year window.
No one in Congress denies the Post Office Workers overpaid $50 Billion to CSRS and overpaid $7 Billion to FERS. The question Congress is mulling is: Should the Postal Workers get their money back?
Darrell Issa (R-Ca) does not want to repay the Post Office Workers their $57Billion Dollars and said,
"Giving USPS access to that money is not an adequate solution because it does not deal with the underlying problems that USPS faces as a business: namely, declining mail volume, and an “outdated business model.”
~Darrell Issa (R) October 2011
"that money" is THEIR MONEY. It is money that Postal Workers worked hard for ... it is THEIR MONEY, not "that money" ...
"that money" belongs TO the Postal Workers as it is THEIR MONEY that they worked hard for that Issa and Congress are trying to steal ... confiscate ... .
In October 2011, Rep Darrell Issa (R-Ca) and Rep Dennis Ross (R-Fl) introduced the Postal Reform Act. The Republican House Website wrote:
"Seeking to prevent another taxpayer bailout, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, introduced today legislation to implement sweeping, structural reforms of the United States Postal Service (USPS)."
~Darrell Issa October 2011
Issa and Ross doubled down and made a propaganda Video where the narrator leaves the false impression that having the US Treasurer give the Postal Workers back their $57 Billion Dollars in Overpayments would be a "bailout."
The narrator says:
"ensuring the Postal Service meets its obligations without exposing taxpayers to a multi-billion taxpayer funded bailout.
~Republicans Issa and Ross Propaganda Video, October 2011”
How do you like that, Issa calls giving the Postal Workers their hard earned $57Billion Dollars back a "bailout."
hmmm ... sounds like Issa has been reading Republican Paid Propagandist Frank Luntz' Words To Lie with.
Republicans paid propagandist Frank Luntz to find words they could use to KILL the Financial Reform Bill:
Luntz was paid and issued a Memo to Kill Financial Reform and told Republicans:
"Frankly, the single best way to kill any legislation is to link it to the Big Bank Bailout."
~Frank Luntz - page 7 How To Kill Financial Reform
Luntz went on to say:
"The bailout provisions get the most visceral reaction. It is not often you come across an issue where people of all political stripes come together so stridently on an issue. Taxpayer bailouts of CEOs and companies are such an issue."
~Frank Luntz Propaganda Memo -page 7
In the Same How to Kill Financial Reform Luntz tells Republicans:
"Luntz says, Don't say "this is a reform bill." Say It is the “Stop the Big Bank Bailout."
~Frank Luntz Propaganda Memo -page 14
In Luntz' Memo Section: Words To Lie With ("Words that Work") he wrote:
"Taxpayer-funded bailouts reward bad behavior. Taxpayers should
not be held responsible for the failure of big business any longer. If a business is going to fail, not matter how big, let it fail."
~Frank Luntz Propaganda Memo -Page 8
In another Words to Lie With Section Luntz writes:
"Bailouts for Wall Street. Government takeovers of insurance companies. Trillions of taxpayer dollars to bailout CEOs and their risky investment schemes. And now Congress is preparing to enact legislation to pass a law with $4 trillion more for more bailouts. Should people who write the financial reform laws be the same ones
who helped cause the crisis? Should taxpayers be punished and the big banks and credit card companies be rewarded? The time has come to take a stand. Oppose the big bank bailout bill."
~Frank Luntz' Propaganda Meme -page 12
Ok, so Luntz says to kill any legislation you don't like bailout.
But Issa and Ross are using the word "bailout" to steal and keep $57 Billion hard earned dollars from Postal Workers overpayment to the US Treasurer.
It sounds to me like Darrell Issa is channeling Frank Luntz ... you know:
Frank Luntz says, "Don't say US Treasurer owes Postal Workers $57Billion from Worker's overpaying - say We Don't Want to Bailout the Post Office."
... um ... also ... I really wish Darrell Issa would read US Constitution Art 1, Sec 8 where Congress is to levy taxes to pay for Postal Service and Postal Roads.
Can Post Office Workers ("the People") sue Darrell Issa for willfully, knowingly and with forethought refusing to give them back their $57 Billion and thereby stealing their money?
Can Postal Workers ("the People") sue Darrell Issa and Congress for and using Postal Workers hard earned $57 Billion Dollars as a Bailout due to lost revenue from the Bush Tax Cuts?
Can Postal Workers sue Congress for failing to do their Constitutional duty and levy taxes for Postal Service and Postal Roads.
Can "the People" who live in Rural America - who will no longer get postal service - sue Congress for failing to do their Constitutional duty and levy taxes for Postal Service and Postal Roads?
If I were a Postal Worker and if I got laid off as a result of Congress - I sure as hell would try to sue them. Even if I had to wait until Congress was out of session, and on their vacation, I would try to sue them for stealing my co-worker's, and my, hard earned $57Billion dollars that Congress seems to be stealing and seem to be using as a bailout for the lost revenue from the Bush Tax Cuts.
Also, if I lived in rural America and no longer got postal service because Congress refuses to abide by the Constitution and levy taxes for Postal Service and Postal Roads, I would at least try to sue the lazy, thieving bums Congress.