It should come as no surprise that Fox News has the first headline announcing “Obama’s $4 Billion Taxpayer Bailout of the Postal Service”. The page has a short excerpt from, and a link to, this morning’s article from the Daily Caller. If you’ve read that article, you may recall that the author claimed that the proposed aid for the USPS, which does not involve any taxpayer money “has its critics, with some referring to it as a $4 billion taxpayer bailout of the Postal Service”. But the only expert the author actually bothered to interview said “I do not regard what’s specifically in the budget as a bailout,… I do not think that allowing the Postal Service to reschedule its payment for the retiree health benefits fund is a bailout.”

Fox News is apparently not about to let the facts get in the way of a good headline.

From WMC TV in Memphis:

Earlier this week the Government Accountability Office released its biennial list of “High Risk” federal programs, and the US Postal Service once again made the list. Here’s the section dealing with the USPS:

GAO 2011 High Risk Update: US Postal Service

The Direct Marketing Association released the following statement:

On Wednesday the Postal Regulatory Commission found that the Postal Service postage increases for market dominant classes of mail were correctly calculated within the statutory CPI price cap. Thus, those rate increases will be effective on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

The Commission, however, expressed disappointment that USPS had failed to rate postage on Standard Mail flats sufficiently to cover the costs of processing, transporting and delivering that mail. In fact, the Commission found that the new rates would increase the cross-subsidy of flat-shaped mail by Standard Mail letters. “While not unlimited, [the USPS pricing] flexibility is sufficient to allow the Postal Service to address the flats’ cost coverage issue within the rate cap. In this proceeding the Postal Service could have designed Standard Mail Flats prices to better align rates with costs and, over time, allow this product to be ‘brought to full cost coverage.’” The Commission expects this error to be rectified in future rate adjustment filings.

The Commission also criticized the Postal Service use of “unaccepted” costing methodologies when determining work-share discounts. Again, the Commission did not require any adjustments in this time shortened proceeding, but it expects the Service to refrain from such actions in future filings.

“The Commission should be focusing on market based pricing and not on what should be the abandoned cost of service pricing of the old law. The Postal Service rates for Standard Flats are market driven and those efforts should be applauded,” said DMA Senior VP Jerry Cerasale.

The Commission’s concern on both the methodology and the Standard Mail cross subsidy may also be addressed in the Commission’s Annual Compliance Review or a complaint case.

The Commission decision may be found at:
http://www.prc.gov/Docs/71/71974/Order_No_675.pdf

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Hallmark and the U.S. Postal Service introduce PostagePaid Greetings — a line of "everyday" and seasonal cards that already include postage. Just sign, seal and send.

"In this busy world of ours, Hallmark and the Postal Service want to help make connecting with loved ones a little bit easier," said Rob Bensman, vice president of strategic alliances at Hallmark. "PostagePaid Greetings provide you with everything you need. All you have to do is add a personal message."

Hallmark Postage-Paid Greetings feature the U.S. Postal Service’s Intelligent Mail barcode on the front of the envelope. When the cards are processed at a Postal Service facility, the barcode automatically indicates to the Postal Service the postage is paid. The postage is treated like a Forever stamp, and its value will always be equal to the price of a standard First-Class stamp, regardless of when it’s mailed.

"We know card-sending is an important tradition and receiving cards is as meaningful as it ever was," said Paul Vogel, president and chief marketing/sales officer, U.S. Postal Service. "We are pleased to work with Hallmark in a way that honors this tradition while providing consumers with added convenience afforded by advanced technology."

More than 200 varieties of everyday Postage-Paid Greetings will be sold in Hallmark Gold Crown stores, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS and other Hallmark distribution locations. Seasonal cards will be available starting this Easter season. Postage-Paid everyday cards can be purchased for $3.99, and seasonal cards will range in price from $2.69 to $3.99. For more information, visit www.hallmark.com.

via Hallmark and the U.S. Postal Service Launch Postage-Paid Greeting Cards — KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ –.