The Coming Postal Bailout

[ssd]

Trench:

Good points. Internet is destroying brick and mortar stores....been to a local mall recently? The one near me is in shambles.
With the exception of food and maybe, shoes, - people I know like to try them on and buy them, you can order almost everything else online.
Muff:
The stamp costs 44 cents but how much is your portion of the continued bailouts?

With less mail being handled, it only makes sense to close postal offices and lay off workers. They are unnecessary.

 

[Duff Miver]

Muff:
The stamp costs 44 cents but how much is your portion of the continued bailouts?

Let's do the math. Congress provides $4 billion, that's, uuuummmm, $12 per citizen, right?

I mail about 150 pcs of first class mail per year, that's $.08 each, right?

So my total cost is $.52 per letter, picked up and delivered door-to-door.

Will UPS do that? Will they pick up and deliver every letter, every address in the USA, for $.44 plus a $4 billion subsidy? :shrug:

Not likely.

 

[ssd]

1. $12 if you divide $4b by the total population. But, $24 if you divide it by the people who pay taxes.

And do you really think it is only gonna be $4b? Honestly?

So, for you, if they would raise the first class postage rate 8 cents, that will fix the problem at the USPS.

They have continued to raise the rates of postage over the past years and they continue to operate in the red. Just raising the cost of the stamps will not fix the problem.

USPS is an outdated mode of communication - just like the Pony express was. They need to adjust to the times or go the way of the dodo bird.

 

[Duff Miver]

1. $12 if you divide $4b by the total population. But, $24 if you divide it by the people who pay taxes.

And do you really think it is only gonna be $4b? Honestly?

So, for you, if they would raise the first class postage rate 8 cents, that will fix the problem at the USPS.

They have continued to raise the rates of postage over the past years and they continue to operate in the red. Just raising the cost of the stamps will not fix the problem.

USPS is an outdated mode of communication - just like the Pony express was. They need to adjust to the times or go the way of the dodo bird.

Sure, the Post Office needs to adjust to clanging times. And they are trying to, maybe not as fast as you'd like, but they are closing 2000 stations and branches this year.

Present law prohibits closing any actual post offices, so you'll have to complain to your congressmen about that.

As to my part of the subsidy, whether it's
$12 or $24, it's insignificant and of no importance to me.

Does $24/year impact your standard of living?

The $600 billion DoD budget, my share $360, is of more interest. IMO, that could be cut by half, and we'd still have all the military strength we need.

 

[ssd]

Duff:
I agree with you. I think the admin in the USPS have been trying to make changes and those changes are being blocked by Congress.

I also agree the the DoD budget as well as the DoE's (energy and education) budgets need to be looked at and revised.

I think the federal gov't collects more than enough money from the citizens. I think how it is spent needs a serious upgrade.

 

[Chadman]

I think a valid point in the original post is that despite the ongoing and growing loss of money by the USPS, this is what just happened:

Instead, Postal Service management recently concluded negotiations offering the 205,000-member American Postal Workers Union a new four-and-a-half-year contract that will provide a 3.5% pay raise over three years, dole out automatic cost of living wage hikes after 2012, and expand no-layoff protections.

I'm sorry, but in my view, this makes no sense. Expand no-layoff protections? What does that mean? No matter what is going on in the company, people have even more protection to avoid layoffs? That's ridiculous. Let alone automatic raises, no matter the status of the business?

I value unions in principle. But to see how people rail on teacher unions in the face of something like this is a real eye-opener, or should be. Teachers all across the country - WITH TENURE - are being let go due to budget issues. And the Post Office is protected even more than ever? Sorry, I just don't get that. BOTH sides of the aisle need to be realistic about our financial worries these days. Unions have to give some when times are tough - that just makes sense. To act otherwise is not fair to us, the taxpayer. And for those who approved this contract - they should be exposed and open to public view.

Disbanding the USPS is not the answer - and there are no real competitors to what the USPS does in it's entirety. Of course the competitors that do part of what they do are doing well - that's part of the reason the USPS is doing so poorly. But employment costs are strangling the operation now, and that has to be addressed from a business and taxpayer point of view - IMO.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

:142hail: Thank you Sir :0008

 

[bleedingpurple]

just do away with it, force people to use electronic mail, I could do away with my mailbox and it would be okay with me :shrug:

You think people should not be forced into having health care but you think people should be forced into having the internet? Kind of a double standard.:shrug:

There would be many many many old timers not getting their mail

 

[Duff Miver]

I think the federal gov't collects more than enough money from the citizens. I think how it is spent needs a serious upgrade.

We can agree on that. Whether we might agree how to allocate would be another issue, however I'm sure either of us could balance the Fed budget in a way which would do little or no harm to our general well-being.

 

[THE KOD]

So the post office now has a plan to cut costs.

first class mail will now be delivered in 2-5 days instead of 1-3 days


what a holy crock of crap that is. I guarantee you that mail has been in the 2-5 day range for many years. It just wasnt stated policy.

why do they come up with things that they know are simply meant to sway the public,.

they really think the american ppl are stupid. and we probably are.

I read in a PO blog that the post office was presented with this question from the public.

why do we have to stand in line so much at the PO ?'
why cant there be extra ppl to help on the counters.
we dont want to wait anymore.

The PO looked into it and made this decision.,

They took out all clocks in every po lobby area so ppl would not be able to easily think about how long they were standing in line.

wtf

this is just a joke


make delivery Mon , Wed , Friday


Thats all we need the mail. That will cut out all their problems and allow them to work through the problems they are having.

shut the union down that will not let them have layoffs . holy chit

no business can run with that hanging over their head.

 

[Skulnik]

make delivery Mon , Wed , Friday

That's plenty.

:0074

 

[Duff Miver]

It's a no brainer-we have competing privite companies running at a profit--

That's already been done. UPS and Fedex can come to my house anytime they want, pick up a letter and deliver it to Bristol, SD. or Saco, ME, or Vandalia OH, or Lewes DE.

Let me repeat that: UPS and Fedex can come to my house anytime they want, pick up a letter and deliver it. Any fucking time. Tomorrow if they like.


And I'll pay them a 10% more than I now pay the USPS for the same service.

If I paid the USPS 10% more, they'd be running a nice, fat surplus (profit), and they'd be paying better wages and benefits, prefunding all their medical and pension obligations, delivering to every address in the USA, picking up from every address in the USA, and operating 37,000 offices, six days a week.

So when is private industry going to jump on that bandwagon? There's nothing stopping them from doing it, any time they like.

I'll repeat that for you too: There's nothing stopping them from doing it, any time they like.

So what's the problem, doggie? When is UPS going to start coming to my house six days a week to see if I have a letter I want to send?

I think that's a fair question, why don't you answer?

Doggie gives his usual response "Duh?"

 

[ssd]

Yes there is Duff.

Article I, section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution grants Congress the power to establish post offices and post roads, which has been interpreted as a de facto Congressional monopoly over the delivery of mail.

Accordingly, no other system for delivering mail ? public or private ? can be established, absent Congress's consent.Congress has delegated to the Postal Service the power to decide whether others may compete with it, and the Postal Service has allowed an exception to its monopoly for extremely urgent letters only.

Do you also know that the USPS pays both FEDEX and UPS a ton of money to deliver some of their parcels?

 

[Duff Miver]

.

Accordingly, no other system for delivering mail ? public or private ? can be established,

Total nonsense. I have rec'd many envelopes from Fed Ex and UPS, delivered to my house, and I have sent many. It's the preferred method for many. and I have often used it myself for sensitive legal documents.

The ONLY prohibition is that they cannot use USPS mailboxes. I'd have to spend ten bucks to put up a UPS box, or simply remark my existing box.

Go ahead, check it out. Call Fed Ex and ask if they will deliver an envelope with letter inside to a street address. The answer is, yes, for a fee of $5-12. They'll also pick up envelopes and packages at your residence, for a fee.

When they'll agree to do it for $.75, the USPS is gone.

Now stop your nonsense about private businesses being prohibited from delivering packages or envelopes to residential and business addresses. It isn't so.

Here, read for yourself

1-1 What Are the Private Express Statutes?

The Private Express Statutes (PES) are a group of federal civil and criminal laws that, for the most part, make it unlawful for any entity other than the U.S. Postal Service? to send or carry letters over post routes for compensation unless appropriate postage is paid in an amount equaling what would have been paid had the letters been sent through the Postal Service?.

So, if UPS charges at least the first class mail rate, currently $.44, they can haul the mail.


http://about.usps.com/publications/pub542/welcome.htm
- :0003

 

[THE KOD]

Yes there is Duff.

Article I, section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution grants Congress the power to establish post offices and post roads, which has been interpreted as a de facto Congressional monopoly over the delivery of mail.

Accordingly, no other system for delivering mail ? public or private ? can be established, absent Congress's consent.Congress has delegated to the Postal Service the power to decide whether others may compete with it, and the Postal Service has allowed an exception to its monopoly for extremely urgent letters only.

].......................................................

I know there is a valid reason for this.

But what is the real reason that the goverment would not want anyone to be able to deliver to every American post box ?

I think we have to read between the lines to get the real truth .

maybe not tho :shrug:

anyone know |?

 

[THE KOD]

here is one thing I dont like about UPS


they deliver a package, knock or ring bell , then they leave it at the door and haul ass.


over the years I have had packages stolen off my door with no real recourse except well we delivered it on Dec 1.

My wife dealt with it, we ended up getting new stuff I think,

 

[The Sponge]

Really can't believe that guys who lean left are falling for this garbage and have no knowledge that in 2006 a poison pill was put in a bill making it mandatory that the post office has to fund benefits 75 years in advance. Imagine that. funding for people who haven't even started the job. No company on this planet is held to this standard. This was all about destroying one of the largest unions in America and it has everyone falling for it.

 

[The Sponge]

?The postmaster general is being entirely disingenuous about this,? Clark said.

Instead, Clark cites 2006 legislation that requires the Postal Service to pre-fund health care benefits for future retirees as the problem. Under that law, the Postal Service must acquire funds for 75 years worth of retirees? benefits over a 10-year span.

 

[THE KOD]

Really can't believe that guys who lean left are falling for this garbage and have no knowledge that in 2006 a poison pill was put in a bill making it mandatory that the post office has to fund benefits 75 years in advance. Imagine that. funding for people who haven't even started the job. No company on this planet is held to this standard. This was all about destroying one of the largest unions in America and it has everyone falling for it.

......................................................................

but it didnt work and the union at the post office is stronger than ever ?

who is really stupid in this picture then ?

how do they bust the union now ?

that is what they must want to do ?

let it go bankrupt ?

then recreate it with emergency powers ?

the trees in the forest are in the way of my understanding the scope of this problem.

 

[Jaxx]

Call UPS or Fedex and ask them to pick up a letter at your house and deliver it to mine for 44 cents.

Taxpayers subsidize the delivery of first class mail.

Business get taxpayer subsidized delivery of advertisements.

That could be eliminated, but then you'd be whining that it costs you 3 bucks to send a letter.

So, do you want cheap mail delivery, or do you want to pay the full cost?

Be careful what you wish for. You may get it.

Can't remember the last time I mailed a letter. Would not matter if it cost three dollars. Lets throw money at the problem. The government way.
:lol: