USPS what is the point?

Sandybestdog · Nov 16, 2012

I have sold over 2000 items on eBay and Amazon over the past few years. I can say without a doubt the USPS is an extremely efficient and well run organization. I think in all that time I lost one package in the mail (I didn't use a tracking number, so who knows what happened). They are without a doubt the cheapest, most convienent, and well run delivery service. With who else can you send a letter anywhere in the country for 45 cents and it gets there within a few days? Yea sure if you need to get a letter to Beijing by tomorrow moring, FedEx can do that but most people don't need that. Sometimes I used DHL for larger packages but they are now out of business. Even sending a package is better. Living on the east coast, FedEx will take up to 7-10 days to send something by ground to the west coast (remember, they don't deliver on Saturday). The post office will most likely be cheaper for priority mail and will be there in 2-3 days. Sure the customer service might not be that great, but in all this time, I've hardly ever had the need the need to talk to anybody. Plus, many post offices have that automated kiosk and you can buy postage and drop it off there 24 hours a day and not wait in line. Also, the USPS does not charge extra for residential delivery.

Those complaining are really just trying to use it as another government puching bag. You complain about people making a decent wage but how are UPS drivers any different when they can make up to $100k or more with overtime and holiday pay?

I think in the short term, it would be best to charge a minimum of $1 for a stamp. It would still be the cheapest around.

Bob111 · Nov 16, 2012

Quote from maxpi:

All these unionized public sector workers have all these massive benefits promised to them. I wonder what will happen when the inflation gets going? Will they keep insisting that we should starve all the old people on fixed incomes so they can have their sex change operations and whatnot?

my point exactly. back to programers example-in 90's,when demand is strong and supply was limited-there was some very good salaries
then-outsourcing starts,another recession,unemployment was on rise etc. so private firms scaled down. many IT people was fired and have to accept lower pay for same job or go and work in different fields. this is how it's work in PRIVATE SECTOR. accept lower pay or go some place else. there is no such word - "guaranteed" in private sector. public servant use to be a simple,boring,not creative job,where you have to accept lower pay in exchange for GUARANTEED BENEFITS,PENSION AND EARLY RETIREMENT. now partially because of the unions US got up to a point,where public employee currently earning more than private sector + collecting all above. they are not willing to accept the reality,where many people now using the internet to pay their bills.

you losing 15B? i'm not saying -let's close USPS,you can't do that.but scale the f** down. like i said above-some cuts here and there,cut future benefits,pensions,fleet,maybe cut saturday mail deliveries, but NO!!! you can't do that. well..i guess i'm asking too much..gvt job is one way ticket-only UP. regardless to reality.

trefoil- i come from a country,where back in a day plumbers,welders etc use to making same money or more as engineers,physicist,scientist or mathematician. as we all know..it didn't end well..

here,listen the old man,if you think that i'm wrong..then i guess he is wrong too..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2QtDExs6lM

imabadboy · Nov 16, 2012

Quote from Bob111:

my point exactly. back to programers example-in 90's,when
you losing 15B? i'm not saying -let's close USPS,you can't do that.but scale the f** down. like i said above-some cuts here and there,cut future benefits,pensions,fleet,maybe cut saturday mail deliveries, but NO!!! you can't do that. well..i guess i'm asking too much..gvt job is one way ticket-only UP. regardless to reality.

PO wanted to shut 3000 out of 16000 outposts. Rural lawmakers said, NO!

zdreg · Nov 16, 2012

Quote from Bob111:

my point exactly. back to programers example-in 90's,when demand is strong and supply was limited-there was some very good salaries
then-outsourcing starts,another recession,unemployment was on rise etc. so private firms scaled down. many IT people was fired and have to accept lower pay for same job or go and work in different fields. this is how it's work in PRIVATE SECTOR. accept lower pay or go some place else. there is no such word - "guaranteed" in private sector. public servant use to be a simple,boring,not creative job,where you have to accept lower pay in exchange for GUARANTEED BENEFITS,PENSION AND EARLY RETIREMENT. now partially because of the unions US got up to a point,where public employee currently earning more than private sector + collecting all above. they are not willing to accept the reality,where many people now using the internet to pay their bills.

you losing 15B? i'm not saying -let's close USPS,you can't do that.but scale the f** down. like i said above-some cuts here and there,cut future benefits,pensions,fleet,maybe cut saturday mail deliveries, but NO!!! you can't do that. well..i guess i'm asking too much..gvt job is one way ticket-only UP. regardless to reality.

trefoil- i come from a country,where back in a day plumbers,welders etc use to making same money or more as engineers,physicist,scientist or mathematician. as we all know..it didn't end well..

here,listen the old man,if you think that i'm wrong..then i guess he is wrong too..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2QtDExs6lM

their pensions are adjusted for inflation. the US will have argentina type inflation as the gov't prints money to pay off the federal pensioners. then as the states go broke they will print money to pay the salaries and pensions of state govt workers. the private sectors always pays.

http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=204524&highlight=argentina+zdreg
http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=249703&highlight=argentina

oldtime · Nov 16, 2012

Quote from zdreg:

their pensions are adjusted for inflation. the US will have argentina type inflation as the gov't prints money to pay off the pensioners.

how poor do you want a mailman to be? How does it help me if he is so poor he can't buy a pizza on Friday night?

How does it hurt me if he buys a nicer car than I can afford?

I'm not that worried about the mailman, or how you spend the money you confiscate from me each quarter, but I am and have been for a long while worried about how much you confiscate.

They call it the TEA Party (taxed enough already)

It doesn't mean that much to me anymore, but when I was trying to raise kids, every dollar counted. Who is it going to go to, you or me?

so, to reiterate, I have no problem with mailmen being able to raise children and send them to school. I have a problem when there are too many mailmen, and they want more money from me to pay for it.

I'm pretty sure I am already paying enough.

Like the man said, "Just take away my medicare. It would be better if I just died, than to bankrupt all my children."

Pekelo · Nov 16, 2012

Quote from imabadboy:

PO wanted to shut 3000 out of 16000 outposts. Rural lawmakers said, NO!

Exactly. It is Congress that doesn't allow the cost cuttings:

"Not a single bill has come to the House floor aimed at reforming a Postal Service, which is bleeding billions of dollars because of Congressional mandates.

The Postal Service has attempted to enact an array of cost-cutting measures to pull itself out of a $22.5 billion budget shortfall. Over the past five years USPS has cut more than 110,000 employees. The mail service, which takes no taxpayer money but is regulated by Congress, has announced plans to close or consolidate 230 mail processing centers, cutting 13,000 jobs and saving an estimated $1.2 billion annually.

The service attempted to close 3,700 post offices under a plan announced last year, but after public outcry decided to cut operating hours to between two and six hours per day at 13,000 locations. USPS claims that move will save $500 million per year."

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politic...o-name-post-offices-zero-to-fix-mail-service/

oldtime · Nov 16, 2012

Quote from Pekelo:

Exactly. It is Congress that doesn't allow the cost cuttings:

"Not a single bill has come to the House floor aimed at reforming a Postal Service, which is bleeding billions of dollars because of Congressional mandates.

The Postal Service has attempted to enact an array of cost-cutting measures to pull itself out of a $22.5 billion budget shortfall. Over the past five years USPS has cut more than 110,000 employees. The mail service, which takes no taxpayer money but is regulated by Congress, has announced plans to close or consolidate 230 mail processing centers, cutting 13,000 jobs and saving an estimated $1.2 billion annually.

The service attempted to close 3,700 post offices under a plan announced last year, but after public outcry decided to cut operating hours to between two and six hours per day at 13,000 locations. USPS claims that move will save $500 million per year."

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politic...o-name-post-offices-zero-to-fix-mail-service/

it really is quite disheartening. The government can't even pick up a letter here and deliver it there without creating some kind of financial disaster.

zdreg · Nov 16, 2012

Quote from oldtime:

how poor do you want a mailman to be? How does it help me if he is so poor he can't buy a pizza on Friday night?

How does it hurt me if he buys a nicer car than I can afford?

I'm not that worried about the mailman, or how you spend the money you confiscate from me each quarter, but I am and have been for a long while worried about how much you confiscate.

They call it the TEA Party (taxed enough already)

It doesn't mean that much to me anymore, but when I was trying to raise kids, every dollar counted. Who is it going to go to, you or me?

so, to reiterate, I have no problem with mailmen being able to raise children and send them to school. I have a problem when there are too many mailmen, and they want more money from me to pay for it.

I'm pretty sure I am already paying enough.

Like the man said, "Just take away my medicare. It would be better if I just died, than to bankrupt all my children."

"how poor do you want a mailman to be? How does it help me if he is so poor he can't buy a pizza on Friday night?"

in many small towns in america, the postman is in the top 20% percentile in salary and benefits.
this is not a highly skilled job.

trefoil · Nov 16, 2012

Quote from oldtime:

yes, but what I'm saying about cutting is, it doesn't really matter what program you are talking about, it's only a small part of the budget.

So what we all say is, "Don't cut that, it won't help that much."

What if we just started cutting small amounts everyday, just the way we got here?

A 100 million from foreign aid

3 million from the Department of Energy

Laugh if you want when we are 16 trillion in debt and 200 trillion unfunded

Not sure Harvard has this deal figured out

Maybe they should just let me start cutting. It wouldn't be that severe. A million here, a hundred million there.

Or do you just want to go that Modern Monetary Theory route?

I can get you out of this mess, and it won't cost you a dollar. As a matter of fact, when it's all said and done, a dollar will still buy you something.

The USPS doesn't cost you anything in taxes. Nothing from nothing = nothing.
Admittedly, if Congress bailed out the pension fund, it'd cost you. But not yet.
My point is, and apparently this is going right over everyone's head: the Founders tried to specifically limit the money going to fund the army, because they didn't want a permanent standing army. They did no such thing in relation to the Post Office. They considered it a necessary part of a functioning government.
But the one they tried to limit costs billions, and the other they didn't costs nothing. But everyone gets upset about the Post Office.
Makes zero sense.

toc · Nov 16, 2012

Guess Mitt Romney should be given the Turnaround job for the USPS.

Even if the number of Post Offices are shut down, days reduced along with hours of operations, the general public will get used to the "austerity" measures and more so if their basic stamp duties are not raised.

It is just like paying for shopping bags at the grocery supermarkets at 5 cents a piece. Some folks bring along the old one's, some have clothing bag bought for repeated use and others simply pick a discarded cardboard box and get going.

P.O closing two hours early twice a week and opening an hour late and not opening at all on weekends will not turn the public convenience upside down.