12/28: Why postal services are important
Moderated by Rick Badie
From Atlanta to South Georgia, post offices may be closed as the U.S. Postal Service tries to reduce costs and turn a profit.
Today, a New York University professor explains the importance of postal services.
I interview residents in the rural town of Perkins about the potential loss of a community anchor.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
74 comments Add your comment
janet
December 28th, 2011
11:36 am
What no mail? Regular, reliable mail delivery is one indicator of a civilized society with an infrastructure that works for everyone. Try getting in your car, turning the engine one and driving out of your driveway…you just spent more than 47cents and that is the cost to get a letter from Atlanta to anywhere in the USA…this is a deal.
If you don’t want to use the USPS…then don’t. Pay Fed Ex and UPS the cost to send a letter. If you prefer email, edocs, ebills, e anything….good for you. But remember, when your loved one is gone and the only thing you have left is nothing – no cards, no love letters, no nothing, you can try to remember if it is in an efile somewhere.
Nothing beats the thrill of opening an envelope to find a handwritten note from someone who cared enought to take the time to write and mail a letter or card. Handwriting connects us as human beings.
As I recall one of the goals when we invaded Iraq was to give them zip codes and a reliable mail service….so what’s good for Iraq isn’t good enough for the citizens of the US. Try telling that to the 4500 men and women who died in Iraq.
As for the USPS being a dumping ground for ex- military, perhaps for a few but not the majority. To those who say that, you probably have a yellow ribbon sticker on your bumper…you are patriots “lite”.
People who complain about the USPS seem to complain about most everything until it makes their life inconvenient. Then they complain about that.
shaggy
December 28th, 2011
11:35 am
One more time. The USPS operates on revenue,(which have declined due to the economy and new ways to manage documents) not taxes.
Fix the unsustainable pension, and the postal service becomes MUCH more profitable.
Fred
December 28th, 2011
11:31 am
I sure would miss all that junk mail. lol
This has cost taxpayers for too long. Close it, already. You want savings…close/cut back useless organizations.
jAMES
December 28th, 2011
11:30 am
Leaner and meaner not lame and lost
BS
December 28th, 2011
11:30 am
It’s an unnecessary drain on the Federal Budget. Businesses would use private carriers or email to do business. I wouldn’t miss the junk mail for a second and I pay bills online anyway.
Brint
December 28th, 2011
11:29 am
Basic economics says the less providers of a service or product in the market, the higher the price. With FedEx and UPS they don’t offer very competitive rates for single letter delivery. Dispite all the high tech and electronic based bill-pay, the USPS still offers competitive rates, but they are burdened by all the red tap Congress straps it with and paying 10 years ahead into a pension fund that must be changed. Yes, most of those who would sourly miss the regular mail man are the older generation, that’s watched the local MM deliver day in and day out for their entire life. If and when the USPS have to hang it up, I will hate to see them go.
No artificial flavors
December 28th, 2011
11:28 am
I love all of the lines about monopolies and thieves espoused by so many of you false-libertarians. When the “free market competitors” are forced to carry individual mailings at 44 cents each or less and can then turn a major profit, I’ll listen to you then. I personnally sent a letter by fed ex instead of USPS to see what the difference was. Well, it was a day later and 4 dollars more expensive.
The USPS does need some reforms. However, it was never set up to make a profit but to keep this country’s civil and business affairs running and I think they have done well given the the Congressional constraints they are operating under.
blackland
December 28th, 2011
11:28 am
I receive and pay bills electronically, communicate via email and text and ship packages with UPS and Fedex. The only thing I receive in the mail is junk, and I won’t miss this…
Kay
December 28th, 2011
11:20 am
Your headline question, “Would you miss not getting mail?”, makes no sense. You would only miss NOT getting mail if you started getting mail and didn’t want to get mail! Do you mean, “Would you miss GETTING mail?”??
ts
December 28th, 2011
11:18 am
Like one poster said “post offices and libraries are a waste of tax payer money” and this is SO true!!!
The only people who would miss getting mail is OLD PEOPLE with nothing to do but sit at home and watch for the mail man. With ebills becoming the norm there is no need for a post office anymore, we have FedEx and UPS for packages!