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.
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74 comments Add your comment
Cammi317
December 28th, 2011
12:58 pm
I could care less about the mail. I check my mailbox maybe once every ten days, except for when I am expecting Netflix DVD’s. My office probably sends out 1/3 of the mail that it used to send out. We e-mail a lot these days to cut down on postage costs. All of my household bills are accessible by internet. I do understand how this might be difficult for people without internet access.
Martin
December 28th, 2011
12:58 pm
It’s a great ideal, most of the delivery personnel in Atlanta are rude and nasty…Stop living in the 90″s…move on!
Corey
December 28th, 2011
12:56 pm
Think for a minute. We always cry about the lousy service we receive from government. Called Comcast lately? What about Delta’s ontime arrival rate or their baggage fees replete with peanuts and a coke? Had a brush with ATT&T lately? Fedex threw my package up onto my neighbor’s balcony. UPS knocked on the door once, and before I could open it the driver was speeding away after having left a little sticky thing on my door that said final attempt. Visited your local McDonald’s in the hood lately? Ever stood at the hot foods counter at Kroger waiting for a clerk to stop talking to co-workers long enough to dare say may I help you? We all have this I Dred the Government Gene, but we want the government to fix the lousy customer service we receive from the private sector via MORE GOVERNMENT REGULATION. Go figure.
Reality Check
December 28th, 2011
12:56 pm
The USPS is like the printed newspaper – it had it’s day and now becoming obsolete. Just like the paper, the elderly rely on it, but as they pass, so will the USPS. Every day companies (and banks) are requiring you switch to email for bills & statements – some even pay you to do it (as it’s highly profitable for them to get you to switch). Delivered in minutes, not days.
Over 80% of my mail delivery is pure junk, which is presorted and sent at a discount, and ends up in the recycle box.
Other than my car tag and 30 Christmas cards, I did not send one single item through the USPS last year. I will not miss Saturday delivery, and for that matter, they could deliver every other day and it would not harm me.
CAT
December 28th, 2011
12:56 pm
@ The Jay you beat me to it… LOL Really works for the Post Office….
Kino
December 28th, 2011
12:55 pm
Actually, my parents still rely heavily on the mail, particularly since they’re senior citizens. Neither one drives well so the “give everyone a P.O. Box” option won’t work for them. Since I believe it’s safe to assume my folks aren’t the only people who fall into this category I’m not okay with discontinuing postal service.
Sunny
December 28th, 2011
12:54 pm
It would impact me greatly since I currently work for an antiquated company that still mails our paychecks! There is no option for direct deposit. It’s bad enough that my postman doesn’t come until after 6pm…
Chris
December 28th, 2011
12:45 pm
stop delivery to homes and give everyone a PO Box instead and cut out weekend delivery and that would be just fine for everyone
Truth Squad
December 28th, 2011
12:43 pm
People seem to forget that the Postal Service is profitable! If Congress would stop with it’s silly regulation to “prepay” benefits to people who haven’t retired yet, they would not be in this situation.
The truth is that the Republicans want to bust the postal union. It’s funny how people get on here and talk about these workers as if they were trash, but the U.SP.S. is among the most reliable government services we have and it is independently funded and profitable!
Republicans talk about the need to undo costly and unnecessary regulation, well, this is just another example of their hypocrisy. I think we are entering a time when citizens are recognizing that quality of life diminishes for the Middle Class in a low-wage economy. Make no mistake, it is the Job-Doer’s that make this country’s exceptional, not the tippy-top of the rich and well-connected.
A giant political correction is coming and the Republicans are on the wrong end of that correction.
The Jay
December 28th, 2011
12:35 pm
@Really Look closely you damn fool, the word I use in my first post is DARN. d.a.r.n. ; darn looks like dam but not the damn you are thinking of. And yes, I ended a sentence with a preposition. Go tackle bigger fish you sad attempt at a grammar nazi.