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
SAWB
December 27th, 2011
7:21 pm
It would be interesting to compare the average pay and benefits package of Postal Workers to those in the private sector. I hate to see Post Offices closed, but they have to reduce cost and it appears that is the only option. However, if reducing pay, benefits or outsourcing are valid options they too should be considered along with site closures.
Michael H. Smith
December 27th, 2011
7:35 pm
FED EX and UPS can provide those same important postal services and I’ll bet they can do a better job providing those important postal services at less total cost to we their customers.
zeke
December 27th, 2011
7:42 pm
The US Postal service has provided our country with unparalleled access and service since the PONY EXPRESS! In the last 50 years it has been ravaged by unions, hiring retired military, forced to hire more and more minorities and unable to fire any of them! The Post Office is still the best thing we have for mail, advertising, paying bills! Online services have cut deep into the revenue, but, NONE OF THEM ARE SECURE!! Remove the unions, fire non performing employees, set the cost of mailing at a level reasonably assuring at least break even operations, but, not high enough to drive away customers!!
Liz
December 27th, 2011
8:58 pm
Wow, my local post office ALWAYS has a huge line, no matter which time of day I choose to go. If they were a private business, they would hire more people!!! It has gotten so bad, I will drive miles further, to go a less busy location to save myself from long wait lines. We have terrific delivery service at home. They (USPS) are loads better than FEDEX, and nearly as good as UPS, for quality of service.
Hillbilly D
December 27th, 2011
9:30 pm
My local post office does a fine job and I actually have received better service from them, than from UPS or FedEx.
Rob Shields
December 27th, 2011
10:49 pm
Everyone knows that businesses cut back on the work force to and put more work on the workers not laid off. Look at us the US how they over work our workers with low wages and won’t hire more workers to offset the work load.
Free Market
December 28th, 2011
2:22 am
Postal services are critical, and that’s why the last people we should entrust them to is the federal government. UPS, FedEx, DHL, and others currently attempt to compete in the parcel business and do so quite successfully despite being unable to participate in the enormous first class monopoly that the USPS enjoys. If the monopoly was eliminated and anyone who was capable was allowed to participate in delivering first class mail, you would see prices drop for every postal service and quality and service go up. There might be folks who just deliver local mail for super cheap while some longer distance services might cost a bit more. Bottom line is that there is no way to know what creative options the free market might deliver, but it is ignorant to bash the potential future by citing the issues people have today with FedEx and UPS.
It is also completely unamerican and ignorant to say that we need to keep the failing USPS simply because they have always delivered the mail. Thank goodness the government didn’t run the horse-drawn carriage business or we might never have benefitted from cars as the benefactors of government largesse fought tooth and nail to protect their transportation monopoly.
Times are changing and the time for the USPS has come and gone. There is no point in praising them without acknowledging that we have no idea how much better it might have been with a truly free market instead.
Education, mail delivery, health care, security – these are all SO important to us and yet we continue to give the government the monopoly to provide these services and they do such a horrible job year after year and yet they are defended from any change. When are we going to realize that the free market that delivers so much else to us in such a great fashion for such a low cost can provide everything we need if we will only get government out of the way.
And before you criticize my comments, please be sure your examples of “free market” failures are actually representative of the free market (hint- we don’t have one). Corporatism, protectionism, bailouts, the federal reserve, interest rate manipulation, printing money out of thin air, tax benefits, subsidies, etc. are all NOT part of the free market. They are all examples of the violence of the state being used to benefit some at the expense of others.
David Hoffman
December 28th, 2011
3:44 am
The USPS is mandated by the USA Constitution, It was never intended to be a profitable operation. It was regarded by the creators of the USA Constitution to be that important. It is intended as a means to provide economical transport for printed/physical information that citizens decide they need to analyze to stay involved and informed in civic affairs. Senators and Representatives demanding a profitable USPS are violating the intention of the creators of the USA Constitution. Immediate removal from office for that violation is called for.
blue# 2
December 28th, 2011
7:31 am
Those of you who are saying FedEx & UPS can do a better job than the Post Office don’t know what you are talking about…..FedEx & UPS also needs the Post Office to survive. I worked for the Post Office & most of the parcels that I worked with were from FedEx & UPS. They don’t deliver everywhere like the Post Office. How many times have u heard a FedEx or UPS executive complain about the Post Office monopoly…NEVER
Cutty
December 28th, 2011
8:41 am
For those speaking negatively about the USPS, try sending a letter across country with FedEx or UPS for $.44.
Cutty
December 28th, 2011
8:45 am
Free Market, there is no such thing as a ‘free market’. If you believe there is, please site one example where a company turned down any tax credits, rebates, or what have you in order to compete in a market you espouse. Companies move to locales where they can get the best tax breaks (see FedEx to Memphis or UPS in Atlanta). The USPS is the best thing going for its infrastructure and cost.
Grob Hahn
December 28th, 2011
9:28 am
Post offices and libraries are wastes of taxpayer money. It’s time to pull in to the 21st century.
Grobbbbbbbb
zeke
December 28th, 2011
9:32 am
FEDEX-UPS?? You want to pay $7 to $10 to have a letter delivered???
Michael H. Smith
December 28th, 2011
10:47 am
Good riddance USPS.
Out of Town
December 28th, 2011
11:07 am
Turn it off.
TC
December 28th, 2011
11:09 am
I would miss not receiving mail. I keeps the junk emails at bay.
GovRun
December 28th, 2011
11:09 am
I look forward to the mail. Although USPS is a government run operation and like every government run operation it is slow and not profitable. Sell it to the private sector and someone will run a great company. On the other hand if the person who starts it becomes rich, some liberal will say “Share your money with those who have less”. Ok , so its not worth it never mind.
jbar
December 28th, 2011
11:12 am
what if the Post Office only delivered mail 3 times a week. Monday, Thursday and Saturday would be more than sufficient for delivery/pickup and would cut the expenses of mail delivery in half. Think about that for all of the Post Offices around the country…
shaggy
December 28th, 2011
11:14 am
Grob Hahn
So, you didn’t know that the USPS operates on their revenue, not taxes.
What makes the USPS fail is the unsustainable pension payments, benefits that far exceed the private sector…yeah that’s right, the union, supported by Congress.
For many years, the USPS was the dumping ground for ex-military that hadn’t really gained skills while in the service. They had no marketable skills when the got out, so the postal service was their final destination. The problem was that the postal service, because Congress mandated, gave these marginal workers better benefits than when they were active duty.
Unsustainable, especially once the market changed…the postal union cries murder for any reasonable change…just like the auto workers union.
Ben
December 28th, 2011
11:15 am
End the illegal monopoly/theft ring the Post Office has set up with my mailbox! I paid for it, I put it up, and now it’s government property to the point where other companies can’t deliver goods to it even if I personally authorize them? Is the Post Office going to pay for a new mailbox when some kid hits mine with a baseball bat? No! So why is it considered their property?
The ONLY reason the Post Office is still in existence is this massive theft of property. If I could give UPS permission to put packages in my mailbox, UPS would wipe the floor with the USPS in no time.
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!
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?”??
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…
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.
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.
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.
jAMES
December 28th, 2011
11:30 am
Leaner and meaner not lame and lost
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.
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.
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
11:37 am
Oh, and someone is “paying” to send you that junk advertising. The crappy economy has impacted that advertising revenue.
joe
December 28th, 2011
11:43 am
I need my mail but can survive w/ every other day and no weekends.
gnomeboy
December 28th, 2011
11:44 am
Reduce mail delivery to four days a week; most old farts are required to have their guvment money directly deposited anyway
itsme
December 28th, 2011
11:50 am
Absolutely agree with Joe. Keep economically-priced mail. Deliver every other day, no weekends.
Chris
December 28th, 2011
11:55 am
Congress is the reason that the Postal Service is in the bind it’s in. The Post Office Operates fine. The problem is instead of being able to find its pension a little at a time which makes sense and like most people do, congress in its infinite wisdom says the post office has to make ONE fully funded payment to it of BILLlONS. If congress would change the bill where the post office could find it in installments there wouldn’t be any issues at all. This is just another problem cause by the stupidity of Washington. They’re not going to tell you the whole story but majesty it look like someone else’s problem. They know Americans won’t research it either but believe what they’re told. Typhus is a congress problem not a USPS caused problem.
Tex
December 28th, 2011
11:55 am
No. This is another example of a jobs program for the under achievers gone wrong. In years past this was a position of honor. Like everything else in the country tied to the government in any way shape or form it’s a total disaster. Most of these people could not get hired sorting nuts and bolts yet they get benefits and good pay.
The service is joke and they should be shut down immediately. Its time to get rid of the non producers and non productive in this country.
Jack
December 28th, 2011
11:56 am
I only use the postal service when I abslutely have to. One of the main reasons I use on-line services is because of the rudeness of postal workers.
David
December 28th, 2011
11:59 am
I have a PO box and go to it once-a-week. No problem. Everything important, I do online.
Ashley
December 28th, 2011
12:01 pm
Nope, not really interested in keeping the mail. Sucks that all those jobs would be lost.. Maybe the private sector would pick up a bit more and hire them.
Kathy
December 28th, 2011
12:04 pm
When post office workers became unionized, this outcome could have been predicted then. Unions will ruin any business with their over the top demands for benefits.
So – here you are, folks, – the equivalent of what’s happened in the auto business, California government workers – indeed, employees everywhere who are unionized.
Joe Schmoe
December 28th, 2011
12:04 pm
Wouldnt miss it at all. Like land lines, old monopolized USPS is going to the way side. Who needs all the junk mail anyways?
crackbaby
December 28th, 2011
12:05 pm
Nobody (or perhaps almost nobody) is talking about eliminating mail service. Mail delivery is still essential but the postal service is a giant, wasteful behemoth. That professor is completely wrong when he says eliminating jobs won’t help the economy. In the long run, eliminating waste will help everyone by improving performance and reducing costs.
The article says there are 32,000 post offices. 32,000! Are you freaking kidding me! I don’t see anything wrong with postal counters at Wal-marts, etc.
Why don’t they charge more for “junk mail”? The amount of pollution caused by shipping billions of tons of unwanted material that ends up in landfills is staggering.
Mr. Phil
December 28th, 2011
12:07 pm
I don’t think people are realizing the legal ramifications of this problem. Several laws in Georgia and other states require the use of certified mail for certain correspondences. I work closely with a finance company. By law debtors have to be notified by certified mail when cars are repo’ed and put up for sale. If not, then by law the finance company CAN NOT collect any debts owed. No post office means a financial impact for lending institutions and thus a further freeze on lending. This financial impact will hurt the car industry and every American seeking credit.
Mind you, this is just one example. There are dozens of laws on the books in Georgia which are dependant on the existence of a US postal service.
The Jay
December 28th, 2011
12:09 pm
@Tex, Yes, most postal workers are slack, useless, and pretty darn stupid. However, could you explain “Its time to get rid of the non producers and non productive in this country.”
Where would they go? Where do you intend to ship them? What other groups do you assign this too?
Ya’ see Tex, the problem with the group think you subscribe to is the whole ‘consequences’ thing. Yes, I realize your tiny brain can’t think that far ahead. So let’s play out a scenario you may understand, okay?
Lets say we get rid of the postal folks in one large jetison of employees. Hmm, more unemployment (more tax money thrown away). And when the unemployment runs out, some of these people will turn to crime. (more tax money on enforcement and prisons). Some will attempt and fail at business (failed business loans impact interest rates). It’s the big picture Tex. Does you tiny brain get it?
The post office uses no tax money. Let them run their business how they’d like. I’d rather see an idiot deliver my junk mail than to have tax money support there non working rear end.
Walter
December 28th, 2011
12:19 pm
I’m ok with the Postal Service stopping Saturday Delivery and just running deliveries 5 days per week. But we can’t afford to let it go completely because it’s an essential lifeline for so many residents and businesses alike. It’s going to be a shame if rural locations lose their post offices and have to drive quite far just to receive mail.
UPS / FedEx and other delivery companies do not deliver letters, they deliver packages. How many checks alone are mailed each week that the Postal Service handles. I think the Federal Government has to allow the Postal Service to expand their services outside of just postal delivery like other countries do.
Susan
December 28th, 2011
12:22 pm
wouldn’t miss it because I can’t even get my own mail. I get mail that does not belong to me. The people that deliveries it must not be able to read since I get mail that does not belong to me
shaggy
December 28th, 2011
12:23 pm
Fix the pension that is better than military retiree benefits, union bosses taking their pay like CEOs, and the Congress reelection voting block orgy, and the postal service instantly becomes very profitable.
Really?
December 28th, 2011
12:29 pm
@The Jay
Really? You call people stupid and you can’t spell damn correctly? Really?
Pay it forward
December 28th, 2011
12:32 pm
Want to know why residential comes first and commercial mail you have to have a person stay after 5pm to accept your mail. The goverment messes up every thing they touch. Cant wait for the healthcare to start. Millions of people added but no doctors added to accept these people. Waiting for up to a year for a appt to a specialist when most would be dead before they get seen. Thats the point though. It saves money that way if you die why you wait.
drmondo
December 28th, 2011
12:33 pm
When they privatize the mail, do you think areas other than the big cities will get their mail in a timely manner? The private companies will focus on Atlanta, Savannah, etc because that’s where the money is. Those who live in a rural area might be lucky to get their mail twice a month. If they want to cut waste and streamline the service, start with management. Being a former postal worker, I can’t tell you how many supervisors regularly cost the Post Office money. If they couldn’t figure out a holiday schedule correctly, they’d just mandate everyone to work…at overtime rates while having employees sit with little to do. 3 guys in charge of a shift? Can’t one competent one do the job? People laugh when I tell them about supervisors I had that couldn’t read. It wasn’t a joke. It was upper management that made the decision back in the 90’s to farm out the packages to an independent company (while keeping it quiet) who regularly failed to deliver on time. One Christmas we had 6 tractor trailers full of mail dropped off at the GMF at 2 AM that they had missed their delivery time on. The public only saw that the USPS wasn’t doing the job and turned to the UPS’s, Fedex’s, DHL’s that popped up. If you’re going to cut waste, start at the top.
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.
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.
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
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…
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.
CAT
December 28th, 2011
12:56 pm
@ The Jay you beat me to it… LOL Really works for the Post Office….
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.
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.
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!
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.
Hot-Shot Neal Boortz Listener
December 28th, 2011
1:04 pm
Why would I mail when I can use my own personal fax machine? I paid cash for it.
Sister of US Miliary Veteran
December 28th, 2011
1:04 pm
@ ts
December 28th, 2011
11:18 am
Unless you die young, you are going to be old someday too. Hope you enjoy it with all your electronic toys to keep you company.
@Shaggy, re. dumping ground for ex military. My brother is retired from the USPS. Yep, he was a Vietnam Vet. Had to pass the civil service test just like everyone else applying for a “government” job, and got a whopping five points added to his score for his service in a war zone. He was a proud member of the Postal Union. Always spoke to the elderly on his routes and checked on them. And he saved a man’s life who had gone into a coma (diabetic) by having the decency to stop and check on him because his car was not parked in its’ usual place and the man was sitting in it. He got a lot of thanks from friends and family for that. Oh, and I almost forgot, my “marginal” brother owned and operated (still does) a very successful antiques business while still employed with the USPS. He retired in good standing. So all you folks who want to whine about ex-military being given any type of advantage… Go fight your own wars for a change.
deegee
December 28th, 2011
1:20 pm
I don’t know why the USPS continues to deliver on Saturday. That’s not necessary, but the USPS is absolutely necessary. If you could see some of the poorly addressed letters that the USPS delivers you would be amazed. Neither FedEx nor UPS would bother with them, certainly not for $.44.
LOL
December 28th, 2011
1:22 pm
Fix the unsustainable pension, and the postal service becomes MUCH more profitable.
Going Postal
December 28th, 2011
1:27 pm
Dear Hot Shot: Can I fax or email some of my junk mail to you? I used credit from China to keep it.
Darvoset spending
December 28th, 2011
2:28 pm
LOL
December 28th, 2011
1:22 pm
Fix the unsustainable pension, and the postal service becomes MUCH more profitable.
This is standard issue reactionary conservatism: everyone’s benefits should be slashed–unless you’re talking about *mine*, of course!
John Q Taxpayer
December 28th, 2011
2:51 pm
I’ve got to get rid of millions of government employees, my payroll is too dang big!
Hillbilly D
December 28th, 2011
6:33 pm
Some here have talked about pension money having to be set aside now for future retirees. True that may be a hindrance, short term. One might also think of the number of private sector pensions that have been cut because promised benefits were never funded and the money isn’t there now. Which is worse?
The private companies will focus on Atlanta, Savannah, etc because that’s where the money is. Those who live in a rural area might be lucky to get their mail twice a month.
Hell, us members of the Great Unwashed that live outside cities and suburbs, we don’t matter anyway.
John
December 29th, 2011
2:23 am
Read most of the comments. Most people have an ax to grinf for one side of the other. But, step back for a minute and discuss the facts in the case. The town cannot support a business district. The people are not starving so they must be driving the 8 miles to buy groceries at least once a week. And they seem to be able to do that on limited budgets.
Closing the Post Office will NOT stop the mail delivery. This country developed Rural Free Delivery (remember the RFD code?) to ensure places other than big cities got their mail. The smaller post offices are no longer cost effective.
As an aside, the prepayment of retirement plans is a requirement for all private sector plans. The government is the only business that depends on future taxpayers to pay pension benefits. That is why cities and counties across this nation are going belly up.
Regards
Oscar Meyer
December 29th, 2011
6:34 am
Nice ax you’ve got there John, pretty good grinding job you did on the blade, left the edge real sharp and it made a clean cut when you went to chopping up all the useless government dead wood that has been heaped in a rotting pile for years.
Wished I’d of known you were coming this way, I’d had hot dogs, mustard, dill relish, buns and some marshmallows ready.
Oh well, maybe next time when we toss another dead wood government department or agency on the old camp fire.
John
December 29th, 2011
8:30 am
Gee, Oscar. You really cut me there. Hoo, boy.
Now, answer the question. Does the Post Office REALLY need two facilities within 8 miles?
If they can’t close any facilities, how will they survive?
Regards
Alejandrisha
December 29th, 2011
11:41 am
We need Saturday mail delivery because the U.S. is no longer a 5-workday a week nation. The weekend is now business as usual. In fact a case could be made for Sunday mail service.
This push for total reliance on the internet concerns me because the net still isn’t all that dependable. Any number of things can go wrong to shut down your internet access – computer failure, problem with ISP, problem with phone line, hackers, viruses etc. – but good ole snail mail is nearly 100% reliable.
Oscar Meyer
December 29th, 2011
12:06 pm
No John, you read me totally wrong I do believe. I cannot see any need remaining that could possibly justify the least amount of government involvement in delivering to what is left of the snail-mail market. The USPS should die a very speedy death (like many other government department and agency should die a quick death which can’t justify the expense or need to exist) and all the government employees laid-off. The private sector can take over snail mail delivery now that postal roads have been firmly established in compliance with article one section eight of the U.S. Constitution.
Your idea of RFD or mail delivered to say a general store type facility with a private sector mail handler under government contract only being the only difference from the way it was done before in many rural areas of this country is a very good suggestion.
So with equally respectful regards my friend, I’d honestly say, none of the present USPS facilities as we now know them should survive. However the government should continue to collect revenue by means of collecting a percentage of postage charged by the private sector contractors government chooses to act as our mail agents.
I sincerely hope you a great day.
Darrell
December 30th, 2011
7:59 pm
The postal service has NO problem paying its retirement funds. It has been saddled with a requirement to prepay retiree HEALTH CARE for 75 years. This must be accomplished in the 10 year period that began in 2006. This required an additional payment of 5.5 BILLION dollars per year for 10 years. No other company or government agency has ever had to prefund HEALTH CARE for people that have not been born. If not for this requirement for the past 5 years, the USPS would have shown a net profit.
When the postal service recognized the unions in the 1970’s, the retirement pensions were refigured. The problem was that the USPS was charged more for retirement pensions then the other government agencies. This has resulted in a surplus in the postal workers retirement fund run by the budget office. There is more then 55 BILLION dollars in the retirement fund that the USPS was overcharged. The USPS has requested some of these funds to help with operational shortfalls caused by the poor economy.
The USPS can not raise rates without the concent of postal regulatory commission. When the price of gas went from $1.75 a ga. to more then $3 a gal., Fedex and UPS were charging surcharges on all deliveries. This was to cover the cost of fuel. The USPS could not charge surcharges or raise rates but was still paying the increased cost. This is the real reason the USPS will never run like a for profit company. The for profit companies do not want the competition.