Abolish the Postal Service

[LiberalAvenger]

:rantonostal worker have an attitude problem. There is too much featherbedding going on in the postal work force.

The post office near me does not even open until 10:00 AM. They don't even have a ****ing stamp machine in the lobby. They only take cash when a customer wants to buy stamps and they act like they are doing you a favor. I hate them.

I realize we need a constitutional amendment to rid ourselves of this out of date money eating monster. We could save billions by turning it over to private enterprise.

Thank you very much..:rantoff:

 

[Cephus]

What money eating monster? The USPS is the only governmental office that is 100% self-sufficient, it doesn't take a penny of tax-money, it pays completely for itself.

Don't like it? Don't use it.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

Well - not using it is why it's becoming more costly for those of us who do use it.

Hrmph.

 

[MaggieD]

Further, if the post office can save us all money by not delivering mail on Saturday, then that's what they should do. Self-sufficient is a wonderful thing when talking about a government program, although I do have to wonder if pension benefits figure into the mix. But, hey -- why not a profit??

I'm talkin' Utopia here!

 

[jujuman13]

What money eating monster? The USPS is the only governmental office that is 100% self-sufficient, it doesn't take a penny of tax-money, it pays completely for itself.

Don't like it? Don't use it.

This is likely the reason that the USPS actually loses money each year.
Now saying that it is 100% self-sufficient is somewhat disengenuous as any losses have to be made up somehow.
The USPS does NOT have a reserve fund into which it can dip in order to pay off it's losses, so try asking yourself, from where does it fund it's losses.
The answer might surprise you!

 

[jamesrage]

I do not think the postal service should be abolished.Maybe mirroring pay and benefits of private companies could be done to make it less costly.

The only time I ever had horrible mail service was when I was stationed in Fort Hood.In Basic training in Fort Benning the mail service was pretty good but at Fort Hood a 2 day air mail express package would take a 2-3 weeks, mail that would normally take a week would take 2-3 weeks. I do not know if that was POGs(acronym for persons other than grunts, pronounced pōg, which is defined as civilians in military uniforms in other words non-combat soldiers.If you are a infantry soldier then everyone in the military who is not a infantry soldier is a POG) being lazy or if mail went through every level on post from the corp level all the way down to the company level before finally getting to me or a combination of the two.

 

[MaggieD]

@ Jujuman -- Do you have a link verifying they lose money every year? Here's what I found --

Taxpayers covered 23.3% of postal costs in 1971. A subsidy of that level in 2007 would have been approximately $16.9 billion. But direct subsidies to the USPS were phased out between 1972 and 1982. Today the USPS is funded entirely by revenues from postage.

USPS performance: self-sufficient

 

[fredmertz]

To me, it's not a matter of whether or not it is sustainable. But whether or not the government has the authority to create such a system. If they do, they take that away from the private sector. Another industry the government controls instead of a for-profit organization benefiting more citizens of the US. I believe it should be abolished only for the reason that it should have never existed.

 

[liblady]

:rantonostal worker have an attitude problem. There is too much featherbedding going on in the postal work force.

The post office near me does not even open until 10:00 AM. They don't even have a ****ing stamp machine in the lobby. They only take cash when a customer wants to buy stamps and they act like they are doing you a favor. I hate them.

I realize we need a constitutional amendment to rid ourselves of this out of date money eating monster. We could save billions by turning it over to private enterprise.

Thank you very much..:rantoff:

mailing a letter is the best deal around. the post office is self supprting, and i think you're nuts ;_) if you believe private enterprise could do better. seriously, the post office is one thing gov't does well.

 

[LiberalAvenger]

mailing a letter is the best deal around. the post office is self supprting, and i think you're nuts ;_) if you believe private enterprise could do better. seriously, the post office is one thing gov't does well.

Well, I am a little crazy.:screwy

 

[rathi]

To me, it's not a matter of whether or not it is sustainable. But whether or not the government has the authority to create such a system. If they do, they take that away from the private sector. Another industry the government controls instead of a for-profit organization benefiting more citizens of the US. I believe it should be abolished only for the reason that it should have never existed.

Trying actually reading the constitution next time. Establishing the post office is one of the governmental powers specifically mentioned under article 1. Official mail is the backbone of our financial and judicial system. It needs to be available in every location in the nation, regardless of the profitability of the route. Private enterprise is centered on profit, and in the days of the internet the mail system is going to be increasingly less profitable while still maintaining vital functions.

 

[liblady]

Well, I am a little crazy.:screwy

i know, and i need more cowbell.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

i know, and i need more cowbell.

Happines is more cowbell!

 

[TennesseeRain]

To me, it's not a matter of whether or not it is sustainable. But whether or not the government has the authority to create such a system. If they do, they take that away from the private sector. Another industry the government controls instead of a for-profit organization benefiting more citizens of the US. I believe it should be abolished only for the reason that it should have never existed.

Are you saying the constitution is a flawed document? I'm telling Glen Beck.

 

[pbrauer]

:rantonostal worker have an attitude problem. There is too much featherbedding going on in the postal work force.

The post office near me does not even open until 10:00 AM. They don't even have a ****ing stamp machine in the lobby. They only take cash when a customer wants to buy stamps and they act like they are doing you a favor. I hate them.

I realize we need a constitutional amendment to rid ourselves of this out of date money eating monster. We could save billions by turning it over to private enterprise.

Thank you very much..:rantoff:

Sorry my friend, I disagree with you on this one. The U.S. Postal Service provide a valuable service to us.

 

[fredmertz]

Trying actually reading the constitution next time. Establishing the post office is one of the governmental powers specifically mentioned under article 1. Official mail is the backbone of our financial and judicial system. It needs to be available in every location in the nation, regardless of the profitability of the route. Private enterprise is centered on profit, and in the days of the internet the mail system is going to be increasingly less profitable while still maintaining vital functions.

I understand it's in the constitution. I'm not calling it unconstitutional. THank you for clarifying. I simply mean it's not something the government should have control over. It should have never existed.

 

[TennesseeRain]

i know, and i need more cowbell.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

:rantonostal worker have an attitude problem. There is too much featherbedding going on in the postal work force.

The post office near me does not even open until 10:00 AM. They don't even have a ****ing stamp machine in the lobby. They only take cash when a customer wants to buy stamps and they act like they are doing you a favor. I hate them.

I realize we need a constitutional amendment to rid ourselves of this out of date money eating monster. We could save billions by turning it over to private enterprise.

Thank you very much..:rantoff:

This isn't a political thing for me, it used to be.

I'm annoyed by the post office.
They used to put mail in the box by 9am, now it's 10am.
They used to have a stamp machine in the lobby, now it's gone and the only way to get any stamps in by going in while they are open, which is not all day.
They close the office completely down for an hour, for lunch.
Those jackasses make a lot more money than the average for wage laborer(around here at least) and they sit in an air conditioned office all day sorting mail, basically doing, generally, easy stuff.

Yea they suck a lot more than they used to.

 

[jujuman13]

@ Jujuman -- Do you have a link verifying they lose money every year? Here's what I found -- USPS performance: self-sufficient

Sorry no.
However I was assuming all costs assosciated with that business, this naturally includes pension costs.

 

[danarhea]

Although I voted no, I don't see the USPS being around that much longer. Emails are rapidly replacing letters, and for legal documents, and other "paper", we have FEDEX and other courier companies. Although the USPS is not losing money, it's days are numbered. The only way they can stay in business is to raise prices. At some point, that will become unsustainable, and the USPS will go under, having been replaced by other entities that are more competitive in the marketplace.

In the end, the marketplace drives who stays in business, and who doesn't. And it will be market forces that eventually put an end to USPS. With today's technology, along with USPS's inability to adapt to changing times, I don't see USPS being around for much more than 10 more years.

The really good news in the USPS going under is that it will likely put an end to junk mail (Reminder - Celebrate when the day comes). LOL.

 

[earthworm]

Well - not using it is why it's becoming more costly for those of us who do use it.

Hrmph.

Those who lag behind during "progress" end up paying more....and recieving less....

Other - of course.
News - its a changing world.
In the near future, there may be something totally different in its place.
In the far future, after the conservatives and tea-baggers burn themselves out, we may have socialism and it will be a far better world.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

I have no problem with the government having the USPS - it's one of the few semi-efficient government-generated things that a lot of us benefit greatly from.
If something happened to the branch in my town life would suddenly SUCK - because I mail things (not just routine mail) frequently.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

Although I voted no, I don't see the USPS being around that much longer. Emails are rapidly replacing letters, and for legal documents, and other "paper", we have FEDEX and other courier companies. Although the USPS is not losing money, it's days are numbered. The only way they can stay in business is to raise prices. At some point, that will become unsustainable, and the USPS will go under, having been replaced by other entities that are more competitive in the marketplace.

In the end, the marketplace drives who stays in business, and who doesn't. And it will be market forces that eventually put an end to USPS. With today's technology, along with USPS's inability to adapt to changing times, I don't see USPS being around for much more than 10 more years.

The really good news in the USPS going under is that it will likely put an end to junk mail (Reminder - Celebrate when the day comes). LOL.

They could be made viable by dumping home delivery and going to total P.O. Boxes.
The union won't stand for that though.

 

[samsmart]

Although I voted no, I don't see the USPS being around that much longer. Emails are rapidly replacing letters, and for legal documents, and other "paper", we have FEDEX and other courier companies. Although the USPS is not losing money, it's days are numbered. The only way they can stay in business is to raise prices. At some point, that will become unsustainable, and the USPS will go under, having been replaced by other entities that are more competitive in the marketplace.

In the end, the marketplace drives who stays in business, and who doesn't. And it will be market forces that eventually put an end to USPS. With today's technology, along with USPS's inability to adapt to changing times, I don't see USPS being around for much more than 10 more years.

The really good news in the USPS going under is that it will likely put an end to junk mail (Reminder - Celebrate when the day comes). LOL.

The USPS will always be around if only to provide P.O. boxes for places not suitable for home delivery, such as rural areas.

Also, I'm waiting for the time when the USPS will start offering e-mail services to Americans so the government can use it as a method to send important civil messages to people, such as updates on laws, notifications for government programs, and other services that allows the government to notify and inform citizens en masse.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

The USPS will always be around if only to provide P.O. boxes for places not suitable for home delivery, such as rural areas.

Also, I'm waiting for the time when the USPS will start offering e-mail services to Americans so the government can use it as a method to send important civil messages to people, such as updates on laws, notifications for government programs, and other services that allows the government to notify and inform citizens en masse.

I have a P.O. Box because it is so much easier to move in an area than having standard mail delivered to your home, with the potential of theft.

They should make the switch and eliminate home delivery altogether.
The fuel savings alone would be a giant boost.