US Post Office Lost 3.8 BBBBBillion Last Year, Now They Are Ready For Healthcare

[PoliticalChic]

How much money did the military make last year?

Where are you going with this? They aren't suppossed to make money. Nothing government does is suppossed to be profitable.

Here is the backstory on that:

In 1971, the “Post Office Department” was turned into a quasi-governmental corporation, the US Postal Service, which has a federally mandated monopoly on regular mail delivery. The majority of the USPS board are presidential appointees. There are no government appropriations, and a ‘Postal Rate Commission’ that determines rates.

In the ‘70’s the USPS tried to close 12,000 underperforming or underutilized post offices, but politicians amended the Postal Reorganization Act to prohibit the closings. Why? Unions.

In ’77 the same thing happened when the USPS tried to suspend Saturday delivery. The result lost $2.8 billion in ’08 and expects to lose another $3 to $6 billion in 2009.Who will ultimately be responsible for paying these debts? The taxpayer. Such is it when government masquerades as free market entities.

If actual corporations are allowed to perform under free market capitalism rules, where the decisions are based on profit, productivity, and efficiency, the taxpayer is not left holding the bag.

You might want to rethink this process, and see the effect of unions on productivity.

 

[California Girl]

How much money did the military make last year?

Where are you going with this? They aren't suppossed to make money. Nothing government does is suppossed to be profitable.

Here is the backstory on that:

In 1971, the “Post Office Department” was turned into a quasi-governmental corporation, the US Postal Service, which has a federally mandated monopoly on regular mail delivery. The majority of the USPS board are presidential appointees. There are no government appropriations, and a ‘Postal Rate Commission’ that determines rates.

In the ‘70’s the USPS tried to close 12,000 underperforming or underutilized post offices, but politicians amended the Postal Reorganization Act to prohibit the closings. Why? Unions.

In ’77 the same thing happened when the USPS tried to suspend Saturday delivery. The result lost $2.8 billion in ’08 and expects to lose another $3 to $6 billion in 2009.Who will ultimately be responsible for paying these debts? The taxpayer. Such is it when government masquerades as free market entities.

If actual corporations are allowed to perform under free market capitalism rules, where the decisions are based on profit, productivity, and efficiency, the taxpayer is not left holding the bag.

You might want to rethink this process, and see the effect of unions on productivity.

Quite. But, we have gone from unbridled corporate greed with undue influence on our government to unbridled union greed having undue influence on our government.

About time we woke up and smelled the corruption of both.

 

[Harry Dresden]

The post office does a great job.

I have used them to pay my bills for 30 years, and they have never lost a single letter!

thats because of the people who actually work and move the mail Chris....Postal Management is very inefficient and waste time and money .....and that is what i believe this thread is aiming at....Management

 

[WillowTree]

apples to oranges...a dying system to a growing system....yall are just real sad with this ruse

except I don't think they have ever made money,, same with Amtrak.

Amtrak is another example of a Govenment entity with restrictions that keep it from turning a profit

If Amtrak were run as a business it would only run trains on the Boston to Washington corridor and from NY to Chicago. That is where the money is

However, each Congressman insists that Amtrak run passenger service through his district.

so you would not collect taxes from the rest of America whom you believe to be unworthy of service? Is that the case.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Just goes to show you that the fucking government can't do anything right.

Even with a monopoly on letter delivery they still can't break even.

letters havent done shit for the PO in the last decade dude....its all the other stuff that makes any money....its piss poor management,that does not have to answer to anyone,about the money they squander....and if you worked there for just 6 months....you would know EXACTLY what i am talking about....the PO would be holding their own if they had better managers AND if they would eliminate the dead weight in middle management....who are the ones wasting money....big time....

 

[Harry Dresden]

They have no board of directors. NO share holders and no one thats holdiing them accountable.

Exactly....thats the PO....

 

[Harry Dresden]

If you want them to break even, you have to let them say "Fuck You" to the Red States and allow them not to deliver to rural areas. That includes deliveries to Sarah Palins moose lodge in Podunk Falls Alaska.

The post office is a model of efficiency. Show me a private business that could cover the delivery area of the Post Office for 44 cents a letter

RW....many of those rural towns dont have delivery....everyone comes into town and picks up their mail at the PO....and if you worked for them...you would not be saying they are the model of efficiency....they might appear to be....but thats because the people who actually touch the mail or are directly responsible for moving it,get the job done in spite of the Bullshit we have to put up with from some very incompetent upper managers....

 

[Harry Dresden]

So if the USPS had bought every man woman and child a $760 computer and $240 for internet service last year they would be out $3b. Of course, they would have put themselves out of business too. Just saying.

no they wouldnt.....just sayin...

 

[Harry Dresden]

USPS lost $3.8 billion in last fiscal year

.

I have a real problem taking anyone serious who uses the USPS as an example of bad government.

yeah as far as government run programs are concerned, losing a mere 3.8 billion in a year is a success story

whats the big deal about this?....even in the nineties the PO lost money.....not what they are now but there were times when they lost 1-2 billion....

 

[Harry Dresden]

If the Red State Republicans are willing to give up their subsidized deliveries then the Postal Service would have no problem turning a profit. Postal customers in urban areas pay a premium so that farmers can have deliveries made to their door

since they pay the same no matter where you live....how are Urbanites paying for the country dwellers?....what premiums are you talking about?

 

[Contumacious]

comparing a porduct that has been on the decline for years with a product that will always grow is pretty stupid.

The parasitic zombies never cease to amaze me:

PARIS (Reuters) - The French government is looking at ways to plug a gaping hole in its health care budget and may charge patients more for hospital stays, Budget Minister Eric Woerth said on Monday.

France's health system is largely financed by the state and has been hailed as the best in the world by the World Health Organization. It is also one of the most costly and the government constantly struggles to control spending.

After a 4.4 billion euro ($6.31 billion) shortfall in the health budget in 2008, Woerth said he expected the deficit to hit 10 billion euros this year and 15 billion ......

.

 

[tigerbob]

So if the USPS had bought every man woman and child a $760 computer and $240 for internet service last year they would be out $3b. Of course, they would have put themselves out of business too. Just saying.

Even if the internet could deliver everything the USPS delivers....

$760 + $240 x 300 million = $3 billion?

 

[Harry Dresden]

The post office is a model of efficiency. Show me a private business that could cover the delivery area of the Post Office for 44 cents a letter

What a douche bag. They don't "cover it" for 44 cents... they CHARGE 44 cents. The real cost of "covering it" is much higher. But, unlike private industry.. they have a blank check to lose as much as they want.

they also have your Congress,the Board Of Governors and The Postal Rate Commission saying thats what they HAVE to charge dipshit....

 

[Harry Dresden]

Bottom line is that when a private business loses money, it's part of business. But if it's the USPS, it's a bad government agency. If the USPS raised their rate by $.02 per letter/package, they would have shown a small profit.

Something else to consider; let's say we shut down the USPS, since it is so inefficient. Guess how much everyone would have to pay to UPS or Fed Ex to have a letter delivered? Just a hunch, but I bet it would be a hell of a lot more than $.42.

I just get sick of the USPS being used as a whipping tool when it is one of the best run agencies in the Federal Government and when it also keeps UPS and Fed Ex competetive with their rates. Hey, there are plenty of really messed up goverenment agencies and programs to attack. Attacking the USPS is laughable to me.

well its also laughable when it is the most favorable Govt Agency compared to the rest in terms of customer service.....the last poll i saw the PO had an 87% approval rating...the next one was at 67% i think it was Dept of Education....
and UPS has already stated that they would deliver a letter for around a buck....if they were to do so....

 

[Harry Dresden]

apples to oranges...a dying system to a growing system....yall are just real sad with this ruse

except I don't think they have ever made money,, same with Amtrak.

in the nineties they made small profits a few times,as well as lost.....and when they made money guess who took the cash to use for their purposes?....yep the US Congress....

 

[Andrew2382]

can someone name me 1 government agency that actually doesn't lose money?

 

[Big Black Dog]

And the post office is another fine example of why you should not be so eager to allow the government to run your health care.

 

[Polk]

Just goes to show you that the fucking government can't do anything right.

Even with a monopoly on letter delivery they still can't break even.

Because that monopoly requires a legal requirement to charge the same rate for every route.

 

[rightwinger]

The post office does a great job.

I have used them to pay my bills for 30 years, and they have never lost a single letter!

thats because of the people who actually work and move the mail Chris....Postal Management is very inefficient and waste time and money .....and that is what i believe this thread is aiming at....Management

If they are so inefficient, how is it that they are able to transport a letter coast to coast in under a week for only 44 cents?

Show me a private company that could match the price and efficiency of the Post Office and cover ALL the current routes in the US

 

[Polk]

[
This is the biggest disaster the country has faced since its founding.... $24.5 trillion debt by 2014 - and that's before they factor in healthcare.

God help us, we really are sheep.

Yeah! Darn health care with it's deficit reduction adding to the debt. O wait...