What Will Happen to the Post Office

[Harry Dresden]

BTW a lot of this inefficiency is enforced thru UPS and FEDEX lobbying efforts

you know thats kinda true but at the same time they all scratch each others back and make a buck off of each other....

 

[LoneLaugher]

The Post Office isn't like UPS and Fed Ex. for the simple reason that government agencies don't give a shit whether they operate efficiently because the workers are guaranteed a salary courtesy of the taxpayers. There must be ways to make it more efficient.

It is profitable and it doesn't use a penny of tax dollars. Fucking learn something.

It costs a lot more than it should cost. When you see postal workers driving brand new Corvettes, you know something isn't right.

Your jealousy over the bank accounts of hard working postal employees notwithstanding, the USPS is efficient and profitable. It is not a consumer of tax dollars. If they can pay their employees well and still operate at a profit, what are you bitching about?

What profit"?

August 11, 2014

"WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service ended the June 30, 2014, quarter with a net loss of $2.0 billion, compared to a net loss of $740 million for the same period last year. The Postal Service has recorded a loss in 21 of the last 23 quarters, the excepted quarters being the two in which Congress rescheduled the Retiree Health Benefits prefunding payments."

USPS has 2 revenue increase 2 billion loss in quarter 3

Learn.

 

[Harry Dresden]

And it could be better....kicking UPS and Fedex ass if some chains were taken off

you mean if Congress was told to take a hike?.....i would agree....

 

[depotoo]

The post office already uses fed ex for their priority mail when it has to be flown.

As long as we have hacks like Federal Express fucking up the simple act of package delivery, the USPS will remain the go-to system. I send and receive packages pretty regularly here in the sticks and I'd say 75% of incoming and 100% of outgoing is via the Post Office, which make no mistake is unquestionably the best in the world.

How does FEDEX fuck up package delivery? Privatizing the Post Office would lead to lower prices and faster, more reliable delivery - also less junkmail.

 

[Dana7360]

The USPS is a necessary function of our government. It is efficient, reliable and available to EVERYONE. It is profitable and if not for the poison pill that the GOP fed it a few years back....would have zero financial problems to speak of.

that poison pill as i have said a dozen times in postal threads here, was just as much the Democrats pill.....they co-sponsored it and havent done jack shit to repeal it....and that includes the President....

Actually yes the democrats have tried to do something about it. The republicans keep preventing the necessary changes.

The democrats were able to get it passed in the senate in 2012. A democrat in the House wrote the House side bill. daryl issa killed it in committee.

NAPUS: Senate Passes Postal Bill S 1789 By 62-37 Vote |

Issa Blocks Fix Of Post Office Pension Prepay Time Bomb, Says Robert Weiner, Former Spokesman for U.S. House Govt Reform Comm.; Bipartisan Bill Has 229 Sponsors But Chairman Issa Pushes Privatization - The Business Journals

Can you please give me some information on the democrats who cosponsored that bill? I would like to email them and let them know what I think of them.

 

[TooTall]

They can't, moron. It's illegal.

Illegal?
Worse, it's unprofitable

No, it's just illegal. Ho can you know whether it's unprofitable if private firms are not allowed to provide the service? If the Post Office does such a great job, then why not open it up to competition?

If we abolish the USPS do we have a choice but to make it legal?

How much would FedEx or UPS charge to send a letter cross country and deliver it door to door?

They would probably charge a lot less than the Post Office. That's why the Post Office fights tooth and nail to prevent Congress from abolishing its legal monopoly on 1st class mail.

Good God!

Are you really that stupid or just playing games?
Do you really claim that FedEx/UPS could send a letter door to door, coast to coast for fifty cents?
They don't have ANY rate that is close to that

What exactly will they do for fifty cents? Bet they won't even deliver a letter to your next door neighbor

Just in case you missed it.

"FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) today announced that its FedEx Express subsidiary has entered into a new express air transportation contract with the United States Postal Service. The current contract ends in September 2013, and the new contract will begin in October 2013.

Under this seven-year agreement, valued at approximately $10.5 billion, FedEx Express will provide airport-to-airport transportation of USPS Express Mail and Priority Mail within the United States.

“FedEx Express will continue the outstanding service that we have provided to the USPS for the past 12 years under this new agreement,” said David J. Bronczek, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Express. “This contract provides enhanced value and additional flexibility allowing the USPS to respond to possible changes. We look forward to continuing our successful business relationship with the USPS."

FedEx signs new 7 year contract with USPS worth 10.5 billion postalnews blog

 

[Contumacious]

Of all of the governmental programs the GOP has in it's sight to cut, one of the most interesting ones will be the Post Office. We haven't heard the GOP speak much about it lately during their "repackaging" initiative. Given the employment demographic of the USPS and the fact that they are unionized which is always a target for the GOP.

What is the over/under on when a postal reform will be brought up? I believe this is one area where Obama will potentially cave dependent on how much of a fight he wants to pick with Congress.

I lay awake every night worrying about the Post Office.

I know that UPS and FEDEX are doing a fantastic job with parcels bur regular mail is impossible to handle.........NOT.


.

 

[Manonthestreet]

USPS is not allowed to fly parcels on commercial airlines since 9/11(security) nor is it allowed to purchase aircraft (unfair competition). The planes that had the USPS logo on them were contracted from a private supplier. Priority parcels are the only hope of USPS surviving and they must be flown to be delivered in 2-3 days. FedEx signs new 7 year contract with USPS worth 10.5 billion postalnews blog

 

[Harry Dresden]

Of all of the governmental programs the GOP has in it's sight to cut, one of the most interesting ones will be the Post Office. We haven't heard the GOP speak much about it lately during their "repackaging" initiative. Given the employment demographic of the USPS and the fact that they are unionized which is always a target for the GOP.

What is the over/under on when a postal reform will be brought up? I believe this is one area where Obama will potentially cave dependent on how much of a fight he wants to pick with Congress.

Didn't he just appoint the first female Postmaster General?

I have some suggestions.

1. Charge $5.00 minimum for anything addressed to OCCUPANT.

2. Charge $5.00 minimum for any political ad.

3. Charge $5.00 minimum for any flyers for businesses.

Also, since the bulk of my mail these days is bullshit from Medicare, make them get their shit together.

But mainly, eliminate unsolicited mail by high fees, and leave the postal service to those of us who pay bills by mail and send cards and write letters.

Of course, if the USPS was no longer subsidized and subsidizing, and concentrated on meeting the needs of people, and not politicians and businesses, probably 80% of the overpaid union workers would have to be laid off.

Junk mail is where most of their revenue comes from.

not true.....its still first class.....$28 billion.....Advertising Mail..... $16.9 billion.....but advertising mail is more consistent and the revenue from it keeps the lights on....

 

[Harry Dresden]

As long as we have hacks like Federal Express fucking up the simple act of package delivery, the USPS will remain the go-to system. I send and receive packages pretty regularly here in the sticks and I'd say 75% of incoming and 100% of outgoing is via the Post Office, which make no mistake is unquestionably the best in the world.

How does FEDEX fuck up package delivery? Privatizing the Post Office would lead to lower prices and faster, more reliable delivery - also less junkmail.

Bullshit. Try the post office in any other country and get back to me on how "expensive" ours is. And when they track something, it's pretty much balls-on accurate.

Horseshit. USPS tracking is dreadful...mostly because packages simply ARE NOT SCANNED properly. Last FedEx package I got, I got tracking updates texted to me in real time!

FeEx is a complete hack operation. Don't use them, ever. Even UPS doesn't fuck up that bad, and when UPS is outperforming you, you got a problem.

Stupid statement.

the PO does real time now.....but you can blame Congress for not letting them keep up with the latest shit.....

 

[Harry Dresden]

Congress is preventing reform. A Post Office in every small town isnt necessary or profitable. COngress mandates this archaic business model

A post office in every small town is necessary if you live in one of those small towns. If it were done right, we'd be able to do all sorts of things at a post office. Banking......voting.....paying taxes......etc.

FEDEX manages to deliver to virtually every town in this country.

Again - bullshit. They claim to but they don't show up. And they're completely unaccountable for that.

Ever think that maybe the driver has met you...and just knows what an asshole you are?

Funny how great the union postal worker is and how bad the union FedEx and UPS workers are. Of course the FedEx and the UPS don't do their job everyday and they don't know what they are doing like the USPS carriers do. LOL!

Fed-x drivers are non-union.....and as i said we all have fucked up.......

 

[Contumacious]

As long as we have hacks like Federal Express fucking up the simple act of package delivery, the USPS will remain the go-to system. I send and receive packages pretty regularly here in the sticks and I'd say 75% of incoming and 100% of outgoing is via the Post Office, which make no mistake is unquestionably the best in the world.

How does FEDEX fuck up package delivery? Privatizing the Post Office would lead to lower prices and faster, more reliable delivery - also less junkmail.

Bullshit. Try the post office in any other country and get back to me on how "expensive" ours is. And when they track something, it's pretty much balls-on accurate.

Horseshit. USPS tracking is dreadful...mostly because packages simply ARE NOT SCANNED properly. Last FedEx package I got, I got tracking updates texted to me in real time!

FeEx is a complete hack operation. Don't use them, ever. Even UPS doesn't fuck up that bad, and when UPS is outperforming you, you got a problem.

Stupid statement.

the PO does real time now.....but you can blame Congress for not letting them keep up with the latest shit.....

The Post Office is a nationalized ---socialized -- entity. As has been shown a gazillion times centralized planning , socialism does NOT work.


.

 

[TooTall]

As long as we have hacks like Federal Express fucking up the simple act of package delivery, the USPS will remain the go-to system. I send and receive packages pretty regularly here in the sticks and I'd say 75% of incoming and 100% of outgoing is via the Post Office, which make no mistake is unquestionably the best in the world.

They can't handle big items though, can they?

I have never had a problem with Fed Ex, UPS or the postal service, when it came to sending a package.

Mail usually works too.

I just hate all the junk, especially junk made to look "official".

Like most of government USPS is corporate welfare for the most part and taxpayers should not subsidize the delivery of junk mail they despise.

One consideration is that tampering with the mail is a federal offense; tampering with a FedEx delivery -- even on the driver's end -- is just "oh well, our records say delivered, that's the end of it, tough shit".

and they have cameras everywhere.....except the bathrooms.....

The USPS has cameras everywhere except the bathroom as you stated. As a very young man I spent a couple of years as a Postal Service electrician getting the bulk mail system started in Atlanta and New York City. (actually it was on the Jersey side between the Lincoln and Holland tunnels.) I then spent 5 years at Fedex in Memphis and 8 years at UPS in Louisville as a consultant on their aircraft systems and have seen both systems in operation up close.

The operations were similar, but the USPS had tighter security because they were the only one that had First Class Mail responsibility. UPS and FEDEX had reasonable security to prevent employee theft. The basic difference that I observed was when an employee came to word stoned or drunk at the post office they were sent home, and at UPS and FEDEX they were usually fired.

 

[Harry Dresden]

As long as we have hacks like Federal Express fucking up the simple act of package delivery, the USPS will remain the go-to system. I send and receive packages pretty regularly here in the sticks and I'd say 75% of incoming and 100% of outgoing is via the Post Office, which make no mistake is unquestionably the best in the world.

How does FEDEX fuck up package delivery? Privatizing the Post Office would lead to lower prices and faster, more reliable delivery - also less junkmail.

Bullshit. Try the post office in any other country and get back to me on how "expensive" ours is. And when they track something, it's pretty much balls-on accurate.

Horseshit. USPS tracking is dreadful...mostly because packages simply ARE NOT SCANNED properly. Last FedEx package I got, I got tracking updates texted to me in real time!

FeEx is a complete hack operation. Don't use them, ever. Even UPS doesn't fuck up that bad, and when UPS is outperforming you, you got a problem.

Stupid statement.

Google "FedEx package didn't show up" like I did. It's a loooooong line to get in the back of.
For even more fun, read their disclaimer where they're not responsible for their own fuckups. I got it right here.

that means something else Pogo.....they are responsible if their Delivery person fucks up....believe me....

 

[Harry Dresden]

Of all of the governmental programs the GOP has in it's sight to cut, one of the most interesting ones will be the Post Office. We haven't heard the GOP speak much about it lately during their "repackaging" initiative. Given the employment demographic of the USPS and the fact that they are unionized which is always a target for the GOP.

What is the over/under on when a postal reform will be brought up? I believe this is one area where Obama will potentially cave dependent on how much of a fight he wants to pick with Congress.

What's to reform beyond removing the gop law that requires the Post Office to fund pensions for the next 75 years? Something no other employer has to do.

They can't cut money from the Post Office. The reason for that is because the only tax dollars that the Post Office receives is in some cases to pay for mailing of voting material to disabled and overseas Americans.

Other than that, the post office doesn't get one penny of federal tax dollars.

The U.S. Postal Service | Need to Know | PBS

2. The postal service doesn’t rely on taxpayer funds.

Until 1971, mail delivery was handled by the Post Office Department, a Cabinet department in the federal government. Postal worker strikes prompted President Nixon to pass the Postal Reorganization Act in 1971, transforming it into the semi-independent agency we now know as the United States Postal Service. The USPS in its current form runs like a business, relies on postage for revenue and, for the most part, has not used taxpayer money since 1982, when postage stamps became “products” instead of forms of taxation. Taxpayer money is only used in some cases to pay for mailing voter materials to disabled and overseas Americans.

USPS spokespersons have been adamant in emphasizing that they are not requesting taxpayer funds from the federal government to make this year’s payment. Rather, they say, the USPS is asking Congress to authorize access to an estimated $7 billion that they overpaid into the future retiree pension fund in previous years.

What's to reform beyond removing the gop law that requires the Post Office to fund pensions for the next 75 years
not a GOP Law.....again....

 

[Harry Dresden]

We need to redefine the functions of the Post Office. They are in every town. They should be a focal point for government services. Social Security services, draft registration, tax questions[/QUOTE

I guess we need a new cabinet position and executive department.

A Czar of Centralized Governmental Intrusion Into Your Life.

I just want a post office that delivers the mail for a reasonable price.

Then thank the republicans for making the price of mail more expensive.

It was the republicans in the lame duck congress in 2006 that passed the law that requires the PO to prepay pensions for the next 75 years and do it all by 2016. They have to come up with 5.5 billion dollars a year until 2016 to meet the requirements of the law that lame duck congress passed in 2006.

 

[Pogo]

As long as we have hacks like Federal Express fucking up the simple act of package delivery, the USPS will remain the go-to system. I send and receive packages pretty regularly here in the sticks and I'd say 75% of incoming and 100% of outgoing is via the Post Office, which make no mistake is unquestionably the best in the world.

How does FEDEX fuck up package delivery? Privatizing the Post Office would lead to lower prices and faster, more reliable delivery - also less junkmail.

Bullshit. Try the post office in any other country and get back to me on how "expensive" ours is. And when they track something, it's pretty much balls-on accurate.

Horseshit. USPS tracking is dreadful...mostly because packages simply ARE NOT SCANNED properly. Last FedEx package I got, I got tracking updates texted to me in real time!

FeEx is a complete hack operation. Don't use them, ever. Even UPS doesn't fuck up that bad, and when UPS is outperforming you, you got a problem.

Stupid statement.

Google "FedEx package didn't show up" like I did. It's a loooooong line to get in the back of.
For even more fun, read their disclaimer where they're not responsible for their own fuckups. I got it right here.

that means something else Pogo.....they are responsible if their Delivery person fucks up....believe me....

As long as we have hacks like Federal Express fucking up the simple act of package delivery, the USPS will remain the go-to system. I send and receive packages pretty regularly here in the sticks and I'd say 75% of incoming and 100% of outgoing is via the Post Office, which make no mistake is unquestionably the best in the world.

How does FEDEX fuck up package delivery? Privatizing the Post Office would lead to lower prices and faster, more reliable delivery - also less junkmail.

Bullshit. Try the post office in any other country and get back to me on how "expensive" ours is. And when they track something, it's pretty much balls-on accurate.

Horseshit. USPS tracking is dreadful...mostly because packages simply ARE NOT SCANNED properly. Last FedEx package I got, I got tracking updates texted to me in real time!

FeEx is a complete hack operation. Don't use them, ever. Even UPS doesn't fuck up that bad, and when UPS is outperforming you, you got a problem.

Stupid statement.

Google "FedEx package didn't show up" like I did. It's a loooooong line to get in the back of.
For even more fun, read their disclaimer where they're not responsible for their own fuckups. I got it right here.

that means something else Pogo.....they are responsible if their Delivery person fucks up....believe me....

We shall see in the latest example Harry. So far I'm being advised to take my complaint to the sender and leave it to them and FedEx to settle between themselves, which I've also done. So far, crickets. The sender has my money, FedEx has a bullshit delivery claim, and I have nothing.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Here in the sticks the USPS sometimes handles package deliveries for other carriers like FedEx.
Wish they'd make that full-time rather than leave it to the incompetent.

they have been doing that for quite a while.....they do it for Fed-x too.....its called......the Last Mile Delivery....

 

[Harry Dresden]

I guess we need a new cabinet position and executive department.

A Czar of Centralized Governmental Intrusion Into Your Life.

I just want a post office that delivers the mail for a reasonable price.

Why would you oppose convenient government services in every town?

Because we need to ditch the Post Office. It's a big money sucking black hole.

It is obsolete in its current role. We need to change that role. Let them be the face of government to most people.
I still haven't seen any private companies stepping up to deliver a letter door to door, cross country for fifty cents

They can't, moron. It's illegal.

No it isn't. I often get letters delivered by FedEx.

not letters considered First Class you dont.....

 

[Harry Dresden]

How does FEDEX fuck up package delivery? Privatizing the Post Office would lead to lower prices and faster, more reliable delivery - also less junkmail.

Bullshit. Try the post office in any other country and get back to me on how "expensive" ours is. And when they track something, it's pretty much balls-on accurate.

Horseshit. USPS tracking is dreadful...mostly because packages simply ARE NOT SCANNED properly. Last FedEx package I got, I got tracking updates texted to me in real time!

FeEx is a complete hack operation. Don't use them, ever. Even UPS doesn't fuck up that bad, and when UPS is outperforming you, you got a problem.

Stupid statement.

Google "FedEx package didn't show up" like I did. It's a loooooong line to get in the back of.
For even more fun, read their disclaimer where they're not responsible for their own fuckups. I got it right here.

Google "complaints about USPS"

About 533,000 results (0.39 seconds)​

Complaints about UPS:
About 50,600,000 results (0.73 seconds)

That is 10 times as many.

Lets look at Federal Express:

About 1,770,000 results (0.39 seconds)

look at the difference in daily delivery volume......that might have a little bearing on that.....