Apparently, 50 feet was too far to walk

[Bill V]

The Constitution says that Congress must establish a post office. It doesn't say that it has to keep throwing money at this failing system to keep it around.

KL, you're repeating a commonly-misunderstood fallacy. The government doesn't "throw money" at the USPS. As an independent agency, it is required to be completely self-funded. The USPS has not directly received taxpayer-dollars since the early 1980s with the minor exception of subsidies for costs associated with the disabled and overseas voters.

 

[Richard L]

Bill V,

That may be how it's supposed to work, but the last I heard USPS was $4 Billion over budget last year, so who is making up that $4 Billion? Someone is throwing money at them, and I'll bet it's taxpayers money.



All of the money is coming from US taxpayers. Just because the politicians claim it's going into all these different accounts and outside the US Budget, it is still for the most part Taxpayer's money.

The US budget is just smoke an mirrors.



Why does Obama insist on raising the debt ceiling and then claim that does not mean they are going to spend more??? But they always do! The US Government and budgeting process is total hogwash...it is unnecessarily complicated because only because the politicians choose to make it complicated so nobody can really see exactly what's going on.



...Rich

 

[H D]

If they're not going to spend more, there's no point in raising the debt ceiling.

 

[Richard L]

Hugh,

Yep...I never understood the reason they insist on raising the debt ceiling every year, but claim that they don't plan on spending that much?



The purpose of the debt ceiling is to put a cap on spending, just like credit cards put a limit on the amount anyone can charge on their credit card. The only way we can reduce the national debt is to lower the debt ceiling and reduce spending. I have never heard of anyone ever spending their way out of debt?



...Rich

 

[Jackson Ellis]

I think that delivery services will evolve, and we'll eventually have droids flying packages to our homes. The droid flies automatically to your address and is then controlled by a person to lower the package to the landing area (driveway, porch, etc.) It's then controlled to a set height and then automatically returns to the postal or UPS warehouse for the next delivery. The controllers spend their day landing packages and the rest of the flight is automated.



Most letter mail (bills, notices, etc.) will be electronically delivered - this is already changing at a large rate. I believe getting paper copies of bills will begin to cost you extra, which will accelerate the process of paperless billing.



At some point, we'll be asked to pay per service. Take garbage for example. I live outside of the town limits, so my garbage service is optional. I can take it to a collection area at no cost or I can have curbside pick-up once per week at about $15 per month. For an extra fee (don't remember the cost) the garbage guys will walk to my garbage can and roll it out to the street to empty it and then roll it back. Why not charge $50/year for curbside mail and another $100 for delivery to your door. If you live in an apartment and your mail is delivered to a bank of boxes, why should you pay the same as someone who has a mail slot on their kitchen door?



When I was growing up, we lived on a dirt road with two other houses, and each house had it's own mailbox on the side of the road. About 10 years ago, all of the boxes were moved to a "mail rail" at the end of the dirt road. It probably saves the USPS 5 minutes and 3/4 per mile per day. Multiply that over the country, and it's a big savings. Question is, which house in the neighborhood gets to have a bank of 100-200 mailboxes erected on their front lawn?

 

[Bill V]

That may be how it's supposed to work, but the last I heard USPS was $4 Billion over budget last year, so who is making up that $4 Billion?

The same way any business that finds itself in the red comes up with it--dips into reserves, floats credit, etc. Actually, your number is significantly low--they lost nearly $16B in 2012.



Don't get me wrong--USPS operating in the red is a huge problem, just like it's a huge problem for any company to operate that far in the red for any significant time. And if they don't figure it out--via rate increases, service changes, workforce and fleet reductions, etc, they're not going to find their way out of the red. As of right now, it doesn't seem that they have the right people with the right clout in the right positions to make the hard choices needed to get them back on track. In which case, yes, I fear some sort of "bailout" may become necessary. But as of yet, taxpayer money has not been involved, except for the previously mentioned subsidies associated with the disabled and overseas voters.

 

[Richard L]

Bill V,

You may be right on the $16 Billion in the red....I said that the last I heard, which may have only been the last quarter figures..:cry:



The only problem I see with the rate increases is that most of their business has been lost do to UPS, FedEx and email taking away much of the daily mail. Even Banks have free bill paying services that guarantee they will get your payment to the biller on time or they will pay any late fees. Why do I want to pay by mail when I have to buy stamps, mail the bill, and hope it gets there on time?



I believe USPS needs to increase their rates for first class postal service, but also eliminate the Bulk rate or increase the Bulk postage closer to the First Class rate. Remember, it takes as much labor and fuel to deliver one piece of junk mail as it does to send a first class letter.



Businesses can be given a discount if all their mail is presorted by Zip Code, and they use the BarCode to automate the processing....but even then, it should only be a few cents less than regular first class mail.



If the volume of mail drops, they need to cut back more on manpower and increase the rates and employ more and more automation.



...Rich

 

[H D]

My shred box is overflowing and I really need an industrial size shredder just for the junk mail. The only good mail I get regularly is my health insurance bill and the occasional Amazon order. Everything else is electronic. The insurance could be done online but their process for signing up for it seemed a little clumsy so I quit halfway through. Most Amazon stuff comes UPS. I really do not need the USPS.

 

[Kevin Lang]

As of right now, it doesn't seem that they have the right people with the right clout in the right positions to make the hard choices needed to get them back on track.

Just like Amtrak, only I haven't heard of any postmaster general who tries to fix the problem being fired (as have a litany of Amtrak heads). Also that turn of phrase you used is funnier when talking about Amtrak than USPS.

In which case, yes, I fear some sort of "bailout" may become necessary.

No. Just no. Let them fail. No more anti-Capitalistic, anti-American bailouts (which is to say, no more bailouts as all federal bailouts are those 2 things). All a bailout does is rob me to let a failing system go on a bit longer. Already I'm hearing that GM is teetering at the brink.



I'm not sure if pre-sorting the mail by zip code does any good. From my experience at how UPS sorts it wouldn't have been. Of course, my experience there also showed that it'll be a cold day in hell before they get automation instead of employees to process mail. I wonder if USPS has the same issue.



Though the USPS has to visit each mailbox at least once each mail service day so they can't cut back too much.