U.S. Postal Service Nears Collapse

[rambone]

Bloomberg says that the USPS is nearing insolvency. The service passed a milestone of delivering more junk mail than actual First Class mail. Another big part of the problem is the size of their retiree pension plan. It will have to reinvent itself or possibly collapse.


The U.S. Postal Service Nears Collapse - BusinessWeek

 

[BigMatt]

They just need to charge $1.00 for a first class stamp. IMO, that is still a deal to get a letter from here across the country.

It won't break granny's bank and it will stop a lot of the junk mail that is out there now.

 

[rambone]

They need to privatize the retirement program and privatize the service all together.

 

[Bunnykid68]

And quit paying temps to deliver mail for $20 an hour. Plenty of people would do it for $10 or $12 an hour.

 

[RockofStrength]

If only that would result in the destruction of the United States Postal Service. Maybe then someone who knows how to make money could start delivering my mail.

 

[Phil502]

They just need to charge $1.00 for a first class stamp. IMO, that is still a deal to get a letter from here across the country.

It won't break granny's bank and it will stop a lot of the junk mail that is out there now.

I get the feeling that even if they charged a dollar a stamp, they would run the place into the ground.

 

[badwolf.usmc]

They just need to charge $1.00 for a first class stamp. IMO, that is still a deal to get a letter from here across the country.

It won't break granny's bank and it will stop a lot of the junk mail that is out there now.

They don't even need to do that, just stop giving discounts for bulk mailings/ junk mail, that should cut volume by a bit.

 

[spearheadersarge]

Well, when you don't have to make a profit to stay in business, you can do anything you want. Why not start people off with a decent wage and a week of vacation instead of the full fed luxury benefit package and be more responsive to your customers. Hell my post office doesn't stay open enough for me to get my mail! They are only open for like 3 hours on Sat and they lock the place up early all the time! I only get the mail on my days off which is only about twice a week.

 

[NYFelon]

@ Rambone

The US Postal service is provided for as a power of the federal government in the Constitution.

 

[rambone]

@ Rambone

The US Postal service is provided for as a power of the federal government in the Constitution.

Lets amend it. Everybody makes mistakes.

 

[RockofStrength]

Lets amend it. Everybody makes mistakes.

I think we all know what would be amended in the event of a modern constitutional convention, Rambone. And it wouldn't be the postal service.

 

[ATOMonkey]

@ Rambone

The US Postal service is provided for as a power of the federal government in the Constitution.

True. However, my constitution art 1 sec 8 doesn't say anything about pensions or healthcare.

In fact, it just says post roads and offices. I suppose it's implied that someone will sort and deliver the mail, but that's as far as it goes.

 

[ATOMonkey]

I think we all know what would be amended in the event of a modern constitutional convention, Rambone. And it wouldn't be the postal service.

Why not? In a convention, anything goes.

 

[snowman46919]

if it stops the guidelines of how tall my mailbox has to be from changing every time the carrier gets a new vehicle it works for me

 

[RockofStrength]

Why not? In a convention, anything goes.

Because I have little faith in the ability of my elected representatives to leave my right to bear arms alone.

 

[NYFelon]

True. However, my constitution art 1 sec 8 doesn't say anything about pensions or healthcare.

In fact, it just says post roads and offices. I suppose it's implied that someone will sort and deliver the mail, but that's as far as it goes.

Agreed. I'm not defending the outlandish benefits packages federal employees enjoy. Simply saying that while competitive delivery services such as FedEx, UPS and DHL are great examples of how the market outperforms it's public counterparts, the USPS is indeed a constitutionally enumerated power of the fed.

 

[rambone]

True. However, my constitution art 1 sec 8 doesn't say anything about pensions or healthcare.

In fact, it just says post roads and offices. I suppose it's implied that someone will sort and deliver the mail, but that's as far as it goes.

Agreed. I'm not defending the outlandish benefits packages federal employees enjoy. Simply saying that while competitive delivery services such as FedEx, UPS and DHL are great examples of how the market outperforms it's public counterparts, the USPS is indeed a constitutionally enumerated power of the fed.

I agree with you both. Retirements and healthcare should never be controlled by the government. Pay the workers a salary and they can invest it where they want to. The constitutional system might have a chance of surviving that way.

 

[Leo]

9 pieces of mail in my mail box today. Two had full price postage one piece was presorted a metered at a slight discount. The other 6 pieces were junk that should not even be delivered by the post office. No business can give two free rides for every paying customer. The who stinkin' Federal Government operates this way. Keep my bill the same, eliminate the free loaders. The budget will balance.

 

[Jake46184]

The Fix is Obvious

They need to privatize the retirement program and privatize the service all together.

Here it is, folks. The private sector could run a business, similar to the USPS, at an ENORMOUS profit w/o raising rates at all.

The answer to any problem involving government is to get rid of government involvement.

 

[NYFelon]

Here it is, folks. The private sector could run a business, similar to the USPS, at an ENORMOUS profit w/o raising rates at all.

The answer to any problem involving government is to get rid of government involvement.

I highly suggest referring to posts #9 and #12.