Is it time to privatize USPS?

[formerexpat]

Wow, I knew labor rates were high, but 79% of operating cost is a wee bit much wouldn't you say!

Can't even blame it on the CEO either. The guy makes about $800k.

[marshabar1]

Was just at the grocery store in line when the checker walked away mid-transaction. After about five minutes the embarrassed shopper apologized saying he had picked up the one thing in the store that wouldn't scan. My husband said, "Oh, thank God, I was beginning to wonder if the federal government had taken over the grocery stores and I just hadn't heard about it." People piped up all over the place with cracks about Obama, the DMV, the post office. Amazing how many people are on the same page about this administration.

[cme1201]

Jun 19, 2011 20:11:47 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

It may not be that easy to "stop the bleeding" so long as people on the wild prairies have to receive their mail. In the meantime, this is a joke compared to how some of our most esteemed private businesses have been run lately.

Remember when the big-cheeses were supposed to get moolah up the ying-yang because of their brilliance at streamlining operations and improving efficiency? Then, when their short-sightedness drove everything in the ground, they had to be paid giant packages to keep their precious brains on board to right the ship.

Such is the way of life in our American Kleptocracy.

Stopping the bleeding would be as simple as laying off a few thousand workers, and reducing delivery down to 4 instead of 6 days a week, the savings in fuel cost and maintenance savings on 212,000 would help insure that only a small portion of workers would need to be let go.

[marshabar1]

Aside from greeting cards has anyone mailed a letter this year?

What percentage of your mail is junk mail?

Did you know we underwrite the junk mail we receive by paying a higher price for stamps than that paid by junk mail mailers?
**************************************************


It takes more than 100 million trees to produce the total volume of junk mail that arrives in American mailboxes each year—that's the equivalent of clearcutting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every 4 months.


Junk mail in the U.S. accounts for over 100,000,000,000 pieces of mail each year—about 30% of all the mail delivered in the world.

Every year American households receive a total of 104.7 billion pieces of junk mail3 or 848 pieces of junk mail per household, which requires 6.5 million tons of paper.

Approximately 44% of junk mail goes to landfills unopened; the average American will spend 8 months of their lives dealing with junk mail.

Entire households only average 1 personal correspondence each week, compared to almost 18 pieces of junk mail.

In 2005 the United States Postal Service processed more junk mail than First Class Mail for the first time, and our postal service is increasingly oriented toward the delivery of unwanted junk mail.


www.donotmail.org/section.php?id=3


It's the junk, stupid. And by stupid I do not me *you*.

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

...I'd say 80% of my received mail is junk... and I send out a few pieces a month...

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

...cutting mail service to M, W, F, S should be more than sufficient for the general population, imo... and mail-order medical supplies or other "essential" services would adjust their prescription/storage limitations accordingly... imo...

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

Jun 19, 2011 20:40:21 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

A good portion of the "savings" will be to the workers onto welfare rolls for the taxpayers to deal with. These are the savings that are killing America, everyone either working triple-time with no ability to supervise their children or with no job at all.

...so then we should make some cuts to the welfare rolls, yes?

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

Jun 19, 2011 20:44:05 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

No, we should acknowledge that many "savings" are cost shifting. You cannot throw large numbers of people out of work and leave them without means of support without causing riots and revolution. "Let them eat cake," that went well...

...which is part of the reason so many push back against more programs, and allowing more on the rolls, not less...

[Deleted]

Why WOULDN'T labor be one of the highest costs? .... its not like they produce anything much... don't need lots of high tech equiptment... they just need to man the desk and cover lots of ground...

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

Jun 19, 2011 20:52:35 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

You are getting an explosion in welfare and other "programs" of this type. i.e. food stamps, EITC as the business community becomes more "efficient" and also off-loads production to China. How "efficient" an efficient way to turn America into a class of bloated plutocrats surrounded by serfs.

Everyone whines about the unions. We have fewer unions than ever and things are worse than ever too. Forgive me if I don't want to be destitute or see my neighbors destitute to feed the gluttony of the few.

I am old-fashioned that way. I believe that work is mandated as in "who shall not work, shall not eat." We cannot simultaneously expect people to work while savaging their jobs.

...but we don't mandate "arbeit macht frei," correct? so forgive us who don't want to become "destitute" to feed the gluttony of the many...

[NoMoreLunacy]

Jun 19, 2011 19:39:48 GMT -5 cme1201 said:

Wow, I knew labor rates were high, but 79% of operating cost is a wee bit much wouldn't you say!

Given that UPS has an OpEx of 85%, and given that 79% is greater than 85%, I would say so indeed.

[NoMoreLunacy]

Jun 19, 2011 20:37:05 GMT -5 BeenThere...DoneThat... said:

...cutting mail service to M, W, F, S should be more than sufficient for the general population, imo... and mail-order medical supplies or other "essential" services would adjust their prescription/storage limitations accordingly... imo...

Did you know that FedEx and UPS sends the last several miles of mail through the USPS? Cut delivery to 4 days and your 2 day FedEx/UPS delivery is toast.

Guys, shouldn't you actually research the US mailing system before you come up with ridiculous ideas that won't fly?

[NoMoreLunacy]

Jun 19, 2011 20:51:41 GMT -5 oped said:

Why WOULDN'T labor be one of the highest costs? .... its not like they produce anything much... don't need lots of high tech equiptment... they just need to man the desk and cover lots of ground...

Spot on!

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

Jun 19, 2011 21:00:31 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

You are advocating letting large numbers of people starve. I like the Hitler reference and raise you one:

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

What makes you think you are one of the designated winners? They haven't gotten to you yet.

...where are you going with this? ...you brought it up with the Biblical reference of our not eating because we're not working...

[NoMoreLunacy]

I don't think, however, the solution is to raise labor rates. That will lead to more offshoring. The classic economic solution is redistribution.

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

Jun 19, 2011 21:11:46 GMT -5 NoMoreLunacy said:

Jun 19, 2011 20:37:05 GMT -5 BeenThere...DoneThat... said:

...cutting mail service to M, W, F, S should be more than sufficient for the general population, imo... and mail-order medical supplies or other "essential" services would adjust their prescription/storage limitations accordingly... imo...

Did you know that FedEx and UPS sends the last several miles of mail through the USPS? Cut delivery to 4 days and your 2 day FedEx/UPS delivery is toast.

Guys, shouldn't you actually research the US mailing system before you come up with ridiculous ideas that won't fly?

...that's FedEx's and UPS's problem to solve... and why should I do more research for this discussion?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I probably write and receive 4-5 letters per month (not counting greeting cards.)
And I pay all of my bills by mail.
(I love mail)
I don't know the percentage that would be "junk mail" ... but I do get a lot of catalogs.

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

Jun 19, 2011 21:18:16 GMT -5 @toughtimes said:

You are not understanding, people are being forced into idleness and destitution because of the destruction of their jobs. In today's industrial society, we are dependent on companies to provide most of us our jobs. Small business, always a good thing, depends on customers with the money to buy from them. Lots of unemployed don't pay anyone to do anything for them.

I lay the blame directly on greed and short-sightedness and warn you that you will not be the one left standing at the end of the game. Things are being set up to destroy the middle class entirely, just as has largely occurred regarding blue collar workers.

So far as doing research before speaking, well you are being told that the cost comparison between private courier services and the PO is largely illusory because the PO is carrying them on their backs. I think that would be relevant if you want any mail or parcel post delivery at all whether to your home or your employer.

...wow... just wow...

[Deleted]

First off let me say that the USPO went to a different (lower) pay scale a few years back. I don't know if all workers went to it or really anything about it except that it's lower pay.

Back when we bought a lot of crystal I got to know my mail man pretty well. We talked a fair about while I was waiting for him to put mail up. Anyway one day he was running real late. Turns out that as a "cost cutting" measure they had cut out one of the delivery routes & combined it with either 2 or 3 other routes. That of course threw him late. He commented that he didn't mind because of the extra money. Seems that the longer route make him work long enough for double time pay to kick in. So the last couple of hours he was getting paid either 56 or 58 dollars an hour (don't remember which). That means his normal hourly rate was a little over $25 per hour. That's for delivering mail (you have to read, have a drivers license, & be dependable.

We live in a very LCOL area. Maybe there are a few people here that get paid that much but there sure aren't many of them. For $15 an hour you could have your pick of almost anyone. I thought at the time that his pay was crazy.

[NoMoreLunacy]

The problem is you live in a LCOL area but Federal pays are nationwide.

[NoMoreLunacy]

It is easy to point to pay, hard to analyze the structural difficulties of running a national postal system.

It's the same thing with Amtrak. There is no way to profitably run it. Not a single airlines company, for example, have been able to figure out a long term profitable plan. But people don't consider that when they look at Amtrak.

Next they will want the military to be profitable as well.

[verrip1]

Jun 19, 2011 19:10:11 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

That's why I stock up on Forever Stamps!!! ;D

It seems likely that the total return on Forever Stamps will far outpace the total return of IP bonds or gold. And I can practically guarantee that there is no possibility of downside risk. If only there were a people's market for trading these things at zero commission ...

Hey! Wait a minute! Where's Chory when we need him?

[verrip1]

Jun 19, 2011 21:36:58 GMT -5 NoMoreLunacy said:

Next they will want the military to be profitable as well.

Ahhhh. A Crusade. If only they had kept the papacy in Avignon. Sigh. Those French really knew how to make money from war. Up until the last century, that is.

[billisonboard]

Jun 19, 2011 20:08:25 GMT -5 @marshabar1 said:

Was just at the grocery store in line when the checker walked away mid-transaction. After about five minutes the embarrassed shopper apologized saying he had picked up the one thing in the store that wouldn't scan. My husband said, "Oh, thank God, I was beginning to wonder if the federal government had taken over the grocery stores and I just hadn't heard about it." People piped up all over the place with cracks about Obama, the DMV, the post office. Amazing how many people are on the same page about this administration.

And the truly amazing part is that it was at a private or corporate store and you all were ripping on the government instead of the people that left you standing in line. Just because people are on the same page doesn't mean they have a clue about the whole story.

[NoMoreLunacy]

And the truly amazing part is that it was at a private or corporate store and you all were ripping on the government instead of the people that left you standing in line.

Why is it amazing? Isn't that what people do on this board every single day?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

. . o O (Qu'ils mangent de la brioche?)

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Jun 19, 2011 22:12:15 GMT -5 NoMoreLunacy said:

And the truly amazing part is that it was at a private or corporate store and you all were ripping on the government instead of the people that left you standing in line.

Why is it amazing? Isn't that what people do on this board every single day?

No.

[txbo]

Jun 19, 2011 10:28:04 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

Jun 19, 2011 10:08:02 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

If it is privitized, would the new owners be allowed to get rid of all the deadwood employees, and their union or would they be held to a "everything stays in place" agreement?
If they are held to that, then look for first class mail to go to about $.60 per piece.

I pay someone a few dollars a year (through my tax dollars) to drive by my house six days a week (excluding a few holidays) to see if I need their services. If on a given day I do need their services, I put a flag up on the little box I have outside of my house and they stop and take an envelope out of the box I have placed there. They then take it anywhere in the United States I wish for it to go, place it in a box outside of someone else's house. This additional service costs me $.44 per item (granted that cost could go up to $.60 per item). Sounds like a good deal to me.

The USPS is one of the best thing going for the price I pay. If UPS or FedEx had to perform the same service, the price would be $1.50 per letter.

Correction, I remember mailing just one document from outside the state using UPS and FedEx and the cost was about $6.

[verrip1]

Jun 19, 2011 22:13:31 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

. . o O (Qu'ils mangent de la brioche?)

[Note to self - You can't get away with cussin' in French on this board.]

[fairlycrazy23]

Jun 20, 2011 5:51:24 GMT -5 txbo said:

Jun 19, 2011 10:28:04 GMT -5 billisonboard said:

I pay someone a few dollars a year (through my tax dollars) to drive by my house six days a week (excluding a few holidays) to see if I need their services. If on a given day I do need their services, I put a flag up on the little box I have outside of my house and they stop and take an envelope out of the box I have placed there. They then take it anywhere in the United States I wish for it to go, place it in a box outside of someone else's house. This additional service costs me $.44 per item (granted that cost could go up to $.60 per item). Sounds like a good deal to me.

The USPS is one of the best thing going for the price I pay. If UPS or FedEx had to perform the same service, the price would be $1.50 per letter.

Correction, I remember mailing just one document from outside the state using UPS and FedEx and the cost was about $6.

Why on earth would you use FEDEX/UPS if the cost was so much higher?