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U.S. Postal Service On Edge of a Default

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  • #1

    U.S. Postal Service On Edge of a Default

    Even with a near monopoly, they can't be run efficiently.

    http://news.yahoo.com/us-postal-warns-could-default-222059604.html


    The government's mail service said it lost $3.1 billion in the period from April to June, blaming "the anemic state of the economy" and the growing popularity of electronic communications over old-fashioned letters.

    As a result of its mounting losses, the US Postal Service said it would not be able to make a legally required $5.5 billion payment in September to a health-benefits trust fund.

    "Absent substantial legislative change, the Postal Service will be forced to default on payments to the federal government," it said in a statement.
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  • #2
    Well, America would rejoice if they double/tripled/pick a factor the rate on bulk mail credit card offers.

    Comment

    • #3
      1. Eliminate Saturday delivery. That alone saves over 2 billion.

      2. Close rural post offices that are only open for political purposes. There are over 30,000 post offices in the US, more than Walmart, Starbucks, and McDonalds combined. No one should have more offices than McDonalds. You should do this just like they did the military base closures.

      3. Increase postage to 45 cents. Frankly, it's ludicrous that I can send a package from New York to Los Angeles for less than half the price of a cup of coffee.

      Those three alone turn a 3 billion dollar deficit into a billion dollar surplus.
      “Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.”
      -Ralph Waldo Emerson

      Comment

      • #4
        Farm it out to Fedex or UPS and reduce the number of deliveries per week to unprofitable locations.
        "The Times found no pattern of sexual misconduct by Mr. Biden, beyond the hugs, kisses and touching that women previously said made them uncomfortable." -NY Times

        "For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus, nationally, you’ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she’s talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts" - Joe Biden

        Comment

        • #5
          Originally posted by cardboardbox View Post
          Farm it out to Fedex or UPS and reduce the number of deliveries per week to unprofitable locations.
          Which is exactly what any businessman with P&L responsibility and a pulse would have done 20 yrs ago.

          Why haven't they? Four words: American Postal Workers Union. There's a better chance of Jimmy Hoffa starting at SS for the Yankees next year, than this administration doing anything of significance to roil a union with 600,000 members.

          Comment

          • #6
            How does the US government "farm it out" to FedEx and UPS, as opposed to just folding and waiting for the private sector to fill the resulting void? The USPS doesn't have any sort of contract with its customers to subcontract to a private entity. What it has, to borrow UPS's slogan, is logistics, in the form of its assets - trucks, planes, mailboxes, post offices. Is there a public good issue here, such as certain entities that receive non-profit postage rates, or certain remote locations that only the government would serve because pick-up and delivery to such locations would never be profitable?

            Comment

            • #7
              Originally posted by B-Fly View Post
              ... or certain remote locations that only the government would serve because pick-up and delivery to such locations would never be profitable?
              Yeah, this. It's silly to have the USPS service Denver, but they could fill in the gaps in rural areas where UPS and FedEx wouldn't go.
              "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."
              "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
              "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."

              Comment

              • #8
                fedex isn't driving to my house to give me a postcard from my mom for $.45.

                I agree 100% with all of wonderboy's suggestions.

                Oh, and Subway passed McDonalds sometime earlier this year in the number of stores.
                I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert...

                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by heyelander View Post
                  fedex isn't driving to my house to give me a postcard from my mom for $.45.
                  A postcard?! How quaint! Maybe it's time Mom was introduced to e-mail, Facebook, and/or texting.
                  "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."
                  "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
                  "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    that's what I want... mom on facebook or texting me...

                    edit:
                    ha... I went to your profile here to see if I could find any info that would allow me to friend you on facebook... I liked this note

                    senorsheep has not made any friends yet
                    Sounds about right. :P
                    I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert...

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Originally posted by heyelander View Post
                      that's what I want... mom on facebook or texting me...
                      So we have to perpetuate an inefficient, unweildy, multi-million-dollar government institution so you can maintain the pretense of caring about your mother occasionally without having to actually invest anything significant in the relationship?
                      "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."
                      "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
                      "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Originally posted by senorsheep View Post
                        Yeah, this. It's silly to have the USPS service Denver, but they could fill in the gaps in rural areas where UPS and FedEx wouldn't go.
                        I think part of the problem is that it's the rural post offices that are least profitable and should be shut down. I don't see why Bumflock, South Dakota needs a post office. But maybe some sort of kiosk could provide some service to rural areas without a full time office? Like a big pick up twice a week instead of daily and also sell postage?

                        I dunno, but it sure seems like there are some easy answers here. For one, I can get by without Saturday delivery to save 2 billion dollars a year.
                        “Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.”
                        -Ralph Waldo Emerson

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Originally posted by heyelander View Post
                          that's what I want... mom on facebook or texting me...

                          edit:
                          ha... I went to your profile here to see if I could find any info that would allow me to friend you on facebook... I liked this note



                          Sounds about right. :P
                          That's what I want... heyelander on facebook or texting me...
                          "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."
                          "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
                          "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Originally posted by senorsheep View Post
                            So we have to perpetuate an inefficient, unweildy, multi-million-dollar government institution so you can maintain the pretense of caring about your mother occasionally without having to actually invest anything significant in the relationship?
                            Hey, why should my mom be any different than my wife?
                            “Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.”
                            -Ralph Waldo Emerson

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Originally posted by senorsheep View Post
                              So we have to perpetuate an inefficient, unweildy, multi-million-dollar government institution so you can maintain the pretense of caring about your mother occasionally without having to actually invest anything significant in the relationship?
                              Finally, our tax money going to something worthwhile!
                              I'm not expecting to grow flowers in the desert...

                              Comment

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