U.S. Postal Service On Edge of a Default

[B-Fly]

So we have to perpetuate an inefficient, unweildy, multi-million-dollar government institution so you can maintain the pretense of caring about your mom occasionally without having to actually invest in the relationship?

Should the government be essentially ensuring that every American access to affordable communication with every other American? If snail mail is inefficient and unwieldy, should government be subsidizing internet and/or telecommunications access for all? for the poor? Or is communications a service appropriately turned over to the private market with the understanding that the cost of communications may ultimately rise to the level where the poor can't really afford to do much of it? Because if you take away the USPS as a low-cost competitor to the likes of FedEx and UPS, you can't expect FedEx and UPS to offer any delivery, be it a personal letter, a magazine, a bill payment or otherwise, at less than a few bucks a pop. No?

[senorsheep]

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'm not suggesting maintaining post offices in rural areas. I'm suggesting that the USPS could runs trucks around to those places once a week to drop off and pick up mail.

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.

Yeah, your suggestions sound reasonable to me. It seems crazy that nobody thought to do these things 20 years ago. Now, who do you suppose would fight these simple and sensible proposals tooth and nail, and why?

[B-Fly]

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 that's the difference between government and private business, right? Government can provide services because it's the right thing to do, whereas business will only provide service to the extent it's profitable. When folks talk about privatizing education, the problem is that there's no profit motive to educate children whose parents have no market power. The same is true for communications. There's no profit motive for serving Bumflock, SD, but isn't there a societal value to ensuring that the rural poor have access to send and receive mail, even if there's no way to make a profit off of it?

[senorsheep]

Should the government be essentially ensuring that every American access to affordable communication with every other American?

Hell no.

If snail mail is inefficient and unwieldy, should government be subsidizing internet and/or telecommunications access for all? for the poor?

Already done. See your local school or library.

Or is communications a service appropriately turned over to the private market with the understanding that the cost of communications may ultimately rise to the level where the poor can't really afford to do much of it?

Yes. Given the remarkable number of our poor that can seem to afford cell phones, Playstations, cable packages, etc., I'll wager that most of them will manage to find a way to communicate. See your local school or library.

Because if you take away the USPS as a low-cost competitor to the likes of FedEx and UPS, you can't expect FedEx and UPS to offer any delivery, be it a personal letter, a magazine, a bill payment or otherwise, at less than a few bucks a pop. No?

Sorry, Santa Clause is broke. See your local school or library.

[Steve]

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.

I think doing away with Saturday delivery is the best idea I've heard in a while. But why not just to to MWF delivery? That would save 6 billion dollars a year. I know most of my mail could wait 1 day. (Unless, I'm expecting a package from Amazon, of course.)

[Mithrandir]

Hear Hear Sheep!!

[TranaGreg]

IMHO ...

There's no profit motive for serving Bumflock, SD, but isn't there a societal value to ensuring that the rural poor have access to send and receive mail, even if there's no way to make a profit off of it?

this. ...

I think doing away with Saturday delivery is the best idea I've heard in a while. But why not just to to MWF delivery?

... and this.

it would suck if my mother couldn't correspond with her distant friends & relatives (she's 81, she ain't getting on the net).

[Kevin Seitzer]

But why not just to to MWF delivery?

And while we're at, if we all left out one word from each of our sentences, the mail would be lighter to carry, and the Postal Service would save millions on fuel costs.

[TranaGreg]

And while we're at, if we all left out one word from each of our sentences, the mail would be lighter to carry, and the Postal Service would save millions on fuel costs.

I absolutely with you.

[Wonderboy]

And while we're at, if we all left out one word from each of our sentences, the mail would be lighter to carry, and the Postal Service would save millions on fuel costs.

This could be the Post of the Year!

[Steve]

And while we're at, if we all left out one word from each of our sentences, the mail would be lighter to carry, and the Postal Service would save millions on fuel costs.

Actually, I used the wrong word. I didn't leave one out. (I doubled up on "to").

[Steve]

This could be the Post of the Year!

You meant to type:

Ths cld B th P of the Y.

Quit using unnecessary bandwidth.

[Mithrandir]

And while we're at, if we all left out one word from each of our sentences, the mail would be lighter to carry, and the Postal Service would save millions on fuel costs.

would the mail really be lighter leaving out one word? how much weight does lead or ink add to the weight of the paper?

[TranaGreg]

would the mail really be lighter leaving out one word? how much weight does lead or ink add to the weight of the paper?

lead???

edit: oh, graphite, as in pencil lead ... took me a minute there ...

[Steve]

would the mail really be lighter leaving out one word? how much weight does lead or ink add to the weight of the paper?

I literally have no response to this......