"UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. It's the Post Office that's always having proble

kermit

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Then why does my mail box still have the same amount of junk mail?
Both of my parents are USPS retirees. I can tell you for a fact that volume has been steadily declining for years. The reason is that mail used to the primary form of long distance communication both for personal use and for commerce. The telephone enabled people to instantly talk over long distances, but they still enjoyed writing letters and sending cards. Businesses still had to use mail to send business documents (POs, invoices, etc). The fax machine took some of that business away from mail volume, but businesses still relied on mail to send bills to consumers. Today email has almost completely replaced letter writing, and e-Cards are serverly cutting into card volume. Many businesses are doing their business transactions electronically and even a large number of people are doing their bills online.

When I was a kid my dad used to work 50-60 weeks with mandatory OT during Christmas. Between the lower volume and better sorting machinery his last few years OT was voluntary.

One of my duties at work is to administer our EDI system that literally saves us and our customers hundreds of thousands in postage. Currently roughtly 50% of all our business transactions (PO, POA, ASN, BOL, Invoices, etc) go through my system.

Trust me if there was a physical way to eliminate shipping businesses would jump on it.

I want all the USPS "haters" to try something. Make 3 identicle letters and 3 identical packages. Send a letter and package through each using standard delivery. See which gets there first and which is cheapest. The fact is that the USPS is cheaper and quicker, especially with letters.
 
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I want all the USPS "haters" to try something. Make 3 identicle letters and 3 identical packages. Send a letter and package through each using standard delivery. See which gets there first and which is cheapest. The fact is that the USPS is cheaper and quicker, especially with letters.

It doesn't matter because they are $7,000,000,000.00 in debt, and project another SEVEN BILLION in 2010, which of course means it will likely be more like 10 or 12 billion.

I happen to live in a town where the mail delivery is and always has been atrocious. I can't count how many times I have gotten aonther recipient's mail, nor how many time I took that mail myself to the PO and complained, and yet it went on and on. Our PO just reduced their hours, from 8 to 5, down to 9:30 to 4:30.

The current federal budget is unsustainable, so this administration continues to spend borrowed Chinese cash and toss it down rat holes which cannot sustain their own viability.

I don't understand how this is unseen (or discarded) by people who just want what they want. This is how our economy collapsed to begin with.
 
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trunks2k

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I very rarely experience problems with USPS. About the only inconvenience I ever encounter is long lines at the post office, something that could be alleviated by the hiring of more workers. But that would mean more guv'munt fundin', and we all know how bad that is. Unless, of course, it's used to buy Army rifle bullets or useless fighter jets.

USPS doesn't get funding from the government. Its money comes from what it makes on postage. Part of the reason that USPS is hurting for money is because there are limits on how much they can raise they price of postage every year. The number of letters being sent is dropping off drastically because the way we communicate is changing, and the USPS can't raise the price of postage quickly enough to adjust.

If you think about it, the USPS is a marvel. It delivers a mind boggling large amount of mail every day and does so pretty darn quickly and for under 50 cents per letter, you can't really complain. Given the sheer amount of mail, yeah there's going to be problems, but really it's a minuscule percentage of the total amount.
 
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jayem

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RealClearPolitics - Video - Obama: The Post Office Is "Always Having Problems"

Could someone loan me an IRONY meter?..........:doh:


“What I see is a bureaucratic nightmare, Medicaid is broke. Medicare is broke. Social Security is broke. And you want us to believe that a government that can’t even run a Cash for Clunkers program is going to run 1/7th of our U.S. economy?”


Wisdom from ordinary Americans.


Since it still hasn't seemed to have sunken in, the current plans in Congress don't eliminate private insurance. The public option is designed to compete with other carriers, and provide coverage to those who our esteemed private insurance companies won't insure.

BO's obvious point was why should you be afraid of losing private insurance if you think the government can't do anything right? What you're saying is that the government plan will so underprice private insuors, that we'll all sign up--even though we know what incompetent service government provides. It's a wrong-headed assumption on 2 levels. 1) That the vast majority of consumers will automatically buy the cheapest product with no thought to quality. If that were true, you'd never see a Lexus or Mercedes on the road. 2) That private isurors will just roll over and die. They won't compete to keep their business. I don't buy this at all. As BO said, there are private enterprises that successfully compete with the government. Health insurance can be kept out of government's clutches simply by the private carriers providing better service at a competitive price. And that's the whole point.
 
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HerbieHeadley

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Question. Are you required by law to use the USPS to send mail, or can you legally choose to use UPS, FedEx, or other private shipping companies?

If the latter, do you exclusively use private shipping? Why or why not?
1. The U.S. Post Office is the only entity allowed by federal law to deliver first class mail to your mailbox. In fact, Fedex and UPS are strictly prohibited from delivering “non-urgent” letters. If the government can fairly compete and is setting fair rules, wouldn’t the post office be open to competition at your mailbox?

Obamacare: The “Post Office” of Health Care Plans The Foundry

2.) If Americans were offered “free” postage paid for by massive government spending and tax hikes, would Fedex and UPS still exist?

6.) But the most important question is this: if you have an urgent piece of mail you need delivered, life or death, who are you going to call? Everyone saying the government…please raise your hands. (crickets)
 
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6.) But the most important question is this: if you have an urgent piece of mail you need delivered, life or death, who are you going to call? Everyone saying the government…please raise your hands. (crickets)

You have never heard of certified mail? I trust the USPS.
 
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kermit

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The current federal budget is unsustainable, so this administration continues to spend borrowed Chinese cash and toss it down rat holes which cannot sustain their own viability.
That is beside the point. The USPS is not cost center.
 
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kermit

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You have never heard of certified mail? I trust the USPS.
Agreed. FedEx and USP are notorious for misdeliveries and late deliveries.

Also, certified mail is still cheaper than either UPS or FedEx standard rate.
 
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TheGuide

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RealClearPolitics - Video - Obama: The Post Office Is "Always Having Problems"

Could someone loan me an IRONY meter?..........:doh:


“What I see is a bureaucratic nightmare, Medicaid is broke. Medicare is broke. Social Security is broke. And you want us to believe that a government that can’t even run a Cash for Clunkers program is going to run 1/7th of our U.S. economy?”


Wisdom from ordinary Americans.

The post office is having problems because they are not use to competition. As is the insurance industry. They have tried to adjust to the onslaught of competition without mass layoff, but they are top heavy and, unfortunately, are getting ready to layoff postal workers and close some shops throughout the country. Then they will be able to compete.
 
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jamesrwright3

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Regardless, the point stands..and I don't think Obama knew he was hurting his cause by the words he was using. The bottom line is there are no efficient government programs/agencies. All are slow to make changes and have no incentives to cut costs.. After all, the worst case scenario is they ask for more money from the taxpayers next year. All programs are hampered by the fact that there is always a political angle in terms of how they are managed. Government workers are members of unions which I find to be ridiculous because they work for the people to begin with.
 
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Risen Tree

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It doesn't matter because they are $7,000,000,000.00 in debt, and project another SEVEN BILLION in 2010, which of course means it will likely be more like 10 or 12 billion.

I happen to live in a town where the mail delivery is and always has been atrocious. I can't count how many times I have gotten aonther recipient's mail, nor how many time I took that mail myself to the PO and complained, and yet it went on and on. Our PO just reduced their hours, from 8 to 5, down to 9:30 to 4:30.

The current federal budget is unsustainable, so this administration continues to spend borrowed Chinese cash and toss it down rat holes which cannot sustain their own viability.

I don't understand how this is unseen (or discarded) by people who just want what they want. This is how our economy collapsed to begin with.

The Post Office is what crashed the economy last year? :scratch:

USPS doesn't get funding from the government. Its money comes from what it makes on postage. Part of the reason that USPS is hurting for money is because there are limits on how much they can raise they price of postage every year. The number of letters being sent is dropping off drastically because the way we communicate is changing, and the USPS can't raise the price of postage quickly enough to adjust.

If you think about it, the USPS is a marvel. It delivers a mind boggling large amount of mail every day and does so pretty darn quickly and for under 50 cents per letter, you can't really complain. Given the sheer amount of mail, yeah there's going to be problems, but really it's a minuscule percentage of the total amount.

Wow, I honestly didn't know that the Post Office received zero federal funding. I think that doing so should be considered, complete with a cost-benefit analysis of whatever funds are proposed. To those who oppose this, keep in mind the economic principle of externalities. If a $1B investment produces a $3B economic boost, then it is more than worth it. Viewed another way, the $7B deficit the USPS is currently running (I'm going to assume that number is true, for now) is entirely justifiable if that $7B creates more than that in economic benefits. Contrary to what many capitalists believe, running an organization at a loss is NOT necessarily a bad thing.

1. The U.S. Post Office is the only entity allowed by federal law to deliver first class mail to your mailbox. In fact, Fedex and UPS are strictly prohibited from delivering “non-urgent” letters. If the government can fairly compete and is setting fair rules, wouldn’t the post office be open to competition at your mailbox?

Obamacare: The “Post Office” of Health Care Plans The Foundry

2.) If Americans were offered “free” postage paid for by massive government spending and tax hikes, would Fedex and UPS still exist?

6.) But the most important question is this: if you have an urgent piece of mail you need delivered, life or death, who are you going to call? Everyone saying the government…please raise your hands. (crickets)

How come you numbered your points #2 and 6? :scratch:

The post office is having problems because they are not use to competition. As is the insurance industry. They have tried to adjust to the onslaught of competition without mass layoff, but they are top heavy and, unfortunately, are getting ready to layoff postal workers and close some shops throughout the country. Then they will be able to compete.

"No competition"? Despite the fact that UPS has been around since 1907? :scratch:

Regardless, the point stands..and I don't think Obama knew he was hurting his cause by the words he was using. The bottom line is there are no efficient government programs/agencies. All are slow to make changes and have no incentives to cut costs.. After all, the worst case scenario is they ask for more money from the taxpayers next year. All programs are hampered by the fact that there is always a political angle in terms of how they are managed. Government workers are members of unions which I find to be ridiculous because they work for the people to begin with.

Can you please post some non-biased evidence to support all these claims?
 
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chaz345

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Didn't FedEx have to implement pay cuts to avoid layoffs a few months back?

Maybe, but that's nothing compared to crying about losses, asking for and getting yet another rate increase, and then giving out millions in bonuses like the USPS did a few years back.
 
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jamesrwright3

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Can you please post some non-biased evidence to support all these claims?

I think it would be up to you to show us where government quickly addressed inefficiencies and waste. There would be too many examples to cite on my end. Even on a state level, you see very few "conservative" states with major budget issues. The most liberal states are the ones with the largest deficits.
 
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kermit

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Maybe, but that's nothing compared to crying about losses, asking for and getting yet another rate increase, and then giving out millions in bonuses like the USPS did a few years back.
I'm not going to claim the USPS doens't have some management problem. I worked there for 2 years as an IT intern. My Mom was literally 1 step from district manager so I heard all kinds of stories. Having worked in corporate America for almost a decade I can tell you that they are no worse than anyone else. No matter where you work any org that size has the same kind of poeple making the same kind of stupid decisions and getting paid large sum to do little more than CYA.
 
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DZoolander

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lol - well - my wife runs a business (and I have a little part time business for my own entertainment) where we do mail order stuff.

Simply put - if I send a letter via USPS - it costs 44 cents. My experience has been that cross country will take about 2-3 days on average... Within a radius of a few states - it will be overnight.

...reliably.

The same letter - via FedEx - will run me on average about $24.00.

UPS - last I checked it was around $27.

If I want to send a package - who to go with really varies depending on the type of package it is...however...most of the time I can do flat rate boxes for around $8 with USPS. FedEx and UPS are far more expensive.

...and really not any more dependable.

So - I don't get why anyone disparages the post office. I've never had anything but good experiences with them as a carrier. They're comparatively cheap and quite reliable.

In the past two years - we only had one thing ever go missing... It was an international order - and it got lost once it arrived in Italy.

Just sayin'
 
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chaz345

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I'm not going to claim the USPS doens't have some management problem. I worked there for 2 years as an IT intern. My Mom was literally 1 step from district manager so I heard all kinds of stories. Having worked in corporate America for almost a decade I can tell you that they are no worse than anyone else. No matter where you work any org that size has the same kind of poeple making the same kind of stupid decisions and getting paid large sum to do little more than CYA.

I agree completely. So why is it that government is inherently better than corporations?

Last time I asked that I got accountability as an answer but the fact of the matter is, just as government is accountable through the voting process, so are corporations accountable through competition. If you get screwed by one company, take your business elsewhere.
 
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kermit

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I agree completely. So why is it that government is inherently better than corporations?

Last time I asked that I got accountability as an answer but the fact of the matter is, just as government is accountable through the voting process, so are corporations accountable through competition. If you get screwed by one company, take your business elsewhere.
I don't believe that government is inherently better than corporations. It all depends upon what service is being offered. People bad mouth the USPS, but neither FedEx nor UPS can deliver anywhere near the volume as the USPS at anywhere near the same cost to the consumer. Let's say they raise postage to 50 cents to cover their rising expenses, that's still more than 20 times cheaper than either FedEx or UPS.

When I say volume I don't just mean letters. The USPS handles more parcels than FedEx and UPS combined.
 
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