Postal Service

[bhunter]

The USPS is $8.5 billion in the hole. Some are arguing for postal workers to become an anti-terrorist force by installing nuclear and biological scanners onto the postal service vehicles. Obviously, this could easily expand into other monitoring areas such as law enforcement and drug detection. I find the concept assinine and another encroachment of government into the lives of individuals; however, considering this, I realized that I really do not use snail mail anymore, thus, a better idea might be to do away with the postal service monopoly and let private companies compete similar to the package delivery industry. Is the USPS' monopoly on mail justified given the technological changes that have occurred over the past couple of decades? Why ought private companies not have access to mail boxes of private citizens? How do you feel about having roaming postal trucks in your neighborhood outfitted with spy equipment to supposedly thwart terrorism?

[JonL]

Not crazy about having spy equipment in the postal svc trucks. They should have that stuff at the post offices though. It might have saved some lives during the anthrax thing 10 years ago, and might save many more in the future.

Not crazy about privatizing the mail service either. There's already a number of companies providing expensive and fast document services, they seem to do just fine without having access to mailboxes. I think the post office does an excellent job on most things. Far better than their reputation. I'd like to see them raise the price by a lot on junk mail. I'm sure there's a point at which revenue would decrease, hopefully they're not already on the downside of that curve. If they could raise a little more revenue while substantially cutting down on the wastefulness of junk mail, that would be a boon.

I think the mail is one of those basic elements required for a functional society, and therefore should remain a public, not for profit endeavor. Like schools, roads, defense, *cough* health care *cough*...

[d-ray657]

If the mail were privatized, no company would find it profitable to do business in the most difficult to serve areas. Therefore, the USPS would be left to lose even more money because of it's mission to provide universal service - even in areas where it is not profitable to do so. It's kind of like expecting insurance companies to provide affordable medical insurance to the elderly population. It is the most expensive population to cover. You can be damn sure that insurance companies will charge prices at which they can make a profit. Therefore, that class of citizens would be left with no reasonably affordable way of obtaining coverage.

Regards,

D-Ray

[flacaltenn]

The last quasi govt agency agency I want doing domestic spying is the one that handles the mail.

I've always figured that those rural "hard to serve" areas could be handled "paperboy" style.

Hire high school students to pick it up at school and do the distribution. Good teaching experience as well. Spread the wealth. I figure one RFD postman (which btw I BELIEVE are private contractors anyway my statist buds) == maybe 20 kids with job experience.

[merrylander]

The United States Constitution, Article I "To establish post offices and post roads."

[flacaltenn]

Yup MerryLander:

That's correct..

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by merrylander

The United States Constitution, Article I "To establish post offices and post roads."

So, a "Strict Constitutionalist", as so many nippleheads I have encountered in the last few years like to call themselves, would insist that we maintain the Post Office regardless of how irrelevant it becomes? Give their lives, in the Yankee Doodle Dandiest of fashions, to protect it?

I'll have to remember that one. Thanks, Rob.

Dave

[djv8ga]

Originally Posted by merrylander

The United States Constitution, Article I "To establish post offices and post roads."

I don't see where it says to operate them.

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by djv8ga

I don't see where it says to operate them.

Same thing work with the right to bear arms.

Regards,

D-Ray

[flacaltenn]

Mommy, Mommy.... Why does the red,white,blue truck come up the street everyday and stop at our driveway?

Because years ago honey, when I was YOUR age, those brave men would bring us letters and packages and timely news of shoe sales. And they'd do it in rain, sleet, or hail because OUR COUNTRY under GOD was FOUNDED on the principal of EVERYBODY getting a little something personally delivered to them by the GOVT.

But Mommy, we have replicators now and don't need the mail.. What's he doing now?

Oh, --- well -- he's doing his patriotic duty to sell stamps and he also collects the nuclear waste from our backyard power cells.

D-Ray:

I know. It's an ackward position to support the law sometimes -- isn't it?
Bet your town still has an authorization to hire a blacksmith on their books somewhere.

Bhunter and Whell and the rest of us "traditionalists" will go slink away and figure this out..