Postal Service
 

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?

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*...

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

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.

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

Yup MerryLander:

That's correct..

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

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

Same thing work with the right to bear arms.:rolleyes:

Regards,

D-Ray

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? :o
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..

I've Got It!!

This is the origin of Star Fleet Command.

To go where No Man has gone before...

... to create "post roads"..

OMG -- James T. Kirk works for the US Postal Service. :eek:

The feds have the authority to establish post offices. Doesn't say how, doesn't say it can't be private....

No restrictions.

Pete

We have postal rates about half what other industrialized countries have. The USPS works just fine. Privatize it? Go over to AK and hear what members say about FedEx and UPS.

:p

Dave

THe rates are low because they are exempted from rules and regulations and because Congress writes them a check every year for say $8.5Bil.
You're paying one way or another.

I guess $8.5Bil is "worth it". That's only about $56 a year for EVERY taxfiling family. But only 1/2 of those families are actually paying taxes. So it's welfare for about 75Mil taxfiling families - and about $115 a year for those that actually pay. That my happy statists -- is a LOT of stamps.. Not counting the misery index of actually DEALING with the P.O. in person.. Not the most pleasant group of service providers are they?

Don't know what the gripes are at AK about FedEx/UPS. But the electronics industry absolutely thrives on them. No problems. Other than the fact that I can' t convince FedEx to take that "Home Delivery" charge off my bills.

I deal extensively with UPS and to a lesser degree Fedex at work. I've also shipped UPS personally, ebay dealings.

You've got to pack right! Sell say a big Marantz, you've got to feel comfortable dropping it from chest high and standing on it.

Even then it could fall off a 40 high conveyor or get backed over by a truck. But UPS is amazing. Fedex, they still run private contractor trucks, and their customer service department has lied to me.

Pete

So that's about 8 overnight letters a year at Fed ex rates. Just some perspective.

Regards,

D-Ray

D-Ray:

OR -- about 16 overnight letters a year at USPS rates! :D

OR-- about the amount that the govt pays you for burial expenses under SSI. :D :D Except that you don't get that EVERY year...

Best Wishes,
FlaCalTenn

BTW:

The $8.5Bil yearly loss is not the ONLY cost that taxpayers have to cover..

JUST to be complete about this. To quote John Lennon..

"Imagine there's no gas tax.
It's easy if you try,
Tax the land below us?
That's not gonna fly. "

That's a huge chunk of State/Local revenue as well. So I'll wager we're up to about 18 or 20 USPS overnights/year D-Ray..

No wonder the USPS isn't driving electric vehicles eh? Put em all in left-drive Chevy Volts and see how THAT works for them...

Never had a problem with UPS, or the USPS. But, one time I had a telescope, 8" Newtonian, shipped to the house. I saw the Fedex truck pull up, the guy got out, with the large box on a dolly, wheeled it up to the porch and DROPPED it. I was standing right there. When it fell over, I heard the unmistakable sound of broken glass inside metal. I said, "It sounds extremely broken." He replied, "Sure does." Turned around and left.

I was able to get a new primary mirror for it and repair it myself. But, it took well over a month to get any money for the damage from Fedex.

Jagoffs.

Dave

Fed Ex is the only one of the three that is non-union. Of course we all know that Fed Ex leaves its employees stranded on a desert island, with no one to talk to but a volleyball named Wilson.

Regards,

D-Ray

As I understand it are the FedEx drivers not contractors rather than employees? I hve an account with UPS and they have made good when they screwed up. As for USPS it may be because it is a small office, but I know everyone by name as they do me, never any problems.