Postal Service

[flacaltenn]

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.

[piece-itpete]

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

No restrictions.

Pete

[merrylander]

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.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by merrylander

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.

Dave

[flacaltenn]

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.

[piece-itpete]

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

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by flacaltenn

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.

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

Regards,

D-Ray

[flacaltenn]

D-Ray:

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

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

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

Best Wishes,
FlaCalTenn

[flacaltenn]

BTW:

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

•United States Postal Service. In 1970, the Cabinet-level Post Office Department was replaced by an independent agency within the executive branch, without a separate corporate charter.[28] As an entity of the federal government, it neither collects nor pays state sales, property or income taxes.[29] (Interestingly, the Service pays federal gasoline tax, though only Kentucky and Oregon indicated that the Postal Service is not exempt from their state gasoline tax.[30]) The property held by the USPS was valued in 2006 at $23.1 billion, all exempt from tax with one quasi-exception.[31]

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...

[BlueStreak]

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