USPS what is the point?

Discussion in 'Economics' started by r-in, Apr 20, 2012.

  1. r-in

    r-in

    Feel free to move it if the thread is more political, but I would argue it is economic.
    Dealing with Post Office and a tax return for an estate. Sent it certified mail with signature request. The state has no clue if it came in and the tracking number only tells me I dropped it off. They can't confirm whether it was delivered or not. I have never had this problem with Fed Ex or UPS. I have had similiar issues with the USPS. Is there a point to them operating anymore? I guess there is if you enjoy tax payer subsidized mail, that seems to be incapable of doing what you pay for, and get no real answer why they can't track the package.
    The end result is I have zero faith again in a government agency. For all you fools who buy into the idea that they are actually not a government agency, look into how they are supported, and how difficult it is for anyone to improve a system that should be able to copy private industry, and yet still get public funding. Their system is pathetic and flawed and is unchangeable due to communist era contracts where they in reality have close to zero responsibilty for the lack of quality they provide.
     
  2. empee

    empee

    good paying jobs for people who don't deserve them?
     
  3. morganist

    morganist Guest

    I keep the thread here unless any one requests I move it.
     
  4. piezoe

    piezoe

    I have had many similar annoyances Re USPS, but only in the last few years, before that none. I just want to tell you what a friend who is a retired postmaster told me. He said that during his time as postmaster whenever their retirement fund showed an actuarial surplus Congress dipped into the fund and took the excess out and spent it elsewhere. If the nation decides to let the private courier services handle what the post office now handles: junk mail, first class, etc., we can be confident that rates will go up for all classes, unless Congress interferes, service will get bad for some rural customers or their rates will go way up. And service for the rest of us may become more reliable but perhaps less frequent. I can't think of a single example where something previously run by the government was privatized and costs did not increase significantly. Three things come immediately to mind, one is passport issuance, the second is prisons, and the third is the postal service, which apparently wasn't completely privatized, but just cut loose. The result, in the case of the postal service, is that we seem to be suffering the worst of both the private and public arenas. Net costs in the case of prisons skyrocketed, though the cost per prison bed actually dropped. Passports used to be issued by the government, rapidly and at low cost, now they take a long time and the cost is much higher, and one is invited to pay an exorbitant fee if they want delivery expedited.

    One has to be careful what one wishes for.
     
  5. here in canada we have woman showed up doing census for government,she has only 1 question how many ppl living in house?been here 3 times already getting payed 20$ an hour,i told her it's none of her/government bussiness,fu.... cking government parasites
     
  6. I would much rather have UPS or Fed-ex deliver my mail.

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  7. I think the idea is that mail service is so critical that the governmnet should provide it.

    I needed to send a small box to Australia. Took it to UPS, they told me no way, it would cost a fortune, like $100. They told me go to USPS who did it for $20.

    If you live out in the boondocks, it's just not economically vialble for Fed Ex or UPS to deliver mail at 50 cents a letter.

    Everything doesn't have to be efficient.

    On the list of problems facing USA, USPS is way down there.

    I'd like to see them raise rates a little too high for junk mail (especially in an election year) but still low enough to send the grandkids a birthday card.
     
  8. Lucrum

    Lucrum

    Pretty much. But then one could say the same for most federal government jobs these days. (Military not included)


    There WAS a time when that was true.

    Is it still true? I don't think so.
     
  9. Bob111

    Bob111

    in US census workers will show up only if you fail to fill the questionnaire. it is your duty as a citizen,to help census agency. if YOU do this on time-this would save some money for the gvt. keep curse at them-and they will have to come over and over again.those census employees are hardly parasites,it's a part time job, w\o any benefits that lasts couple months once in 10 years. good support for those,who can't find any job at the time.
    btw-US questionnaire can be from 1 to 10 pages long.
     
  10. piezoe

    piezoe

    I was always told that junk mail was a loser for the USPS because it cost more to handle than the revenue gained. Apparently this is not true if you take into account the USPS fixed costs associated with first class mail. The latest plan of the USPS is to advertise hoping to increase the amount of junk mail to compensate for declining first class. Don't look for your junk mail to decrease anytime soon..
     
    #10     Apr 21, 2012