Posted on 02/08/2013 1:22:31 PM PST by Ouchthatonehurt
You know that feeling of pleasure you get when you see someone stand up to a bullying, incompetent boss? It’s viscerally satisfying, isn’t it?
That’s the way I felt this morning when I heard Postmaster General Patrick Donahue announce that the U.S. Postal Service intended to move forward with a plan to stop Saturday delivery of mail, effective sometime in August. In doing so, Donahue stuck his thumb in the eye of the U.S. Congress, the mail agency’s ultimate boss. Bravo, Mr. Donahue.
You may think I have incorrectly identified the incompetent party here. After all, it’s a deeply ingrained part of Americans’ worldview that our postal service is the epitome of inefficiency and bad management, the perfect example of a bungling, poorly run government bureaucracy. That view gets reinforced from all kinds of sources – jaded journalists, editorial cartoonists given more to clichés than to cleverness, free-market economists, and others.
(Excerpt) Read more at salon.com ...
Congress? how about unions.
“......That view gets reinforced from all kinds of sources – jaded journalists, editorial cartoonists given more to clichés than to cleverness, free-market economists, and others.............”
He forgot EXPERIENCE of the consumer I believe.
Gist: Eevil Congress forced the USPS to fund its unfunded liabilities. If only USPS could have followed the deficit spending model of the US Government, everything would be Okay.
Gist: Eevil Congress forced the USPS to fund its unfunded liabilities. If only USPS could have followed the deficit spending model of the US Government, everything would be Okay.
First class mail volume is down 40%.
While congress and unions are big contributors, that decline would probably have happened even if stamps were 20 cents.
Technological change grinds on.
BS. The decline in mail volume is forcing USPS to consolidate its operations is all. The shift of commercial mail from 3rd class to online media has been particularly damaging because that was traditionally one of the most profitable services.
Horse Puhtooties.
The unions have demanded keeping rural offices open and are completely against reducing the days of use or elimination of offices to pare operating expenses.
Further, the unions extort the taxpayer for their retirement package, of which, they pay little to nothing toward and will continue ue to receive lavish insurance throughout their retirement.
The post office is run life some idiot and anachronistic oligarchy whose sole premise is old age or rather, retirement patronage. Gratis from the taxpayer.
Sorry PO people...
When they knew they were in a deficit (when weren’t they?) they continued to spend millions to advertise entities like Lance Armstrong, sponsored a NASCAR car, advertised in prime time etc...
Everybody knows WHO the Post Office is, there really isn’t any need to advertise to drum up business...
If they feel the need to advertise, send EVERYONE A LETTER.
Oh, that is right, if they were to deliver a letter to everyone, many might end up being on Newman’s route.
While at it, I would ask why the Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force find it necessary to advertise say during the Super Bowl.
Of course, the stock answer is “We have money set aside in OUR budget” for advertisements....
Maybe so, but YOUR budget is OUR money.
In my way of thinking, the dumber the ad the least likely I am to purchase the product. I wouldn’t buy an insurance policy from GEICO or Progressive because of their stupid advertisements.
And with MOST advertisements geared down to the 4-8 year old, if I haven’t already been buying the product I wouldn’t start now AND you may even ‘force’ me to your competitor if you stooped low enough.
Olympia Snow and her crowd came up with this idea that they could tap into the USPS for several billiion dollars every year to reduce the deficit ~ and that nobody would notice!
The $5.4 billion payment each year for 10 years is to fund health care insurance for postal retirees 75 years in the future. NO ONE DOES THAT ~ not or private companies, not for government agencies.
We got rid of Olympia the RINO ~ now to remove the disasters she left behind.
You really blew it on that one ~ it’s members of the US Senate who demand the small unneeded rural post offices be kept open. True enough the postmasters have an association which looks remarkably like a union, but it’s not really a union.
What I find just plain unbelievably stupid is the plan to stop Saturday mail. Wednesday is the logical way to go. Of course that would mean working weekends with split days off.
Why make a business decision based on ..... business?
All postal revenues are derived from postage payment, not your precious taxpayers ~ the deal here is that the customers pay ~ a remarkably simple concept some people just can't get through their heads.
Can you show us a historical graph of number of employees vs. volume of first class mail?
I laughed at him ~ told him NOBODY had gotten Sunday delivery because God wouldn't allow it, and if I were him I"d stay away from thunderbolts in the future.
That made it to the chairman of the board of governors, and they all had a good laugh.
Actually the guy had been getting Sunday delivery from the old Post Ofice Department ~ but USPS didn't offer that service.
That's an aggregate 700% productivity improvement! The price of a first class stamp (for one ounce or less) adjusted for inflation is about the same now as it was then.
You make it sound like the USPS is worth something. Let’s sell it off in pieces to FEDEX, UPS and whoever will bid. The real estate alone postoffices in high value locations should bring in many billions.
Obama wants more revenue. Let’s give it to him.
We’ve been over this before. Even if they didn’t pay the pension obligations, the USPS still lost BILLIONS last year.
Shut ‘er down, Scotty, she’s a-pumpin’ mud!
Not true. The USPS borrows money from the taxpayers. Also, you keep talking about the pension payments, but I read an article a month ago that said the USPS failed to make the most recent payment. So, you are carping about a payment that they missed?
So another personal example of these USPS losers, I order a $400 item, delivered by the USPS, but rather than bring it up my driveway to me, there rubber-band it to my mailbox at the end of the driveway. Brilliant.
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