Posted on 12/24/2013 6:32:09 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
WASHINGTON (AP) - Mailing a letter is about to get a little more expensive.
Regulators on Tuesday approved a temporary price hike of 3 cents for a first-class stamp, bringing the charge to 49 cents a letter in an effort to help the Postal Service recover from severe mail decreases brought on by the 2008 economic downturn.
Many consumers won't feel the price increase immediately. Forever stamps, good for first-class postage whatever the future rate, can be purchased at the lower price until the new rate is effective Jan. 26.
The higher rate will last no more than two years, allowing the Postal Service to recoup $2.8 billion in losses. By a 2-1 vote, the independent Postal Regulatory Commission rejected a request to make the price hike permanent, though inflation over the next 24 months may make it so.
The surcharge "will last just long enough to recover the loss," Commission Chairman Ruth Y. Goldway said.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc27.com ...
When has a government* price hike or tax hike ever truly been temporary?
or quasi-governmental agency, for you sticklers...
What’s a “letter”?
If anyone believes that then I have some oceanfront land in Arizona I would like to sell you.
Its still cheaper than most countries.
In fact we would be better off if the USPS could raise their rates according to need rather than having to go through congress. It would probably be closer to a buck but the postal service would be in better shape.
Bwah-hahahahahaha. The higher rate will last no more than two years before being replaced by an even HIGHER rate. And that will probably happen far sooner than 2 years.
I have so 'had it' with the USPS, who have mishandled two exceptionally important pieces of my mail in the past year -- one of which involved a court case, and the other a stock certificate worth approximately $30k.
And the 'Two Day Priority Mail' package I paid $9 to send at 9:30 on December 21st has made it all the way to Allen Park, Mi by today at 9:48 P.M. (It was supposed to be delivered in New Orleans today...)
Did I mention that I live about 6 miles from Allen Park, MI?
Gee, I wonder why the USPS is losing so much money?
this temporary price rate hike, will never be repealed.
they know it, it’s a total BS story for the public.
I say abolish the USPS and let UPS or Fed Ex cannibalize its carcass.
I only send one letter a month. It contains the only check I have to write each month. That is to my gardener.
I used to send 15 to 20 checks and letters. So I am saving!
“I remember when it Cost 5 cents”
___________________________________________________
I remember 3 cents!. What I don’t understand, why 49?
If they have to raise it, why not 50 cents, an even amount.
UPS and FedEx don’t want it. Where I live they make all their deliveries to the post office rather than home deliveries.
The higher rate will last no more than two years............. LIARS!!!!! OH, they mean after the 2 years they’ll raise it to 55 cents? How the USPS rates go, so will go Obama care.
The decrease in mail volume is caused not just by the economic downturn, but by new communication technologies. My bank pays my bills now, so I don't need to waste 10 minutes and 40+ cents to mail a check. Advertisers are seeing worse return from their mail campaigns, as people have less money to spend on optional purchases. USPS is stuck in manual delivery mode that requires huge expenses of money and labor. Most of that is unnecessary today. Only parcels need to be delivered, and that is handled by courier services that have no burden of delivering daily into your mailbox. Everything else can be delivered electronically, securely, and wherever you are. Cost of USPS services will continue its climb, and with fewer advertisers it becomes a positive feedback loop.
Forever stamps not forever..sigh
I would let UPS and FedEx pick up all the distribution from the point of origin post offices to the destination post offices and let the locals figure out what they want to do for rural and home deliveries from there. The primary costs of the USPS is in distribution and related labor. I would also cut PO hours to 3 days per week.
My local post office has 1 full time employee and 1 rural route driver shared between 3 post offices covering a sizable chunk of the county.
Become a social media hub like Facebook. Create a postoffice.com site and email address for people and let users get all the e-mail and ads they want. They can even get the type of junk mail they want or magazine brochures.
They can have a free version, a trial version, or an annual paid subscription with no ads and military-grade email protection. Even through in online banking through the USPS and set up a service like MoneyGram. At the same-time, just offer buyouts to retirees that have pensions and gradually phase out all mail delivery.
They gotta find some way to pay those high school graduates their $100,000 salaries. After all it takes great skills to be able to read a number and match it with a PO Box and/or house number or ask the customer if they want the sheet or book of stamps.
It’s only for two years, and then it drops back. Whew! That’s ok then.
That’s because it’s unconstitutional for any entity other than the govey to operate the mail system. And they use the USPS because it is subsidized by us poor saps.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.