Postal Service Loses $3.5 Billion in 3rd Quarter

[tpreitzel]

Oh, sure... time for regulatory changes which grant this monstrosity even more power to snoop, etc. Let's confine the constitutionally mandated postal service to the District of Columbia and privatize mail delivery to everyone else... D.C. deserves the best service that federal employees can provide.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0517225620100805

 

[WaltM]

Oh, sure... time for regulatory changes which grant this monstrosity even more power to snoop, etc. Let's confine the constitutionally mandated postal service to the District of Columbia and privatize mail delivery to everyone else... D.C. deserves the best service that federal employees can provide.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0517225620100805

do you deal with packages on a regular basis?

I do, and USPS is the fairly affordable one for me. Maybe you want to tell me I don't deserve low priced services at another's expense, but if they were not cheap, you'd be complaining that the government is ripping us off.

And please save the "if they legalized competition everything would be cheaper" BS to yourself, how many here are willing to work like USPS workers for less than they're paid?

 

[heavenlyboy34]

do you deal with packages on a regular basis?

I do, and USPS is the fairly affordable one for me. Maybe you want to tell me I don't deserve low priced services at another's expense, but if they were not cheap, you'd be complaining that the government is ripping us off.

And please save the "if they legalized competition everything would be cheaper" BS to yourself, how many here are willing to work like USPS workers for less than they're paid?

Post Office Finances Now Officially High Risk — No Kidding

Yes, let's prop up a failing institution because it makes Walt feel good. Economic reality be damned!

 

[cbc58]

please. the USPS is bloated with excessive spending and outrageous legacy costs. another govt. div. where workers pensions and benefits should be cut in half. i'd like to see the salaries of workers - seriously.

true story - went to post office to mail a package. postal worker stationed to check my package in-line before i get to counter to make sure the address is correctly wrtten. asked why he was doing it and it was because they didn't have any other work for him to do. so instead of getting rid of this employee they put him into some useless position.

 

[WaltM]

Post Office Finances Now Officially High Risk — No Kidding

Yes, let's prop up a failing institution because it makes Walt feel good. Economic reality be damned!

let's see how private insitutions can do it without bank loans.

 

[tpreitzel]

do you deal with packages on a regular basis?

I do, and USPS is the fairly affordable one for me. Maybe you want to tell me I don't deserve low priced services at another's expense, but if they were not cheap, you'd be complaining that the government is ripping us off.

And please save the "if they legalized competition everything would be cheaper" BS to yourself, how many here are willing to work like USPS workers for less than they're paid?

Tough ... BTW, how about allowing free markets to deliver mail except within the District of Columbia. We, the people, then might have kiosks in our neighborhoods with private keys transmitted electronically, etc. The possibilities for truly efficient delivery of mail are numerous when government is removed from the equation...

 

[heavenlyboy34]

let's see how private insitutions can do it without bank loans.

Who said anything about getting rid of bank loans? Free banking works fine. (Mises and Rothbard agree with me on this, btw) Even in the absence of free banking, private Credit Unions can and do serve this purpose.

 

[Disconsolate]

do you deal with packages on a regular basis?

I do, and USPS is the fairly affordable one for me. Maybe you want to tell me I don't deserve low priced services at another's expense, but if they were not cheap, you'd be complaining that the government is ripping us off.

And please save the "if they legalized competition everything would be cheaper" BS to yourself, how many here are willing to work like USPS workers for less than they're paid?

Even if your logic is correct and prices go up in absence of USPS, so what?

Prices are held down at the expense of other things. We're allowing them to thrive while preventing something else from growing.

 

[WaltM]

please. the USPS is bloated with excessive spending and outrageous legacy costs. another govt. div. where workers pensions and benefits should be cut in half. i'd like to see the salaries of workers - seriously.

Fair enough.

The service costs aren't high though, can you disagree?

true story - went to post office to mail a package. postal worker stationed to check my package in-line before i get to counter to make sure the address is correctly wrtten. asked why he was doing it and it was because they didn't have any other work for him to do. so instead of getting rid of this employee they put him into some useless position.

that worker can actually sit in the back listening to his iPod and pretend to be inspecting mail if he wanted to.

He's probably on salary, meaning if he went home, it won't save any money.

But depending on where you are, some post offices DO need such a person to keep things flowing and maximize overall efficiency, such that they can get more done with less time, and not waste customer's time if they don't have to.

I won't be surprised if the post office has wasteful pensions and salaries, but love their low cost services and would LOVE to see a private sector replace it. Those who say "let it fail", I hope you have nothing to lose from it.

 

[cbc58]

you want change but are not willing to participate in it on an equal basis. you want less govt. but want govt. to support you. round and round we go...

 

[WaltM]

Even if your logic is correct and prices go up in absence of USPS, so what?

Prices are held down at the expense of other things. We're allowing them to thrive while preventing something else from growing.

So what? Don't let me hear you complain when they go up. I know exactly who will be affected from postal fees, not that it justifies any stealing or subsidies, I hope you know what you're wishing for (because I do).

 

[WaltM]

Tough ... BTW, how about allowing free markets to deliver mail except within the District of Columbia. We, the people, then might have kiosks in our neighborhoods with private keys transmitted electronically, etc. The possibilities for truly efficient delivery of mail are numerous when government is removed from the equation...

you live in fantasyland. Private sector can't even provide phone kiosks, bus stations without being vandalized, hacked.

MIGHT HAVE, yes. Let's see where that money comes from.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Fair enough.

The service costs aren't high though, can you disagree?

I do. Every time I've ordered something online, it's been delivered by a private company, even more effectively than USPS. Private shippers even offer tracking codes so one can trace the progress of his order.

 

[WaltM]

you want change but are not willing to participate in it on an equal basis. you want less govt. but want govt. to support you. round and round we go...

I don't want change in everything, I only want change where I put my money. I don't want smaller government, unless it's to my benefit.

 

[heavenlyboy34]

you live in fantasyland. Private sector can't even provide phone kiosks, bus stations without being vandalized, hacked.

MIGHT HAVE, yes. Let's see where that money comes from.

False. There are phone and bank kiosks at my privately owned credit union, among other places. You are again engaging in wishful thinking.

 

[WaltM]

I do. Every time I've ordered something online, it's been delivered by a private company, even more effectively than USPS. Private shippers even offer tracking codes so one can trace the progress of his order.

How much were the shipping costs?

Give an example.

USPS tracking code is only 50 cents extra.

Can your private shipping company deliver a book for under $5, in 2 days?

Or, within a week, cheaper than First Class mail?

 

[WaltM]

False. There are phone and bank kiosks at my privately owned credit union, among other places. You are again engaging in wishful thinking.

Yeah, YOUR area, so now you're the one who only sees the small picture.

 

[WaltM]

Who said anything about getting rid of bank loans? Free banking works fine. (Mises and Rothbard agree with me on this, btw) Even in the absence of free banking, private Credit Unions can and do serve this purpose.

You missed my point.

It's that nobody would invest in the private sector on delivery service as it is today, it's a relatively low return on investment, if it were any higher, it would be forced to charge customers.

If you want private companies to do delivery services on any national level, it's unlikely they can be funded without help of banks. And if banks were to contract credit any time, they too, will probably fail.

 

[WaltM]

Let me put it this way, I'm a weird person that believes "infrastructure" is something not up for grabs, it's the essential elements that make & break a society's stablity (and ultimately civilization).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure

Things from firefighting to communication, has never been demonstrated in the United States to work privately. This is NOT to say that we have a right to it or it's entitled to us, but are you willing to say "if you don't have it, sucks for you, who cares"? (I AM)

Those who advocate "privatization" of infrastructure largely ignore the great benefits they derive from infrastructure paid for by society, offered virtually free to himself. With exception of rare few, who are willing to live off the grid, be self sufficient, I have yet to see a person live in a non-infrastructured area claiming he's a libertarian.

 

[tpreitzel]

you live in fantasyland. Private sector can't even provide phone kiosks, bus stations without being vandalized, hacked.

MIGHT HAVE, yes. Let's see where that money comes from.

Sure, they CAN, but the issue is a matter of risk versus cost for companies... Neighborhood kiosks could easily be secured sufficiently to ward off vandals. You'd like everyone to believe it's impossible so we, the people, are forced into using outdated postmen running a daily beat and some of whom are too damn lazy to deliver mail so they store private mail in their basements for a decade. LOL... Personally, I'll place my bet on receiving mail at a properly secured kiosk ... anyday.