“Bite the bullet now. We can always revert to a five day a week delivery. “
I have a better idea. My sister does taxes for H&R block. The average retired postman is taking down $61,000 per year. Since they’re on the same retirement plan as Congress, we can’t change that. We also can’t do away with the postal service because it’s in the Constitution. However, I don’t think the Constitution requires home delivery. So, do away with home delivery. Everybody who wants one gets a box. Only first class mail is handled. No packages, no advertising. (Except, of course, the Franking Privilege, which is why we still have a postal service.)
Over time, we simply let the postal service die off until it’s a ceremonial office with no reports. Eventually, everybody will convert to texting or email or Fed-Ex or UPS. We tax payers no longer have to subsidize a communications dinosaur.
I'm in a rural area where there is no street delivery. I have to take a 7-mile round trip to the P.O. where my mail box is and need the present delivery schedule as I do some buying and selling on eBay. To get UPS or FedEx, I have to drive 25-miles round trip to the next town. There are a lot of people like me, so cutbacks would have a big impact.
Here's one example where the USPS should take a closer look. I bought an item from a guy in the state of Washington, who shipped it parcel post with Delivery Confirmation. Here's the record so far:
Tracking number xxxxx USPS
Acceptance, Jan-21-11, 14:38 PM, SPOKANE, WA, 99208
Processed through Sort Facility, Jan-22-11, 09:15 AM, FEDERAL WAY, WA, 98003
Processed through Sort Facility, Jan-25-11, 12:09 PM, PHOENIX, AZ, 85043
Processed through Sort Facility, Jan-27-11, 12:54 PM, BELL, CA, 90201
Processed through Sort Facility, Jan-28-11, 09:32 AM, PHOENIX, AZ, 85043
I'm in northern AZ so you think, based on the zip, the package would have gone to Las Vegas, NV. (90 miles away) OK, I cut 'em some slack and allow shipment to Phoenix (400 miles away). Phoenix, instead of shipping to Vegas, ships it to Bell, CA (Los Angeles - 300 miles WEST of Vegas). As of yesterday, Bell has shipped it back to Phoenix. MAYBE I'll get it the middle of next week.
Oh yeah, a gripe to the USPS indicates that 14 days is allowed - from Washington to Arizona? (1,000 miles)
They’re probably unionized so they’ll still get paid to drive the trucks or walk around neighborhoods in goofy shorts, even if there in no mail to deliver.
The average retired postman is taking down $61,000 per year.
This is nonsense! I was a mailman for 33 years. I’ve been retired for 11 years. Can’t get much more average than that. I’m “taking down” $32,000 a year before taxes, health insurance, survivor annunity etc.