Posted on 09/05/2011 3:54:28 PM PDT by KeyLargo
WGN
Postal service may shut down for winter
WGN News
3:03 PM CDT, September 5, 2011
Without emergency funding the postal service may have to shut down for the winter.
The U.S Postal Service faces a $9 billion dollar deficit.
The New York Times reports the agency doesn't have enough money to pay its bills and a $5.5 billion dollar payment is due this month.
Possible cost cutting measures include eliminating Saturday delivery, closing up to 3700 post offices and laying off 120,000 workers.
A congressional hearing on the matter is set for Tuesday.
![]()

When you can’t pay your bills anymore, it might be an indication that you’ve been living a little too high on the hog.
scare tactics
“Possible cost cutting measures include eliminating Saturday delivery, closing up to 3700 post offices and laying off 120,000 workers.”
I’m sure this is the typical government agency scare story. It’s actually not that bad. 3,700 out of 31,000 post offices is just a little more than 1 out of 10. And we can live without Saturday delivery and hardly notice. I’m just surprised they didn’t come up with an angle that they would have to cut service to cute little kids. “Sorry. No more mail if you are a cute little kid! Ask your parents to raise their taxes.”
But if that’s the price of getting their revenue and income in balance—they should go for it.
No more manned space program, no saturday mail delivery, some schools going to 4 days a week, and government is spending more than ever! Anyone ever wonder if we’re getting screwed?
No scare, it’s just the internet adding another hide on its wall. Bookstores, record stores, the Post Office. The unintended consequences of technological progress.
Just quit the Saturday delivery and STFU. Nobody cares anyway.
Obama, Reid, McConnell, Pelosi and Boehner will bail them out. Mark my words.
Barry promised the “construction workers” (union thugs) today that he’ll put them back to work with more taxpayer dollars. He’s gonna print more money.
US Postal services are essential for the minorities, women, and other under-represented segments of the population. Any effort to shut down the postal service will affect these people the most. /s
How will we know? Are they going to send out notices? Wait. That wouldn't work. We wouldn't get them until Spring either way.
I don't know why we even have a mailbox.
We never hear them cutting pension payments.. or managerial salaries.. or their union bureaucracy.. or
"wall. Bookstores, record stores, the Post Office. The unintended consequences of technological progress." 
There are some structural issues with our economy where a lot of businesses have learned to become much more efficient with a lot fewer workers. You see it when you go to a bank and you use an ATM. You dont go to a bank teller. Or you go to the airport and youre using a kiosk instead of checking at the gate. So all these things have created changes in the economy. Barack Obama
People can send packages UPS instead of using the USPS, but they can't use private companies for letters. If someone doesn't use the internet, he can't pay his bills online...if the bill is owed locally he can in theory pay in person, but what if the check has to be sent to another city? Put the payment in an envelope and then put the envelope in a box, in order to be able to use UPS?
Sounds like the “OH NOES” crisis of the moment, like the others before it.
Apply a free market principle: if it’s a good idea, it will succeed on its own in the real world without govt help.
Shut down the Dept. of Education and all federal funding to states, counties and cities. Problem solved.


What, no “Newman” delivering my mail?
“WHAT? No Saturday deliveries?!”
___________________________________
I never heard of Saturday delivery.
When did they start that?
did you guys ever hear about the Portland Ore mailman caught defecating on someones private lawn?.....not punished of course.
MOST of these people are LAZY.....I've had one good mailman...the rest were LAZY.
PENSIONS is why we are screwed....PENSIONS!!!!!! NO ONE HAS PENSIONS EXCEPT what the US TAXPAYER PAYS FOZR!!
yeah the postal system will try to pull what some schools are doing....cutting services by one day but not cutting payroll one cent...
You have a mailbox so that you can get junk mail...
You should see the raggedy flags flying at the post Offices in South KC. Disgraceful
No Christmas package deliveries? No Christmas cards? President Obama’s okay with that.
I think it is a great idea to shut down the postal service.. Declare it bankrupt and then shut down all pensions and benefits. I absolutely hate to see a post office employee come into the Emergency Department where I work.. The work restriction form runs about 5 pages and is broken down into stuff like “Can sit for ______ minutes, stand for _____ minutes, can breathe ________ times a minute, can use right hand, left hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder,knee ankle (pick one), I exaggerate only slightly.. and, close out the workmans compensation case.........FORGET IT.... I AM PERMANENTLY PARALYZED !!!!
My post office does not deliver mail to my street. I have to go to the post office to pick up my mail.
Hey, I count on getting those Netflix movies delivered on Saturday, man!/sarc...
I agree, just shut down Saturday delivery. I hardly ever send a paper letter, and I pay most bills online anyway.
It’s picking the time of greatest impact - “give us more money or your grandkids won’t get Christmas presents you mail!”
Our city did a similar thing three years ago; citizens vote to roll back tax hike, suddenly there’s no money for the library and the Fourth of July festival, but all bureaucrats were fully employed.
Yep. Other than some bills and junk mail, I don’t get anything thru the USPS any more. My own postage bill used to exceed easily $1K/year; once we began using email it went down to under $100/year.
They won’t shut down. Members of Congress need them too much.
The Post Office isn’t going to shut down for winter. The post office is “losing” $3.5 billion per year because they have to pre-fund pensions and health programs $5.5 billion dollars per year.
That, Freepers, is a profit. This article, just like every article posted today, is crap. Scare tactics designed to get the USPS a bailout to make the Post Master General look good or something.
Math, Freepers, is our friend.
If only!
My mail woman had her raincoat on in the pouring rain, but was holding the bundle of mail for my street in her hand OUT in the rain. When she got to my house the bundle was wet pulp, so went I couldn’t even sign the delivery receipt. A real genius she was.
“Postal service may shut down for winter”
This is all a plot by a company called Blue Mountain.
That’s him . . . .
“So all these things have created changes in the economy. Barack Obama “
Proof that even a jug-eared squirrel can occasionally find an acorn.
“Charge more for junk mail than for first class—then the volume of mail to be delivered will drop 75%.”
So too will revenue. Bulk mailing is probably very cost sensitive. It’s also cheaper to process than individual mail because it is bar coded and sorted by zip. I suspect they probably lose money if they double bulk mail rates.
And, mail delivery two or three times a week would give all of us 98% of the service we get with six times a week.
Or, they could fire a bunch of those people who are standing around behind the counter doing nothing when there are 20 people in line.
Just another example of how f***ed up any thing run by the government is. Especially if there is a Union involved.Example: only 3700 site to be shut down but that would eliminate 120,000 jobs. Just how many people are working at each site? Answer: about 32+.
The Dept of Commerce uses FedEx exclusively, even for letters.
Departments are allowed to subcontract and the PO lost out because they were so expensive.
The public unions will take the PO to its grave, can't be stopped.
If the PO couldn't eliminate Saturday delivery, that has been proposed for over 20 years, they are obviously unable to save themselves.
Yep.
So start bending over to assume the position.
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.