Posted on 01/23/2006 4:22:15 PM PST by stockstrader
Really?
Quite a few have been closed around where I live over the years. But there's always a bigger replacement. Each one of the bigger replacements sells teddy bears and pictures of Derek Jeter too. When you give them something to mail, they ask if you want it insured or some other inane question which delays the other folks waiting on line. Are the postal workers getting a commission? And BTW, we have a net plus of at least one post office where I live. The post office where I have my box used to have counter service from 7:30 to 5:30. Now I think it's 8:30 to 5:00. It's a disaster for me to receive certified mail.
Close 'em all and let UPS and FedEx fight for my business.
ML/NJ
A smiley face might help to eliminate some confusion, but, my personal opinion is that the day I have to attach a smiley face to my comment(s) is the day I have nothing more to say.
You could simply "privatize" the post office and that'd remove half the federal work force ~ and have absolutely no impact whatsoever over the power and scope of the federal government.
Think about what you are asking:
Close 1/2 the police stations.
Close 1/2 the fire stations.
Close 1/2 the post offices.
Close 1/2 the control towers in airports
Close 1/2 the Dept. of Transportation offices so 1/2 the snow plowing.
Thsi is just for starters.
That is just an example. The same kind of thing goes on every day. There was the whole city of New Orleans demanding gov't service and no matter how many billions were spent it wasn't enough. Telling gov't to downsize is putting [not much] pressure on the wrong party.
My advice to you is to move to town, get a real job, and accept curbside delivery at a clusterbox.
BTW, you want that nasty little post office that doesn't serve you well to get closed, go ahead and complain to your Congress-critter. They'll all get a real laugh in his office as they pin your letter up on the "jokes board".
And no, the employees don't get a commission on anything ~ but they are required to ask certain "types" key questions ~ the experience being that certain people act like they want registry and/or certified on each and every letter they send.
You are simply matching a profile.
I agree with you. I am a heavy user of USPS (ebay seller) and their service is 10 times better than UPS or FedEx.
Like hell. At the end of the month, when pension checks are due, welfare checks are due, the postman is the most important person in the world. If you think you are going to win public support by making old people and welfare people walk 5 miles to pick up their welfare checks, good luck! You can fire them for the rest of the month though.
You are right. One thing USPS does that fed-ex and all the others don't, is go EVERYWHERE.
When I sell something on ebay, I ship USPS, I don't care how slow it is, just how cheap it is, and that it can get there.
Insurance is cheap if it dissapears.
"Yes, but . . .
yelling at gov't won't get it done since so many are constantly demanding more gov't services. Convince coal mine workers they don't need gov't intervention in mine safety, but talking to gov't directly is getting nothing done for reduction."
Actually, I think that this "since so many are constantly demanding more gov't services." is one of those urban myths.
Think about it. Do you really believe that Republicans have wone each and every major election since 2000, because the majority of voters wanted even bigger and more intrusive government? I doubt it.
I think that by and large the GOP has been "hoodwinked" into thinking that might be the case by some former members of the RAT party that turned coat to wear the "GOP" label as well as having their heads turned by some squishy members of our party.
Notice just who the pukes in the msm as well as the dnc pull the long knives out for.....
"Think about what you are asking:
Close 1/2 the police stations.
Close 1/2 the fire stations.
Close 1/2 the post offices.
Close 1/2 the control towers in airports
Close 1/2 the Dept. of Transportation offices so 1/2 the snow plowing.
Thsi is just for starters."
Since I live in Houston area, I can say that recent events here would indicate that the HPD actually does about half of the work that they are sworn to do. The department has a complete "hands off" policy where it involves illegal aliens, which does wonders for the local crime rate. They have also adopted a "no chase" policy for those folks that want to run from the law. Had a nice accident just the other day where some gomer slammed his car into another that was occupied by a family of 3, including a small baby that, Thank God, wasn't horribly injured.
Primarily, I was referring to those agencies that would normally be considered to be "non-essential" services. A good reference point would be to consult your copy of the United States Constitution (Article X) for those areas that the federal government is authorized to operate in.
I hope this helps.
I can't believe I'm reading this on FR. Let the Federales eliminate the ban on FedEx, UPS, et al. on handling first class mail and the the government would lose 95% of its first class mail business. I'm not interested in subsidizing 3rd class mail either, but my guess is that all you postal workers would tell us about the great public service you are doing delivering junk mail to me at my expense. And I don't care if the folks in Eek no longer get daily mail delivery at my expense.
My advice to you is to move to town, get a real job, and accept curbside delivery at a clusterbox.
Is the only real job a postal job? What makes you think I do not work? In fact the reason that I cannot collect my certified mail between 8:30 and 5:00 at my home post office is that I am working and it costs me a post worker's daily salary to show up during those hours.
BTW, you want that nasty little post office that doesn't serve you well to get closed, go ahead and complain to your Congress-critter. They'll all get a real laugh in his office as they pin your letter up on the "jokes board".
I have written to my Congressman about the post office situation here. You're right. I'm sure he laughs at it, just like my senators laugh at my plea to support my neighbor Sam Alito.
And no, the employees don't get a commission on anything ~ but they are required to ask certain "types" key questions ~ the experience being that certain people act like they want registry and/or certified on each and every letter they send.
Look, I've been going into post offices for a long time. The attempted hard sell is new in the last few years. This inane asking if I need stamps has to stop. They don't just ask me. They ask all the folks ahead of me. I think if one of them ever said, "Oh, yeah. Give me a sheet of 37c stamps," I would faint dead away. (Sorry 39c for that great service. Why do I think UPS might charge me 22c for most of my first class mail?)
You are simply matching a profile.
My profile is FReeper. You got a problem with that, Bud?
ML/NJ
Irrelevant. The Commerce Clause covers absolutely everything. It gives the government the power to regulate anything and everything. All it takes is a lawyer/politician to make any regulation happen with the right language so as to get by the SCOTUS.
BTW, for reasons that I cannot quite understand I must maintain a mailbox on the street where I live. We have a 50 foot setback. The folks in the neighboring town, which has more expensive properties with larger setbacks, get their mail delivered to their houses as I did growing up. But then they delvered twice a day for 3c. (Okay, 30c adjusted for infaltion, but your buddies are the ones printing the money.)
ML/NJ
When most people plan their budgets, they assign the highest priority to the most important items. Thus, if there's a budget shortfall, the items that get cut are the least important ones.
When government bureaucrats plan their budgets, they assign the LOWEST priority to the most important items. Thus, if there's a budget shortfall, the items that get cut are the ones that will cause maximum whining for more money.
Close 1/2 the police stations.
Close 1/2 the fire stations.
Close 1/2 the post offices.
Sounds good to me!
Sure, but the citizens do demand more and more services. Local gov't feels it most immediately, state gov't a lot, and FedGov most of all. If anyone is elected to office with intent to cut gov't, it takes about a year for them to go silent and sometimes start thinking of great new things gov't can do. If there is any question of this, start by taking a look at schools. If still in doubt look at roads. Public safety. Parks. Demand is there, right in the public meetings. Go, listen. Stand up in the meeting and say your piece, but your voice will be lost in the hubbub. You will be outnumbered 100-1, especially during budget hearings. Run for office yourself. If you win, and it is possible, you have a year before your descent into cynicism.
You seem very sure of yourself, but you are wrong.
My package shipment isn't what it used to be, but I do still have to send things out. Sometimes I don't care how long it takes and I might use the Post Office as UPS has really raised their rates in the past few years. But even then I use them because they just are easier. And I'm obviously not alone. UPS seems to be doing a pretty good business. We're not all stupid like you would seem to think.
And when it comes to overnight delivery, the Post Office is a complete joke. I remember the time I had to send something to West Palm Beach (from here in Metro NY) and I was told that wasn't one of the places they guaranteed delivery to! What a F#@k'n joke!
JUNK mail, you are not aware, I'm sure, that junk mailers pay a hell of a fee to send the junk mail to you. It is like $450 a year WITHOUT sending a piece of mail. Then they pay by piece, just so you can complain about it.
Junk mail, you are aware I'm sure, is subsidized by first class mailers. Some of us are not interested. For you it's a job.
My postal clerks are really friendly and helpful. BTW, I'm in the post office at least 4 days a week.
I never said the clerks were unfriendly. But I'm no more looking for friendship at a post office than I am at a gas station.
I have tried FedEX, UPS and DHL, and all have lost, broken, and mangled my packages.
Spare me! I've never had anything lost or mangled, except by the Post Office and even then it is very rare.
Is this really FR, or did I get lost and stumble into the Underground?
ML/NJ
In situations involving positive network externalities, the term "subsidy" can sometimes be unclear.
Delivering 10 pieces of mail to an address on a given day generally costs far less than ten times as much as delivering one. If on a given day there is one piece of First Class mail for delivery to an address and nothing else, it will get delivered. If there were one piece of bulk mail and nothing else, it would probably not get delivered immediately.
While it's true that it would probably not be possible to provide timely delivery of bulk mail, at bulk mail rates, if there weren't also First Class mail being delivered, that does not imply that bulk mail cannot itself be profitable without increasing the cost of First Class mail. Indeed, it would be quite plausible that both bulk mail and First Class mail subsidize each other.
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