More info on the details at site, but the article was a bit long to post here. Essentially, if you manage to create something that challenges a governmental agency (or a union contributor to them) in any way, be prepared to have someone with deep pockets backing up your effort or you will not be allowed to proceed.
Kind of like MS and Lotus123, I think.
DOS isn’t done until Lotus won’t run!
“Digital is a fad. It will only work in Europe.”
Anything I can say here, can only fail to express,,,,
The article makes a good point that should be emphasized: the USPS is a wealth transfer from the public to a select group of bulk mailers.
Article should have a time-line but I didn’t see one. US Postmaster General Donahoe took office on October 25, 2010 and is a 35 year veteran of the USPS. So our Crony Capitalism and Tech-savy Obama Administration prefers to allow business as usual with a dying model. Surprise!
Flawed reasoning. The customers of the Post Office are those who pay the postage,not those who receive the letters. These two would have done better going after the revenue side.
Watched a Postal Employee behind the desk argue for 15 minutes with a customer about a 90 cent issue. It was miserable and the employee was tacky. For 90 cents the employee made about 20 people into post office enemies. No customer service skills there.
I am a daily PO visitor and most of the employees are average to good in customer service, but they are hamstrung with rules and have no discretion.
If figured it out years ago when I found out that Federal Law requires property owners to have a mailbox on your property regardless if you receive your personal mail elsewhere or not.
Even though you must purchase and install the mailbox yourself the mailbox is the property of the US Mail Service. There are also a plethora of regulations on the placement, dimensions and materials required for a mailbox.
As to who the customers of the USPS are; one need only closely review who sends you a given weeks mail.
But I should mention two not so obvious USPS customers. That would be the the National Association of Letter Carriers and the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association. These two unions though not technically customers have a vested interest in the USPS status quo. And given that there is a feedback loop of money from congress to these unions’ members and back to congressional campaign funds I see them as customers.
The last thing I want is my mail being redirected, opened, scanned and digitally preserved by a third party working closely with a government agency.
The unaddressed mailings that look like newspapers get ceremoniously left in the parking lots of the local strip malls responsible for sending it. Let them pay to have the mess cleaned up. Much other junk mail (carefully separated from identifying data) is left in front of the post office.
No holds barred.