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After 111 Years, Postage Stamps Go Private Bureau of Engraving Prints Its Last Rolls
Washington Post ^ | June 13, 2005 | By Bill McAllister

Posted on 06/13/2005 1:13:31 PM PDT by Ladysmith

The end to 111 years of stamp production by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) came without any public ceremony in the same 14th Street building where many of the nation's most famous stamps have been printed.

Workers pulled a final roll of 37-cent flag stamps from an aging, four-color Andreotti press on the fourth floor. That simple act terminated a once-thriving business that the Treasury Department agency had monopolized for decades.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Extended News; Government
KEYWORDS: government; postagestamps; privatize; theend; usps
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Hoping that this is the beginning of a trend to privatize more of our outrageously large government.
1 posted on 06/13/2005 1:13:32 PM PDT by Ladysmith
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To: Ladysmith

I miss the elegantly engraved stamps of my childhood.

They were truly works of art.


2 posted on 06/13/2005 1:20:53 PM PDT by George Smiley (This tagline deliberately targeted journalists.)
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To: Ladysmith

There's talk of a hike to $.39. That would make this last run worthless to the public or but extremely valuable to collectors.


3 posted on 06/13/2005 1:21:45 PM PDT by unbalanced but fair
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To: unbalanced but fair
There's talk of a hike to $.39. That would make this last run worthless to the public or but extremely valuable to collectors.

Not really. They continue to sell them until they are gone and include a non-denominated stamp to make up the difference.

4 posted on 06/13/2005 1:24:00 PM PDT by Phantom Lord (Advantages are taken, not handed out)
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To: Phantom Lord

If there's a hike soon, they won't even sell this run. At least according to the article.


5 posted on 06/13/2005 1:39:52 PM PDT by unbalanced but fair
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To: Ladysmith

Or how about the transferring of valuable mis-prints over to FDR's private collection. We'll sure miss that!


6 posted on 06/13/2005 3:27:31 PM PDT by SteveMcKing
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To: Ladysmith

Yeah here's to that idea. Local post office here in Kingman AZ recently stopped sorting mail here apparently. Postal employee told me that now the mail is trucked to Las Vegas for sorting 90 miles from here. And it adds about 3 days to delivery. What an incompetant outfit


7 posted on 06/13/2005 3:28:47 PM PDT by commonasdirt (Reading DU so you won't hafta)
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To: commonasdirt

Any privately-owned business running like that would fail in no time. Yet the post office continues to bleed away while being propped up over and over again. So typical of government-funded and -controlled waste.


8 posted on 06/13/2005 3:38:10 PM PDT by Ladysmith ((NRA) Wisconsin Hunter Shootings: If you want on/off the WI Hunters ping list, please let me know.)
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To: Ladysmith

Let's see if the quality of the engraving improves or declines, now that private industry will control it.


9 posted on 06/13/2005 3:42:07 PM PDT by Ciexyz (Let us always remember, the Lord is in control.)
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To: Ciexyz

The quality should be a piece of cake. What I would like to see is the difference of the printing costs between the government presses and the private business presses.


10 posted on 06/13/2005 3:51:37 PM PDT by Ladysmith ((NRA) Wisconsin Hunter Shootings: If you want on/off the WI Hunters ping list, please let me know.)
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To: Ladysmith

I used to sell large printing presses and it was common knowledge that the GPO (Government Printing Office) was outrageously expensive due to the union running the joint. Lot's of feather bedding, slow work, high costs, etc.


11 posted on 06/13/2005 4:23:46 PM PDT by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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To: Ladysmith

"Any privately-owned business running like that would fail in no time.'

I was probably young stupid and inattentive at the time but was there a big battle for companies like UPS, FEDex, to do what they do? I have a small PO box and it is STUFFED every few days with nothing but junk mail. Without junk mail the post office would be out of business by now and they know it


12 posted on 06/13/2005 4:35:13 PM PDT by commonasdirt (Reading DU so you won't hafta)
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
What is "feather bedding"?

So the next step should be to make all government printings (except for highly classified information) be done by private businesses.

Can we say "one step at a time"? :o)

13 posted on 06/13/2005 4:37:11 PM PDT by Ladysmith ((NRA) Wisconsin Hunter Shootings: If you want on/off the WI Hunters ping list, please let me know.)
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To: commonasdirt
Did a quick search to see if I could find anything and found this interesting timeline for FedEx. Sounds like they really started the delivery business back in 1947.

The 1971 entry is rather interesting. But then the relocation happened in 1973. Someone had some unknown foresite. lol

http://fedex.com/us/about/today/history/timeline.html

14 posted on 06/13/2005 4:46:30 PM PDT by Ladysmith ((NRA) Wisconsin Hunter Shootings: If you want on/off the WI Hunters ping list, please let me know.)
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To: Ladysmith

If stamps are printed by private industry, what can we expect to be printed on them?


15 posted on 06/13/2005 4:47:07 PM PDT by two23
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To: Ladysmith
What is "feather bedding"?

It is a union practice requiring more employees than necessary to do the job. It is usually done through work rules that state how many hours an employee can work and/or how many finished goods he is required to produce in a given time. It is just adding union members to an employers payroll for the luxury and benefit of the union.

So the next step should be to make all government printings (except for highly classified information) be done by private businesses.

We have private companies who are exposed to highly classified information all the time in the defense industry. However, I guess it would be prudent for the FBI, CIA, NSC, etc., to have their own printing operations. They probably do now.

As far as a good first step, absolutely. I think Bush was also able to get through the requirement that the new Homeland Security Department would not be covered by Civil Service rules which are another union thing which basically makes it impossible to fire someone and requires promotion according to seniority rather than merit. I know he tried but I am not sure of the outcome.

16 posted on 06/13/2005 4:51:13 PM PDT by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all that needs to be done needs to be done by the government.)
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To: two23

Undoubtedly government-approved PC themes. The government will be the customer that the business has to please.


17 posted on 06/13/2005 4:55:32 PM PDT by Ladysmith ((NRA) Wisconsin Hunter Shootings: If you want on/off the WI Hunters ping list, please let me know.)
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
I know he tried but I am not sure of the outcome.

I'm fairly certain it didn't fly. Wasn't that Tom Dasshole's baby? No question that idea was getting blasted by our side but I want to say Prez. Bush held his ground on it.

18 posted on 06/13/2005 4:59:03 PM PDT by Ladysmith ((NRA) Wisconsin Hunter Shootings: If you want on/off the WI Hunters ping list, please let me know.)
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To: Mind-numbed Robot
I used to sell large printing presses and it was common knowledge that the GPO (Government Printing Office) was outrageously expensive due to the union running the joint. Lot's of feather bedding, slow work, high costs, etc.

There is no doubt that the private printer will be non-union...Employees will get half the wages they used to...The price of stamps will increase, not decrease, so it will cost us more...But that's ok as long as we can cut blue collar wages...Am I on the money???

19 posted on 06/13/2005 6:22:03 PM PDT by Iscool (You mess with me, you mess with the WHOLE trailer park!!!)
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To: commonasdirt
Without junk mail the post office would be out of business by now and they know it

I'm a rural mail carrier and one of the first things I learned at the post office is that junk mail is called BBM - bulk business mail. It's now the bread and butter of the post office and, you're right, the post office knows it.

I try to do my job with pride, to show a lot of professionalism and be helpful. But it sometimes seems like a bit of a charade knowing that the vast majority of mail I'm delivering is going to end up in the trash can by the end of the day.

20 posted on 06/13/2005 7:20:27 PM PDT by Mr. Mulliner (Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati)
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