Posted on 12/05/2011 4:39:32 AM PST by tobyhill
The U.S. Postal Service on Monday will announce a cost-savings proposal that would no longer deliver first-class mail on the next day.
The financially troubled agency will present to its overseers a proposal to change its national standard for first-class mail to two-to-five days from one-to-three, according to interviews with several mail industry officials who received a presentation by the agency this week.
"This isn't a change we're happy about," said Art Sackler, executive director of the National Postal Policy Council, a trade group for large mailers. "But if they don't cut somewhere and substantially, they're going to run out of cash next summer. It's one of the lesser evils."
Right now, customers on average receive mail the day after it was mailed, according the postal service. That may still happen, but a lot less frequently under the proposed rules, say the insiders who were briefed on the proposal.
The proposed rules are not a surprise. The postal service asked for public comment in September on "eliminating the expectation of overnight service" for first class mail. But it could have a major impact on customers, especially those who still use the mail to pay their bills.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Could we please stop bailing out the USPS already? Let the Postal Service either reform itself, or die. Just because a post office is a Constitutionally authorized function of government doesn’t mean it’s a Constitutionally MANDATED function of government!
The next thing you know, the USPD will bring back the pony express to save on gasoline.
If it doesn’t make a profit, then get rid of it.
I’ve never had an expectation of overnight service for first-class mail.
Next the Postal Service will try introducing two-day e-mail.
Dinodino, USPS is still self-financing. The fear is that with the Postal Rate Commission refusing appropriate rate changes, and Congress continuing to suck a $5.8 billion tribute out of the revenues every year it will end up unable to open the doors.
The law requires them to "break even", but if neither the PRC nor Congress agree with that concept any more, they won't "break even" and YOU will have to pay taxes to bail them out.
You are either for service changes to avoid a bail out, or you are against service changes, which will necessarily lead to a bail out.
Now, regarding Constitutionally mandated function of government, with the Constitution giving the federal government the exclusive authority, that's the way it turns out. Compound that with treaties with the rest of the world (including the Postal Union of the Americas and Spain) and you end up with a FEDERAL obligation to provide postal service of some kind ~ and the current system is the way it's done.
Agreed, this is the first I’ve heard of it too. I’ve always allowed 2 or 3 days locally. A week out of area. I have to wonder if this is along the lines of “We’re gonna cancel Big Bird” threats we hear out of PBS everytime their funding us threatened ...
That already exists. It's called a DIALUP CONNECTION...
Change the law ~ USPS is PROHIBITED by law from making a profit.
Two-day email!
Good shot.
Or maybe Obamacare delivery. How is it that anybody believes govt-related entities (Fannie/Freddie, anyone?) can deliver anything?
The USPS has lost billions this FY.
If the USPS must raise rates and further reduce their already dismal service levels in order to break even, then so be it. However, I am 100% opposed to ONE SINGLE DIME of taxpayer money going to these clowns!
As a business owner, I can tell you that I NEVER use USPS for any critical mail. I use Fedex for that.
Finally, yes, the Constitution grants the authority to establish Post Offices, but my point is that the Constitution does not say MUST establish Post Offices. On the day when the Post Office becomes a complete anachronism, we should eliminate it. Would you say that the U.S. *must* issue letters of marque and reprisal, just because the Constitution authorizes it? When was the last time we issued one of those?
So the government agency’s solution to loss of market share is to reduce customer service. Their brains are fried.
I hope that changes at the Postals Service will finally result in my getting mail before 6:00 PM every night.
My mail is late every day with the new mailman. The guy regularly picks up overtime.
Years ago, the mailman "visited" our office...and even had the gall to tell us he collects overtime every week.
A great solution to losing customers... make your service crappier!
Look who is running our country and look who is running the post office. Both are running them into the ground.
My fear is that there will be no phoenix to rise from the ashes of this once great country.
On the other hand we employ Boeing to build war planes ~ there's no state "weapons factory" here ~ which, back in the days when Venice was about the only really civilized spot in Europe, that's how it was done.
Read the Constitution in light of the understanding of the world as seen by the Founders. It's a whole 'nuther world.
Regarding clowns, how about that advertising industry cutting it's mail volume in half? Hunh? What's that about? An economic collapse or something?
You know the private sector has let down USPS during the Great Obama Recession ~ and the voters too. Who put a clown like that in charge o the country?
Time for a change I'll tell you!
The only time I use snail mail to send tax payments.
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