“For me personally, 50¢ would still be a bargain to send a letter across the country.
I have about 1 and 1/2 rolls of “forever” stamps left that will probably last me several years. If I had to use a lot of postage though I might not consider it a bargain”
Unlike the other, very fine, package delivery outfits, the USPS does have to run their full route every day and that of course makes them more vulnerable to gas increases than a company which can just target those addresses where deliveries are required.
They do have areas which scream for improvement but that is where the government interference gets in the way and nothing gets done.
A one cent increase per stamp is easily offset by switching to a electronic transaction on a single bill for the average homeowner. Unfortunately, if they keep doing these increases, more and more transactions will become electronic and we will all be waiting once a year for a few pieces of mail. The beloved tax bills and publisher’s clearing house.
I do not know if the USPS will ever recover from the retirement/health care funding which is crippling most government entities. They made a very cushy bed for themselves but filled it with bed bugs and now it’s coming back to bite them.
“Unlike the other, very fine, package delivery outfits, the USPS does have to run their full route every day and that of course makes them more vulnerable to gas increases than a company which can just target those addresses where deliveries are required.”
Nonsense! Every day, UPS and FedEX are on our street making deliveries Along with Ontrac. The USPS also comes by in their morphodite Jeep to deliver the small stuff and the mail. The USPS isn’t loosing the game because they “have to make a complete run” each day, they are loosing because they have a bunch of looser minority union employees who do as little as they can, and retire on pensions that are way too expensive. They have designed themselves not to be competitive. A friend of mine worked for the USPS when he went to college. They gave him a route that “the union leaders” expected would take him all day. He did in by noon which pissed of those same union leaders who made it very clear that he needed to slow down or something might happen to him. So every day he did his route and then went home and studied or took a nap until it was time to return the Jeep and punch out.
Their biggest problem is, being forced to pre-fund pensions way into the out-years...someone here will know how and why that happened...I believe Congress had something to do with it, as usual (all the bad laws that are enacted)...
I would be happy with a "do-nothing" Congress, except it's too late for that...we need an "undo that" Congress now!
I personally really appreciate the USPS, and my gripe is with how they are forced to scratch for money, AND how this rate increase will impact lower income people much more than the wealthy, i.e., anyone who ships gifts to out-of-state family, or shops on eBay.
So, why aren't the Dem's out there screaming about how this will hurt their beloved "middle class"? Hmmm?
Their biggest problem is, being forced to pre-fund pensions way into the out-years...someone here will know how and why that happened...I believe Congress had something to do with it, as usual (all the bad laws that are enacted)...
I would be happy with a "do-nothing" Congress, except it's too late for that...we need an "undo that" Congress now!
I personally really appreciate the USPS, and my gripe is with how they are forced to scratch for money, AND how this rate increase will impact lower income people much more than the wealthy, i.e., anyone who ships gifts to out-of-state family, or shops on eBay, etc.
So, why aren't the Dem's all out there screaming about how this will hurt their so-called beloved "middle class"? Hmmm?
I'm guessing it must be Bush's fault...HA!
Not a person alive today will ever benefit from it.
The other agencies are not paying it. The idea was it would be an invisible tax on USPS mailers.