Posted on 01/27/2019 5:03:36 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
The price of Forever stamps is increasing by 10 percent, and will go from 50 cents to 55 cents, according to a United States Postal Service press release.
The First-Class Mail Forever stamp price will take effect Jan. 27, the federal agency said. NBC Bay Area reports that the change is the biggest jump in the history of the USPS.
Although the price is increasing, old Forever stamps remain valid for mailing a letter regardless of how much the price changes.
The price change will offset a $4 billion loss the federal agency experienced in 2018. According to NBC Bay Area, USPS said sales from shipping and packages soared 10 percent last year but there was an overall decline in revenue due to rising pay and higher transportation costs.
The first Forever stamp was issued in 2007 for 41 cents. In November, USPS announced that dancer Gregory Hines, singer Marvin Gaye and a “Hearts Blossom” stamp would be added to the Forever collection for 2019.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Increasing the price will probably not solve their problem, & it certainly does nothing for ours. Maybe it will decrease the already dwindling use of their services. If they really wanted to help, why not drastically increase the rates on the junk mail. Even if it hurt them, it would surely help us. If they did it right,it might even help them to some extent.
we need a new system Announce in 5 years the USPS will be disbanded. And delivering operating in more than 1 state must lever in those state to all addresses at least 1 once month. Other delivery is a business decision by the companies.
The constitution grants the congress the power to establish post offices. The congress should decline to exercise the power. It is clear through the presence of delivery companies and electronic communication this power doesn’t need to be used.
Let’s see here.....if wages were $3500 a year(average) in the ‘50s & stamps were 5¢.....multiply the wages & stamp prices times 6; that was about what I made in 2012 ($21000)but I don’t recall stamps being as cheap as 30¢ in 2012.
Seriously? Everything is made up...So you don’t believe anything you read...Then where do you get your news?
I recall that a few months ago, I heard/read about use of snail mail for security since it cannot be hacked on Fox Business News...which I have on during trading hours to follow market news. A tech CEO mentioned it - and I cannot remember who...video/article Was on their website too~again cannot remember but then I was not thinking I would have to supply such information.
Sounded legit and makes sense...Esp if one has ever been hacked...For now, only the outside of the envelope is photographed. What you send is totally private...Very appealing in this day and age.
BTW, My son has MS in EE/Computer Engr. and a number of tech certifications...He works in San Jose—for a very well known tech company...He recommends an off-line computer for stuff you don’t want hacked and he gets paper copies (often mailed) of anything that is important.
I will take his advice.
Smart people bought Forever stamps long before this increase...I have stamps, bought some more last week—and I use them for cards as I think ecards are very impersonal, and for some important personal or financial correspondence when I want actual copies to be sent versus faxed or emailed.
I believe snail mail is the last bastion of privacy.
Don’t think people will never return to older technology...
My other son, has antenna TV...gave up cable altogether. Antenna TV is growing too.
So like my sons, more people may realize the benefits of older delivery methods...a sealed envelope versus surveilled and hacked email and phones...
Just sayin.
Freegards
They delivered on MLK day as well..
double time and holiday pay?
USPS run amok? I remember when they raised the rates because gas was up to $4 a gallon. Did they lower the rates when gas went back down to the $2 range? USPS is putting a lot of small mail order businesses out of business, causing them to lose customers because of the rates. i.e. a $2 item costs more than $2 to ship. I had my own business and sold hand made items, the shipment costs killed it. They aren’t worth selling on the internet, and I am not doing the art shows anymore due to my advanced age.
Yup.. cheaper to fly it fedex than truck it or use their own planes (if USPS even has them any more)
they have the new “whenever” stamp..
you won’t know when you’ll get it, but it won’t take forever.
today...
delivering amazon packages.
Simply not true. How much does it cost to send a letter thru FedEx?
First of all the USPS has provided these services for a long time now but more recently has been increasing their rates well beyond that of inflation. It probably has more to do with the benefits of the federal postal workers. FedEx and UPS doesn’t have to provide the same level health benefits.
The financial woes of the U.S. Postal System have become a point of contention on Capitol Hill. The Postal Service is supposed to make a $5.5 billion payment to its retiree health care fund by November 18th... but doesn't have the money.
US Postal Service workers have a retiree health care benefit in addition to their pension. Before Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, the USPS operated under a pay-as-you-go model for retiree health care funding. The new law requires the Postal Service to pre-fund its benefit obligations.
Members of the postal workers union say the pre-funding requirement has created a fiscal mess. Some people have even claimed that law has the effect of requiring the postal service to fund retirement obligations for people who are not yet employed by the USPS--potential future employees.
As far as keeping up with inflation is concerned, USPS operating costs are not from the taxpayer, but rather, the sale of postage, products, and services. It must not only keep up with the costs of inflation, but also an increasing population. In 2000 we had a population of 281 million. It is now 330 million. We added 49 million people thereby increasing usage of services. Technology has reduced the more profitable first class letter mail while leaving the other more costly services. Congress dictates the policies the USPS must operate under.
And no I don’t believe Americans want free education or free healthcare, because we know it is anything but free. Trump would not have been elected if that was true.
About 50% of American income earners pay no income tax. We have 73.8 million people on Medicaid (40% of whom are children) and 35 million on food stamps. 60% of all child births are funded by Medicaid. Medicare recipients receive more than twice in benefits they have paid into the system. The premiums paid by Medicare recipients for Part B cover only 25% of the costs, by law. The other 75% of the costs come from the General Fund. 80% of Americans pay more in payroll taxes than they do income tax. SS is a Ponzi scheme.
If Americans had to pay the true costs of the entitlement programs, payroll taxes would be a lot higher. And close to one quarter of the population, 74 million, get free health care services thru Medicaid.
The users are paying the bill, not all taxpayers. How much is the average person affected financially with an increase of 5 cents in postage costs? How many letters a month do you mail? People can elect to pay their bills on line eliminating the mailing costs.
It is like people getting all upset about the costs of ATM services. Cry me a river.
Like you and grania, I write checks and buy stamps to mail my bill payments. I see so many errors on some of my bills that I’m not about to permit automatic deductions from my account.
Read some article last year of a elderly man who had auto-deduct. What family he had lived far away and they seldom communicated. .....Apparently, he died and it was a year or so before he was discovered. All utilities had been cut off because they had kept doing deductions until they drained his small bank account.
When was the last time you saw a mail truck?
*********************************
One delivers mail to my curbside mailbox 6 days a week.
I’m surprised so many here on FR believe everyone has a cell phone and/or computer, so have no need for snail mail.
I have a land line and a desktop PC. Many my age and older don’t even have a PC. We learned at a young age to keep good records, so we don’t just rely on digital data that can be wiped out with a hd crash.
There is nothing worse than a Luddite at the grocery store filling out a check, ...
*********************************
That’s why I hold out enough cash to run on for over a month, when I deposit my pension checks. SS check is auto-deposit. Debit or credit card only used for travel or large purchase (and cc paid in full within 60 days).
I’m a Luddite who uses the computer. I question the long-term effects of “progress” (that’s what Luddites do), accept new things slowly and cautiously, and look for a balance. Maybe I’m more somewhat Luddite?
LOL! I was thinking I waited too long to stock up again...gonna have to wean the wife off sending all them Christmas cards....
In my experience the Postal Service exists on junkmail; we need a “do not mail” list similar to the “do not call” list for unwanted solicitations. Of course, the USPS would be cut in half immediately.
I wish environmentalist would get on them and the advertisers for killing trees with junk...
You might want to take a gander at this:
https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/doug-bandow/usps-going-postal-enormous-debt
If you don’t think that the taxpayers are footing the bill for these losses, you’re having serious cognitive dissonance.
Living in the country on a farm miles from town and tens of miles from the big city, we do everything on the computer. We don't have time to go into the city to shop so we buy pretty much everything online, from clothes to tractor parts.
There's no local bank in the little town close by. I live in Florida but my bank is in Texas. So I do all of our banking and bill paying online too. I do my own books for my 3 businesses on the computer and I do my own taxes with TurboTax.
Technology is a big saver for me living on a cattle farm.
Is being a Luddite like a religion like being a Methodist? I've only heard the word used in connection with the Unabomber.
do you always have to pretend you’re right? lol!
like i said, the benefits are a major reason. i believe you agreed, in a long-winded sort of way
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.