[Windguy]

Originally Posted by queasy27

I would not be in favor of privatizing the post office but would love bulk mail prices to be the same as first class.

Why should it cost the same as first class? It is bulk mail after all. It’s not a bunch of individual letters going from one random location to another random location that have to be carefully sorted. It’s a bulk quantity all coming from the same location to a bunch of sequential locations. No sorting is required. The USPS makes money on bulk mail. That and Amazon are what keep them afloat.

I really hate junk mail, but if getting it is the price I have to pay to get my prescriptions delivered, it’s worth it.

[Bay Kid]

Could the problem be with the PO be that it is government run?

[4557Spahr]

Having worked in management at both UPS and FedEx, I can speak from experience. The USPS is bidding against these companies and delivering packages at a loss. Why not bid actual cost? Why are they are delivering my stupid Amazon packages on Sunday? They need to run the USPS more efficiently. I agree with you but they need a good cleaning out. They need to stop paying to advertise on TV and go back to what the USPS was supposed to be doing.

[oneclickplus]

Originally Posted by LoisR

Did you know that the USPS delivers over 472 million pieces of mail daily. Yes, that's no mistake. More than 472 million pieces of mail are delivered every day.
Did you also know that some of our elected officials (specifically one ) have withheld funding from the USPS because they believe it can be run more efficiently run if it were privatized?
Why not privatize our armed forces? Wasn't it the reserves and national guard who were first called up during the last several wars because our armed forces had not yet been fully trained or supplied to effectively respond?
Please consider calling your elected official and voice your opinion that the USPS must be saved and properly funded.

Someone is misinformed. You can't withhold funds when no funds are being provided in the first place. The USPS is entirely self-funded by products and services.

The following text is from a URL I can't post. It looks something like:
hxxps://facts [dot] usps [dot] com/top-facts/

Notice the last one at the bottom.

---------------------------------------------

From facilitating the nation’s largest one day food drive, to working with customers to prevent dog bites, to educating customers on consumer protection, to delivering holiday cheer to those in need, the Postal Service supports communities nationwide.

12
Veterans. The Postal Service employs more than 97,000 military veterans and is one of the largest employers of veterans in the country. Learn more

11
All heart. The Postal Service is at the core of the $1.6 trillion U.S. mailing industry that employs more than 7.3 million people. Learn more

10
Heroes. Postal employees regularly go beyond the call of duty to protect the lives of customers they serve, including older and disabled customers through the Carrier Alert Program. In fiscal year 2019, the Postal Service recognized 232 heroic employees.

9
Greener than you think. Free Priority Mail boxes meet Sustainable Forestry initiative and Forest Stewardship Council certification standards. This means the paper for those boxes comes from well-managed forests. In addition, the boxes include at least 30-percent recycled content.

8
Retail giant. The Postal Service has the nation's largest retail network — bigger than McDonald’s, Starbucks and Walmart combined, domestically.

7
Global business. The Postal Service processes and delivers 48 percent of the world's mail and is constantly innovating to make customer experiences better.

6
Vehicles. The Postal Service has more than 228,000 vehicles, one of the largest civilian fleets in the world. New next-generation vehicles will have improved ergonomics, safety features, fuel efficiency and design flexibility.

5
Competition and collaboration. The Postal Service both competes and collaborates with the private sector. UPS and FedEx pay the Postal Service to deliver hundreds of millions of their ground packages, and USPS pays UPS and FedEx for air transportation.

4
Affordability. For 55 cents, anyone can send a letter, regardless of geographic location, to anywhere in the United States.

3
Dependable. The Postal Service is the only organization in the country that has the resources, network infrastructure and logistical capability to regularly deliver to every residential and business address in the nation.

2
Security. U.S. Mail is protected by more than 200 federal laws enforced by the Postal Inspection Service, one of the nation's oldest law enforcement agencies.

And most importantly...

1
Zero tax dollars used. The Postal Service receives NO tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

[Tom2172]

472 million pieces of mail Of which
470 million junk mail

Charge more for junk mail
Post office will make more money, less land fill paper and less mail to deliver

[mk1126]

Amazing all these, expert, succinct critiques and analyses of the Postal Service. Basic is this country could not get along without it, just considering all the rural, remote addresses it must connect to. For years, it had always been the 'least' expensive of all the Postal Services in the world while it certainly is the largest.
Some legislators are trying to modify the "75 years' into the future requirement which was passed in 2006 by Baby Bush's regime and Susan Collins of Maine.
Does anyone really know where the money was funneled to? (Begins with an I )!

[KSSunshine]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I don't know the actual cost figures, but I believe the 75 year rule has been modified. But, a compromise would be for the Post Office to fund an amount that is based on the real projected cost for the benefits they promise to their employees. A postal employee who starts working at age 25 can retire at age 55, and then receive retirement and health benefits for the next 30 years or longer while producing no work for the Post Office. That is a real cost to the taxpayers that will typically amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars per employee.

Not true, Retired Guy 123, My parents both worked for USPS; took the USPS retirement in Lieu of Social Security and PAID for their health insurance outside of Medicare.

[retiredguy123]

To those who say that the Post Office uses zero tax dollars, why did Congress recently pass a new stimulus bill that would have provided $25 million in additional Post Office funding? The bill was killed in the Senate.

And, if the Post Office makes money on bulk mail, why doesn't UPS and FedEx ever deliver any bulk mail? I thought they were in business to make money.

[SuzyQtoo]

I thought postage paid that. Also, quit delivering on Saturdays. I can wait an extra day for junk mail.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Fed Ex, UPS and other services operate a profit while USPS continues to leak money every year and demand more money and higher rates.

Privatizing would be a great idea.

A comparison to the military is absurd.

[Mikec041]

I can see why the USPS is losing customers. I've had 4 packages returned to sender in as many months. Tracking information shows "out for delivery" at say 7:00 am and returned to sender undeliverables at 7:20 am. Really? Post Office said they can't comment since the package has left the building. Mean while never had same experience with UPS or FedEx. Want to really get annoyed sign up for "informed delivery" with the Post Office and see how much of your mail actually never reaches you.

[donfey]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Why? If other people get mail like I do, then about 467 million of the 472 million pieces are junk mail that go right into the trash.

In my opinion, funding the Post Office is a waste of money, fuel, and labor.

Junk mail would actually help the USPS IF they were charges the same rate as business mail. We pay 55 cents to mail a bill or to communicate with a politician. The politician or the company that wants out business pays a small fraction of the actual cost. And how about Amazon? It's a big laugh how they're delivering packages using the USPS at a DISCOUNTED rate. Then add everyone else's magazines and store ads.

If all those companies, and there are many others, actually paid the real cost to deliver, the Post Office would be in the black. It can stay a federal "service," so remote locations can stay connected, but RUN IT like a business.

Originally Posted by Schaumburger

Here is some food for thought in defense of the USPS, which does need reform, instead of being abolished.

My elderly dad, along with 20% of Americans, gets maintenance medication delivered by the USPS. In 2019, the USPS delivered 1.2 billion prescriptions, including almost 100% of the prescriptions delivered by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs.

The USPS is mandated to deliver to all addresses in the U.S. Fed Ex and UPS do not have this mandate; if it is not profitable for Fed Ex and UPS to deliver to a rural area, they are not required to. So how will Americans living in remote areas get their packages and mail? How will veterans living in remote areas get their maintenance medication shipped to them if the USPS is abolished?

One requirement that needs reform regarding the USPS is the requirement that USPS is required to pre-pay health benefits for retirees 75 years into the future. This requirement has been a major factor in the USPS' operating losses since 2006.

Please note: the statistics are from CNBC and The American Prospect.

Thanks. Things I had not considered before myself. And they could cut the 75 years to 35-40 and save a bundle. Very few retirees are going to out live that, right?

[Linda Taranto]

I still get my bills by mail! I pay them online, but I'm of the old-school and like the paper for my records. I also get prescriptions by mail. Now, if they could figure out a way to get rid of the JUNK mail, I would be all for that!

[Curtisbwp]

Most people know nothing about the postal SERVICE. YES it is a service. They do not know what the postal RATE commission is. Back in the mid 80s when gas increased from $1.00 to $3.00 and ups & fedx tacked on a 'gas surcharge' to cover the increase in costs CONGRESS would not all the service to charge an extra penny. When i performed an EXTENSIVE return on investement (roi) and an economic determination annalyss on two offices and drtermined that the income from BOTH barely covered the costs of one office. I had strong evidence that a consolidation was needed. I met 3 times with community leasers and residents. Then "THE POLITICAL part kicked in. The senator and congress person said NO NO NO because they may lose a few votes....

Originally Posted by LoisR

Did you know that the USPS delivers over 472 million pieces of mail daily. Yes, that's no mistake. More than 472 million pieces of mail are delivered every day.
Did you also know that some of our elected officials (specifically one ) have withheld funding from the USPS because they believe it can be run more efficiently run if it were privatized?
Why not privatize our armed forces? Wasn't it the reserves and national guard who were first called up during the last several wars because our armed forces had not yet been fully trained or supplied to effectively respond?
Please consider calling your elected official and voice your opinion that the USPS must be saved and properly funded.