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Author Topic: US postal service  (Read 32789 times)

MU82

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #50 on: April 25, 2020, 11:45:06 AM »
C’mon y’all, ignore what he says, and just focus on what he does  ::)

Hey ... stop stealing that eye-roll emoji from his medical experts! They have to use it often.
“It’s not how white men fight.” - Tucker Carlson

dgies9156

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #51 on: April 25, 2020, 05:01:31 PM »
The PAEA of 2006 required the USPS to prefund the retirement benefits of the USPS through 2056. No other public or private entity has had this requirement. $5 billion per year. Without this obligation the USPS turns a profit. It%u2019s a huge competitive disadvantage. Their parcel delivery service is profitable.

Maybe if Illinois pre-funded its pension obligations, it would be what it's supposed to be, the economic engine of the Midwest.

As to the USPS, the problem is simple: the business model doesn't work. There's little innovation and it doesn't change because anytime anyone threatens to reduce a single postal job, thousands of unionized postal employees bombard Congress with mail, calls, emails etc. It has the same problem Amtrak does: It's a 1930s business in 2020 where labor is protected by arcane rules and Congress is afraid to do almost anything to streamline it. Those postal workers vote!

Big problem America has to address is whether government exists for the benefit of the people or whether government exists for the benefit of government employees. The answer to this question decides whether the postal service is reformed.

« Last Edit: April 25, 2020, 05:04:12 PM by dgies9156 »

shoothoops

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #52 on: April 25, 2020, 05:40:06 PM »
Maybe if Illinois pre-funded its pension obligations, it would be what it's supposed to be, the economic engine of the Midwest.

As to the USPS, the problem is simple: the business model doesn't work. There's little innovation and it doesn't change because anytime anyone threatens to reduce a single postal job, thousands of unionized postal employees bombard Congress with mail, calls, emails etc. It has the same problem Amtrak does: It's a 1930s business in 2020 where labor is protected by arcane rules and Congress is afraid to do almost anything to streamline it. Those postal workers vote!

Big problem America has to address is whether government exists for the benefit of the people or whether government exists for the benefit of government employees. The answer to this question decides whether the postal service is reformed.

It’s a public service, not a for profit company.

It was doing just fine before the inexplicable actions of Congress.



mu_hilltopper

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #53 on: April 25, 2020, 06:35:43 PM »
There's little innovation and it doesn't change because anytime anyone threatens to reduce a single postal job, thousands of unionized postal employees bombard Congress with mail, calls, emails etc.

It's cute that you think people contacting their representatives does something.

dgies9156

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #54 on: April 25, 2020, 08:13:47 PM »
It's cute that you think people contacting their representatives does something.

I formerly worked for Amtrak and that's exactly what happened.

dgies9156

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #55 on: April 25, 2020, 08:16:06 PM »
It’s a public service, not a for profit company.

It was doing just fine before the inexplicable actions of Congress.

As a public service, the business model doesn't work. The only people being served are Amazon and junk mail mailers.

Boy I'm happy beyond belief my tax dollars are subsidizing garbage from the latest auto repair scam. Or some realtor trying to get me to sell my home.

What a waste of money. The postal service will be in the 21st century when the country is in the 24th.

WarriorDad

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #56 on: April 25, 2020, 08:29:29 PM »
This is why he already has backed off his initial, knee-jerk stance. Later Friday, he twitted:

"It has been mismanaged for years, especially since the advent of the internet and modern-day technology. The people that work there are great, and we’re going to keep them happy, healthy, and well!"

As is often the case, he contradicts himself within hours of saying something.

He was for killing it before he was against it.   That's his way, it changes daily if not hourly.  He's crazy.
“No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.”
— Plato

shoothoops

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #57 on: April 25, 2020, 10:05:20 PM »
As a public service, the business model doesn't work. The only people being served are Amazon and junk mail mailers.

Boy I'm happy beyond belief my tax dollars are subsidizing garbage from the latest auto repair scam. Or some realtor trying to get me to sell my home.

What a waste of money. The postal service will be in the 21st century when the country is in the 24th.

The USPS is in the Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 7.

(You know the people who love the Constitution when it serves their purposes are crickets now)

The USPS receives zero tax dollar funding, none, cero. It relies on products, services, postage for funding. And it has been highly profitable despite not needing to be profitable because it is a public service, not a business.

The USPS delivers 1.2 billion packages of RX medicine annually for those that need it.

The USPS delivers packages every day for UPS, FedEx, Amazon, DHL, etc...

The USPS is one of the largest employers of veterans, people of color, and women in the United States.

In Sept 2006, the USPS had a profit of $900 million. In December of 2006, Republicans mandated 75 year retirement pre-funding at a cost of $5 billion per year. Maybe take up your angst with them.

This is about the USPS offering affordable, significantly lower costs for services than private companies who charge significantly more. It’s about both self serving political and business opportunities. And if DT has a vendetta against Bezos, perhaps working on getting them a higher tax rate higher than 1.2 % last year on $13 billion profits would be a better place to start.

Wealthy corporate bailouts are ok, but helping the USPS is not? Nah.





« Last Edit: April 25, 2020, 10:28:28 PM by shoothoops »

ZiggysFryBoy

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #58 on: April 25, 2020, 11:09:15 PM »
The USPS is in the Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 7.

(You know the people who love the Constitution when it serves their purposes are crickets now)

The USPS receives zero tax dollar funding, none, cero. It relies on products, services, postage for funding. And it has been highly profitable despite not needing to be profitable because it is a public service, not a business.

The USPS delivers 1.2 billion packages of RX medicine annually for those that need it.

The USPS delivers packages every day for UPS, FedEx, Amazon, DHL, etc...

The USPS is one of the largest employers of veterans, people of color, and women in the United States.

In Sept 2006, the USPS had a profit of $900 million. In December of 2006, Republicans mandated 75 year retirement pre-funding at a cost of $5 billion per year. Maybe take up your angst with them.

This is about the USPS offering affordable, significantly lower costs for services than private companies who charge significantly more. It’s about both self serving political and business opportunities. And if DT has a vendetta against Bezos, perhaps working on getting them a higher tax rate higher than 1.2 % last year on $13 billion profits would be a better place to start.

Wealthy corporate bailouts are ok, but helping the USPS is not? Nah.

Thank you, Mr. Gailey.

The Sultan of Semantics

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #59 on: April 26, 2020, 06:49:26 AM »
The USPS is in the Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 7.

(You know the people who love the Constitution when it serves their purposes are crickets now)



The Constitution empowers Congress to "to establish post offices and post roads."  It's not required.
“True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else.” - Clarence Darrow

shoothoops

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #60 on: April 26, 2020, 09:06:43 AM »

The Constitution empowers Congress to "to establish post offices and post roads."  It's not required.

Lol. Thanks for the laugh, and for illustrating the point made above, good job.

$900 million profit in 2006. Outgoing Republican House and Senate passes inexplicable 75 year retirement prefund at $5 billion a year for political gain, cronyism at its best.

Now point to where it says the words individual gun ownership in the 2nd Amendment...spoiler alert, it's not there. You know, during the time of one shot muskets and the War of Independence. It does say well regulated militias.

Let"s bail out wealthy corporations instead of the public service need for many.




« Last Edit: April 26, 2020, 09:08:44 AM by shoothoops »

The Sultan of Semantics

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #61 on: April 26, 2020, 09:50:17 AM »
Lol. Thanks for the laugh, and for illustrating the point made above, good job.

Sorry, I have no idea what you are laughing about.  The postal service should be bailed out because it is an important service.  And yes, the union has been a bogeyman too much in this discusison.

But it is not a service mandated by the Constitution.  The entire Section starts with "The Congress shall have Power..." and then details the enumerated powers granted to Congress.  It doesn't say anthing about being required to use any of those powers.

Sorry but you can't spike the ball on others knowing the Constitution and go about making that very simple mistake.
“True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else.” - Clarence Darrow

shoothoops

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #62 on: April 26, 2020, 10:13:06 AM »
Sorry, I have no idea what you are laughing about.  The postal service should be bailed out because it is an important service.  And yes, the union has been a bogeyman too much in this discusison.

But it is not a service mandated by the Constitution.  The entire Section starts with "The Congress shall have Power..." and then details the enumerated powers granted to Congress.  It doesn't say anthing about being required to use any of those powers.

Sorry but you can't spike the ball on others knowing the Constitution and go about making that very simple mistake.

No need to be sorry. I didn't make any mistakes. I said it was in the Constitution, and it is. And it quintupled shortly after. Context matters.

I also referenced those that pick and choose what to protect and preserve in the Constitution. (and not)

Again, I appreciate you illustrating my point.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2020, 10:16:27 AM by shoothoops »

TSmith34, Inc.

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #63 on: April 26, 2020, 10:17:33 AM »
Boy I'm happy beyond belief my tax dollars are subsidizing garbage from the latest auto repair scam. Or some realtor trying to get me to sell my home.

What a waste of money. The postal service will be in the 21st century when the country is in the 24th.
Except your tax dollars aren't subsidizing anything, USPS is a self-funding organization. If they did not have to fund pensions 75 years in advance, which no other organization public or private is required to do and costs them $5.5B/year, they would be turning a profit. So really, the business model isn't broken given that they can turn a profit, but has been pointed out, the are a service organization, no a for-profit business, even though they can in fact turn a profit.

That isn't to say the USPS shouldn't continue to look for improvements and efficiencies. There have been proposals to allow the post office to provide more services, which would beneficial to underserved rural communities, but business has opposed these ideas.



If you think for one second that I am comparing the USA to China you have bumped your hard.

MUBurrow

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #64 on: April 26, 2020, 03:10:44 PM »
As a public service, the business model doesn't work. The only people being served are Amazon and junk mail mailers.

Boy I'm happy beyond belief my tax dollars are subsidizing garbage from the latest auto repair scam. Or some realtor trying to get me to sell my home.

What a waste of money. The postal service will be in the 21st century when the country is in the 24th.

Once you take away the 75 year pension funding requirement, they were operating in the black while guaranteeing mail service to every unprofitable corner of the country.  How is that only providing a service to Amazon and junk mail mailers?

vogue65

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #65 on: April 30, 2020, 11:28:45 AM »
And that strong union is why the USPS is a mess and losing money. Their labor, benefit, and pension costs far outweigh what they do best or do well. A downsized and scaled back USPS could find an efficient niche and profitability again, but that would mean layoffs and location closings, and the union would never allow such a thing. Unions are supposed to protect worker rights and benefits, not protect failing/inefficient business segments/industries and handcuff the natural progress and development of the market.

The USPS is great for letters and paper mailing, which is a rapidly declining area. Packages their only benefit is Smartpost or other JVs with other freight carriers. If they weren’t federally backstopped and forced to make money on such segments, their price would rise and Fedex/UPS/etc... would just do it themselves. Nobody ships a package with USPS unless time is unimportant and lowest possible cost is needed.

To think the criticisms of the USPS as it currently stands is really only primarily to defeat a union by evil right wing hyper capitalists is silly agenda driven messaging. That’s why I rolled my eyes.

Right on brother.

It's part of the plan and one of the last dominos to fall. 

FedEx is an airline with local delivery franchisees who underpay and in my neck of the woods the drivers are fired before unemployment benefits can kick in.  The term scab and rat come to mind.

About the USPS, again in my neck of the woods, they have privatized delivery a long time ago.
The counter people work for the service, but trucking and rural deliver has been outsourced. 

First the corporations took away benefits from their workers, now they come for the remaing workers with benefits.

Next subject, the funding of pensions, not of government workers, but of the corporate retirees.
The idealogues have lost control of the country, good going guys.
 

Jockey

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #66 on: April 30, 2020, 12:25:38 PM »
At a Senate hearing on the USPS in 2019, The Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs discussed recommendations from a task force appointed by President Trump that include cutting or privatizing various postal services, increasing delivery prices, and eliminating employees’ rights to collective bargaining.

Committee Chair Ron Johnson seized on the anti-union proposals. He repeatedly inquired about the wages and benefits that USPS employees enjoy compared to private sector employees and questioned whether postal workers should be allowed to continue to collectively bargain over wages.

So, yes, this is about about trying to eliminate the union. Add the revenge factor against Bezos and we see why the White House wants to destroy USPS

vogue65

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #67 on: April 30, 2020, 10:12:51 PM »
He was for killing it before he was against it.   That's his way, it changes daily if not hourly.  He's crazy.

Give the poor guy a break, he is in over his head, he has serious mental and emotional issues, he has no qualifications for the job, and he surrounds himself with lapdogs.  The job is really difficult, "who knew"?  "In a very short time" it will be over and he can go back to running his rackets.  I feel sorry for him, the poor guy was just running a scam and then he ended up getting elected, it's not his fault.  The system did it to him.   Only 6 months to go, how much harm can he do in 6 months?

WarriorDad

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #68 on: April 30, 2020, 10:35:26 PM »
Give the poor guy a break, he is in over his head, he has serious mental and emotional issues, he has no qualifications for the job, and he surrounds himself with lapdogs.  The job is really difficult, "who knew"?  "In a very short time" it will be over and he can go back to running his rackets.  I feel sorry for him, the poor guy was just running a scam and then he ended up getting elected, it's not his fault.  The system did it to him.   Only 6 months to go, how much harm can he do in 6 months?

I prefer not to give him a break, will be glad when he is gone.  Unfortunately what we will be throwing up to take him on is a shadow of himself and was never an intellectual man, to begin with.  This should be a layup, but probably will not be.
“No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.”
— Plato

dgies9156

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #69 on: May 03, 2020, 11:03:55 AM »
Once you take away the 75 year pension funding requirement, they were operating in the black while guaranteeing mail service to every unprofitable corner of the country.  How is that only providing a service to Amazon and junk mail mailers?

Brother Burrow:

First class mail volume (letters and bills) is down something like 50 percent from a few years ago. Making sure every corner of the country has first class mail service is the premise on which the post office hangs its shield. Period. But is the current structure of the postal service needed to do that? I’d argue it isn’t — at least not to the extent it once was.

With email, electronic bill pay and bill transmission and electronic service of legal notices, we simply don’t need the postal service we had 40 or more years ago. While I don’t argue we need some type of federally mandated means of moving letters and packages, the existing post office is a dinosaur. It’s featherbedded out its backside and the union too often protects people who are dragging the system down.

The problem with the postal service, like Amtrak, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and other GSEs is that they’re living in the past and can’t embrace the future. Top that off with the fact that the biggest part of the Democratic Party is government employees and innovation will come right after the rapture.

The big question we have to ask is: Do People Exist for Government? Or, Does Government Exist for People? Secondly, one must ask whether government exists to employ people or to serve people?

Jockey

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #70 on: May 03, 2020, 07:24:08 PM »
Brother Burrow:


Top that off with the fact that the biggest part of the Democratic Party is government employees and innovation will come right after the rapture.


Do you have proof for this claim? I contend that it is a lie.

vogue65

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #71 on: May 03, 2020, 09:55:00 PM »
Based on my personal experience, the vast majority of government employees are apolitical.  I have worked for 6 presidents, abeit at lower levels of the bureaucracy, and have found most government workers focused on doing the job at hand.  Interestingly, 90% of government workers are introverts.   There is very little political talk among them. 

Furthermore we have the Hatch Act which curtails political activity.  President Reagan loosened the regulations, but it remains influential in controling political activity.

Presidents come and presidents go, no need to get political.

Even more so, political appointees come and go as well.

Many citizen's have strongly held beliefs surrounding the functioning of government while they don't know what they are talking about.

MU Fan in Connecticut

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #72 on: May 04, 2020, 10:08:30 AM »
There's this from last year.


MAY 13, 2019
Postal Service Still Americans' Favorite Federal Agency
BY LYDIA SAAD
https://news.gallup.com/poll/257510/postal-service-americans-favorite-federal-agency.aspx


warriorchick

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #73 on: May 04, 2020, 11:52:53 AM »
There's this from last year.


MAY 13, 2019
Postal Service Still Americans' Favorite Federal Agency
BY LYDIA SAAD
https://news.gallup.com/poll/257510/postal-service-americans-favorite-federal-agency.aspx

In the private sector, having only 74% "good or excellent" could get you fired.
Have some patience, FFS.

cheebs09

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Re: US postal service
« Reply #74 on: May 04, 2020, 12:07:35 PM »
There's this from last year.


MAY 13, 2019
Postal Service Still Americans' Favorite Federal Agency
BY LYDIA SAAD
https://news.gallup.com/poll/257510/postal-service-americans-favorite-federal-agency.aspx

Putting out songs like “Such Great Heights” has to help.

 

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