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Postal Service Is Nearing Default as Losses Mount

O.K. but I'd still think that would require far fewer employee's.

Maybe. It'll definitely necessitate employees with other skillsets, though.

Any government email will likely be directed to people's spam files.

I'm not sure about that. I would prefer it if every bill that passed the House or passed the Senate be e-mailed to all citizens, as well as the version of a bill signed into law by the President. The same for bills and laws on the state and local levels too.
 
for reals player?

Indeed.

Thankfully, you aren't in any position to waste tax payer dollars with such... merit-less ideas.

You mean the government being able to communicate to its constituents is without merit? And here I thought a person such as yourself would want to create implements of more accountability with regards to government rather than less of it.
 

Disturbing.


You mean the government being able to communicate to its constituents is without merit?
It all ready can, how would the post office in anyway shape fashion or form improve the situation?
And here I thought a person such as yourself would want to create implements of more accountability with regards to government rather than less of it.
This idea of your would not equal transparency, don't kid yourself.
 
I'm not sure about that. I would prefer it if every bill that passed the House or passed the Senate be e-mailed to all citizens, as well as the version of a bill signed into law by the President. The same for bills and laws on the state and local levels too.

That would be pretty cool but unless we get a slew of new leaders in office it's never going to happen and even then, I think many would spam it. Though, as I said, I'd like that to happen.
 
I have no idea what this is supposed to mean. The loss of jobs will simply be inevitable. It's not a position to take. It's inevitable. Lose some or lose them all.

It's weird, you go some places in the USA its like everyone speaks a different language.

That would be pretty cool but unless we get a slew of new leaders in office it's never going to happen and even then, I think many would spam it. Though, as I said, I'd like that to happen.

Spammers go to jail... just like people who open your mail without your permission. Im more concerned that lots of homely folks in that hypothetical and awesome idea would think the government was spying on their email. Apparently they caught the fellow in Russia responsible for the majority of earth's spam.
 
That would be pretty cool but unless we get a slew of new leaders in office it's never going to happen and even then, I think many would spam it. Though, as I said, I'd like that to happen.

Well, there's good and bad in every situation. The thing to ask is whether or not the good outweighs the bad. Considering how this would be the e-mail/Facebook version of C-Span, I think the good could outweigh the bad.
 
Spammers go to jail... just like people who open your mail without your permission. Im more concerned that lots of homely folks in that hypothetical and awesome idea would think the government was spying on their email. Apparently they caught the fellow in Russia responsible for the majority of earth's spam.

LOL, that would indeed be good entertainment.
 
Well, there's good and bad in every situation. The thing to ask is whether or not the good outweighs the bad. Considering how this would be the e-mail/Facebook version of C-Span, I think the good could outweigh the bad.

I'm not saying it's bad. I'm just saying that I'm not sure how many would appreciate it. NOT it that should be reason enough to not do it. More transparancy is a good arguement.
 
I'm not saying it's bad. I'm just saying that I'm not sure how many would appreciate it.

My email address is my name, I am the number 1 me in America. It's honestly the best.
 
commercial spammers are the largest source of revenue for the Post Office right now ... the USPS loves it some spammers. ( bulk mail, direct mail advertisements)
just sayin'
 
What i cannot understand is how UPS and Fed Ex are able to stay in business when the post office is completely subsidized by the federal government?

:lamo
 
No, this is what happens when people think government should run LIKE a business. Which is utter foolishness. Government is government. The Post Office does not have to make any money, it merely must exist.

That's what it has been doing, and is now about to be completely out of money. Your answer is just "Throw more money at it?"
 
That's what it has been doing, and is now about to be completely out of money. Your answer is just "Throw more money at it?"

Wah wah bitch bitch essential governmental public service can no longer be free due to unforeseen market circumstances. There. It's not like youre not going to end up putting more money into it some other way.
 
Wah wah bitch bitch essential governmental public service can no longer be free due to unforeseen market circumstances. There. It's not like youre not going to end up putting more money into it some other way.

What are you on about? The Post Office has never been free...
 
A couple of things I have noticed that could probably reduce costs by a fair bit.


1. Require curb side mail boxes on all locations where it is feasible. I live in an older town and probably 75%+ of all residential mail boxes are located on the house. This require the mail man to run his routes on foot which greatly increases labor time/expense.

2. Consolidate small town post offices. I used to live in a town of approx 250 people. We had our own post office which was manned during normal office hours. The neighboring town of 60K was all of 8 miles away. Why not merge the two?


*Now for my rant!*

The postal service here sucks big time. It is a normal occurrence to have your outgoing mail sit at your mailbox for days on end. Many people complain about this. In some cases I have had them deliver my mail and leave my outgoing at the box. When I and others have complained to the local post master his response was "We are only required by law to deliver the mail, not to pick it up". I am no postal law expert and this very well may be true but common its BS that they are clearly slacking in their duties simply because no one is forcing them to do it. No wonder they are bleeding money when the they are out the labor to deliver and skip the revenue right there at the box in the name of laziness. No wonder so many people around here have decided to use private sector services instead. /end rant
 
a few points about this issue

1) much of the USPS's financial predicament comes from it being forced to front fund its pension, something that other businesses do not have to do

2) the USPS is paralyzed by three things

a) massive union inertia

b) a changing environment that is tough on a business such as the USPS

c) the nature of its workers and its pay scale

The unions prevent swift change. For example, when new LSM machines became available, these Letter sorting machines made thousands of jobs obsolete. Yet, firing or laying off unnneeded workers was prevented by the unions.

another point involves the pay scales and the worker mentality. USPS workers make far more than similarly situated workers in similar industries. The USPS is constantly sued by its employees over "disability" discrimination. at any given time 20% or more of its work place is on Limited (work related injury) or "light" (non work related) duty. George HW Bush, in one of his most idiotic moves, allowed suits against the USPS to be tried to a jury rather than either a bench trial or a judicial review of the administrative record (federal employees must pursue administrative relief prior to suing in federal courts). This has caused an explosion of lawsuits against the USPS which have cost the USPS billions (the USPS has to pay judgments out of its operating budget rather than "the judgment fund" that other federal agencies use to pay verdicts.

this lawsuit madness had further paralyzed the USPS from streamlining its operations or getting rid of worthless (and many of them are) workers
 
a few points about this issue

1) much of the USPS's financial predicament comes from it being forced to front fund its pension, something that other businesses do not have to do

2) the USPS is paralyzed by three things

a) massive union inertia

b) a changing environment that is tough on a business such as the USPS

c) the nature of its workers and its pay scale

The unions prevent swift change. For example, when new LSM machines became available, these Letter sorting machines made thousands of jobs obsolete. Yet, firing or laying off unnneeded workers was prevented by the unions.

another point involves the pay scales and the worker mentality. USPS workers make far more than similarly situated workers in similar industries. The USPS is constantly sued by its employees over "disability" discrimination. at any given time 20% or more of its work place is on Limited (work related injury) or "light" (non work related) duty. George HW Bush, in one of his most idiotic moves, allowed suits against the USPS to be tried to a jury rather than either a bench trial or a judicial review of the administrative record (federal employees must pursue administrative relief prior to suing in federal courts). This has caused an explosion of lawsuits against the USPS which have cost the USPS billions (the USPS has to pay judgments out of its operating budget rather than "the judgment fund" that other federal agencies use to pay verdicts.

this lawsuit madness had further paralyzed the USPS from streamlining its operations or getting rid of worthless (and many of them are) workers

You have essentially alluded to a major issue with the USPS's collecting bargaining agreement. I have little doubt that members will accept a more "sustainable" CBA once they understand future employment depends on it.
 
That's what it has been doing, and is now about to be completely out of money. Your answer is just "Throw more money at it?"

It's not a business, but a necessary service. So yes, it can consume money without the restriction of necessitating profit. That's why it's government and not private. Business has a different set of constraints than government does.
 
What i cannot understand is how UPS and Fed Ex are able to stay in business when the post office is completely subsidized by the federal government?

:lamo

Because it's not completely subsidized by the federal government.

As I understand it, USPS' budget comes only from its operations - what it takes in from selling stamps and sending parcels. But as TurtleDude mentioned before, the union agreement it has with postal workers is what's making its operations so costly.

Now there's nothing inherently wrong with the postal workers unionizing. However, unions are just as subject to the technological revolution as corporations are. And the postal worker union will have to deal with those changes just as much as corporate executives do.
 
You have essentially alluded to a major issue with the USPS's collecting bargaining agreement. I have little doubt that members will accept a more "sustainable" CBA once they understand future employment depends on it.

I don't have a link but I saw earlier on television where the union put out a statement saying that cutting services and jobs will not fix the Post Offices problems. As I said early on, someone is going to fight any changes tooth and nail. Leading this fight will be the unions.

We are still going to need letter delivery for at least the near future. So, no cuts in service and jobs isn't going to solve all of the problems BUT they are going to have to be part of the answer..... I have no desire to even discuss this with the unions. It's simple, understand that things are different, work to make the Post Office more efficient or suffer the fate of other public unions.
 
Well, what needs to occur is for the USPS to be taken... OMG... into the 21st century!!! and start using this new fangled thing called email.


Sarcasm aside though, seriously, the USPS needs to be taken into the 21st century. People should get their mail electronically and have an option of whether or not they want to pay their bill online or via snail mail. If investing a couple million is what it takes to modernize our postal service, than so be it.
 
You have essentially alluded to a major issue with the USPS's collecting bargaining agreement. I have little doubt that members will accept a more "sustainable" CBA once they understand future employment depends on it.

its actually collective bargaining agreements. You have the NALC (National association of letter carriers) the APWU (American Postal Workers Union) which represent the two biggest components, letter carriers and the clerks (its the biggest) You also have the NRLCA (rural letter carriers-often on salary rather than hourly [ie no overtime for them]) and the NPMHU and a thing called the National Alliance which is not a bargaining unit but rather an association of postal workers-originally it was designed for minority employees . the pension issues and the massive amount of limited and light duties are crippling the USPS
 
Well, what needs to occur is for the USPS to be taken... OMG... into the 21st century!!! and start using this new fangled thing called email.


Sarcasm aside though, seriously, the USPS needs to be taken into the 21st century. People should get their mail electronically and have an option of whether or not they want to pay their bill online or via snail mail. If investing a couple million is what it takes to modernize our postal service, than so be it.

Your option of recieving bills through email, paying them on line is pretty much an option now.

What do you do for those that have no internet or computers for email? Your option above seems to lean towards all mail come to a person throug email, with the option of responding/paying through the internet or snailmail. Heck my mom being 92 has no interest in computers or access to the internet. Bet their are quite a few out there that feel the same.
 
No it won't.

Because I think the U.S. Post Office should re-task itself to providing e-mail accounts to all American citizens, and possibly to running a government-based social networking sites.

What?

That such a waste of resources, seeing that anyone can get a free email account from multiple, different entities now.
There are also multiple and different social networking sites, that are free to use.

That would be a huge boondoggle.
 
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