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Abolish the Postal Service

Should we abolish the postal service?

  • yes

    Votes: 9 24.3%

  • no

    Votes: 26 70.3%

  • other, explain

    Votes: 2 5.4%
  • Total voters
    37
I just get stamps at the little grocery/deli on the corner. I give them my outgoing mail as well . I have heard people say that actually going to the post office is a nightmare. I've always worked where it was somebody else's job.
 
Cephus said:
What money eating monster? The USPS is the only governmental office that is 100% self-sufficient, it doesn't take a penny of tax-money, it pays completely for itself.

Don't like it? Don't use it.
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It's not hard when you're granted monopoly privleges.
 
phattonez said:
It's not hard when you're granted monopoly privleges.
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What are you talking about?

If you want to start a business delivering mail, no one will stop you. UPS and FedEx seem to be doing just that. If they want to expand and do daily mail, they could, but they don't want to, because the start up costs would be huge and they wouldn't be able to give their executives million dollar bonuses (something the Post Office doesn't do).
 
Rightwingnutjob said:
Damned if I know.
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The fact that he has to give some money back for his opportunities in life. It is typical of people who think they are the only reason they accomplished something in life.
 
megaprogman said:
The fact that he has to give some money back for his opportunities in life. It is typical of people who think they are the only reason they accomplished something in life.
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What does that have to do with him saying USPS workers make more than UPS?
 
Rightwingnutjob said:
What does that have to do with him saying USPS workers make more than UPS?
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Oh, I thought you meant his general complaint. The thing he gripes about over and over and over and ....
 
Groucho said:
What are you talking about?

If you want to start a business delivering mail, no one will stop you. UPS and FedEx seem to be doing just that. If they want to expand and do daily mail, they could, but they don't want to, because the start up costs would be huge and they wouldn't be able to give their executives million dollar bonuses (something the Post Office doesn't do).
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What are you talking about?

Article I, section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution grants U.S. Congress the power to establish post offices and post roads. The Federal Government has interpreted this clause as granting a de facto Congressional monopoly over the delivery of mail. According to the government, no other system for delivering mail - public or private - can be established absent Congress's consent. Congress has delegated to the Postal Service the power to decide whether others may compete with it, and the Postal Service has carved out an exception to its monopoly for extremely urgent letters.
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United States Postal Service - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Try sending a first class letter with anyone besides USPS, and also try to get consent from congress in order to compete with USPS.
 
Did you notice that they all say express?

"Congress has delegated to the Postal Service the power to decide whether others may compete with it, and the Postal Service has carved out an exception to its monopoly for extremely urgent letters."
 
Groucho said:
OK, didn't know that.

Still, this certainly seems Constitutional, since it's explicitly IN the Constitution, in the same way that someone can't start their own army.
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Actually, a person could start their own army since those are militias. A state, however, cannot have a standing army or navy.
 
phattonez said:
Did you notice that they all say express?

"Congress has delegated to the Postal Service the power to decide whether others may compete with it, and the Postal Service has carved out an exception to its monopoly for extremely urgent letters."
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Express, 1st class in the end whatever one calls it it achieves the same goal.
 
Groucho said:
OK, didn't know that.

Still, this certainly seems Constitutional, since it's explicitly IN the Constitution, in the same way that someone can't start their own army.
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It's constitutional, but so what? It's inefficient, that's why I want it abolished. Pass an amendment because it's a terrible flaw in the constitution. No monopolies over mail, there's no need.

winston53660 said:
Express, 1st class in the end whatever one calls it it achieves the same goal.
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If you can pick and choose your competition then you're not really competing in the market, are you? USPS is inefficient because it lacks competition, period.
 
phattonez said:
It's not hard when you're granted monopoly privleges.
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How do they have a monopoly? Never heard of UPS? FedEx? Anyone can start a service to deliver letters and packages. Use one of those.
 
Cephus said:
How do they have a monopoly? Never heard of UPS? FedEx? Anyone can start a service to deliver letters and packages. Use one of those.
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Lysander Spooner did and he was shut down by the government. UPS and FedEx can deliver letters, but they are prohibited from using mailboxes. They have to hand deliver the letter to you.
 
Cephus said:
How do they have a monopoly? Never heard of UPS? FedEx? Anyone can start a service to deliver letters and packages. Use one of those.
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This is one of the basic facts about USPS. Read the Wikipedia article on it; there's a section entitled "Universal Service Obligation and monopoly status."
 
I don't understand why people complain so much about the postal service. I haven't had a single problem with them before. Maybe it's because I live in a suburb rather than a major city? I don't know... but the postal service works fine for me.
 
Jucon said:
I don't understand why people complain so much about the postal service. I haven't had a single problem with them before. Maybe it's because I live in a suburb rather than a major city? I don't know... but the postal service works fine for me.
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Compare the post office to McDonald's or even Target. Where do you get better service?
 
phattonez said:
Compare the post office to McDonald's or even Target. Where do you get better service?
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Kind of hard to do when they provide completely different services.

The worst thing that has happened to me while mailing things through the USPS is that an envelope was opened (intentionally or unintentionally). This could happen if I used any service. There are always bad apples working in businesses.

And I've heard of money being stolen from birthday cards before... but I'd never send money through the mail anyways.

A friend of mine mails packages through the USPS about 20+ times a week, and he doesn't have issues with them either.
 
The_Patriot said:
Lysander Spooner did and he was shut down by the government. UPS and FedEx can deliver letters, but they are prohibited from using mailboxes. They have to hand deliver the letter to you.
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Funny, *NONE* of them have ever hand-delivered it to me unless it needed my signature, it's always left on my porch. UPS could just as easily have people putting out USP-boxes for them to deliver your mail in if they wanted.
 
The post office has some really chicken **** rules about mailboxes, especially on new buildings. You would think that they were to install a nuclear power plant and they are strictly enforced.
 
No. It is a favorable service with little public dissent.
 
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