Postal Service Nearing Default (For Real, This Time...)

[Joshua_me]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/b...les-to-stay-solvent-and-relevant.html?_r=1&hp

Of course, the government could bail them out, but I'd bet you my last doughnut the GOP won't do it without other "spending cuts" attached to the the bill.

(You know, like that pesky EPA with their foolish clean air and hippy, tree-hugging clean water act)

They've already started with FEMA. Remember Joplin, MS ? NO money for new schools and infrastructure unless the current administration agrees to other spending cuts.

I mean - schools and roads in Missouri - how wasteful can this administration be ?

Next thing you know they'll be wanting textbooks and school lunches.

And, so it will go with our postal service.

OUR POSTAL SERVICE folks !!! You know, those wasteful tax and spend Democrats hellbent on getting your mail into it's box every day? SEE how Obama has bankrupted our nation ?

Next thing you know, he'll start spouting his left-winged malarkey about our roads, bridges and highways !

More community organizing ! More ideas learned in the pulpits of Jeremiah Wright !

Postal service ? Textbooks ? Schools lunches ? Dependable infrastructure ?

Only the lame-stream media could have convinced America of the "anointed one's" plans for world domination !

And only you, come FOURTEEN months from now can vote the GOP back into office, where sanity and inconceivable chicanery can rule once more.

 

[jackoroe]

No more bailouts for anybody. Let the postal service sink or swim on it's own. Seriously, outside of mailing an occasional package what use are they? Nobody writes letters anymore. You can pay all your bills online and even get your bills by email. Most of the mail I get is garbage that needs to be recycled, not to mention the fuel they use to deliver this trash.

Getting rid of the USPS would actually be very green.

 

[Joshua_me]

Seriously, outside of mailing an occasional package what use are they? Nobody writes letters anymore. You can pay all your bills online and even get your bills by email.

Yeah, but you say that as a relatively young man.

Trust me, the over 70 set thinks of the post office as a trusted old friend.

"Nobody writes letters anymore" ? Nonsense.

Tell Hallmark that.

I'm not saying it's not a dying breed, but there are millions of elderly folks that send real cards with real stamps and write real letters on real stationery.

They pay their bills with handwritten checks, (foolish, yes, but true...) and leave those checks and bills in the mailbox waiting for them to be picked up.

Pay bills online ? You might as well ask them to strap on their astropacks and fly to the moon.

Untold thousands of people would be lost without the mail service. Especially those who live in small, isolated towns.

I hate to break it to you, but for some the Internet is a scary, futuristic beast that they want NO part of...

And really, they shouldn't have to be a part of it if they do not want to be.

There's no shortage of money to keep the post offices open, a reallocation of funds is all that's needed.

And trust me, once the GOP gets that Kenyan out of office, suddenly there will be money to keep things "the way they were."

Until those voters in Mayberry die off, of course.

 

[MystikWizard]

No more bailouts for anybody. Let the postal service sink or swim on it's own. Seriously, outside of mailing an occasional package what use are they? Nobody writes letters anymore. You can pay all your bills online and even get your bills by email. Most of the mail I get is garbage that needs to be recycled, not to mention the fuel they use to deliver this trash.

Getting rid of the USPS would actually be very green.

QFT.

It's the nature of the beast, people. Welcome to the 21st century where we use email and pay our bills online.

Fed-Ex and UPS will be happy to help you mail your occasional package.

As far as the jobs lost, that is what I am trying to address in the Corporate Tax thread.

 

[NineOfClubs]

I'm sure 100 or so years ago, people were lamenting the fate of the buggy whip business.

 

[Joshua_me]

It's hard to pinpoint exactly when Jub got so cold-hearted.

 

[jackoroe]

Yeah, but you say that as a relatively young man.

Trust me, the over 70 set thinks of the post office as a trusted old friend.

"Nobody writes letters anymore" ? Nonsense.

Tell Hallmark that.

I'm not saying it's not a dying breed, but there are millions of elderly folks that send real cards with real stamps and write real letters on real stationery.

They pay their bills with handwritten checks, (foolish, yes, but true...) and leave those checks and bills in the mailbox waiting for them to be picked up.

Pay bills online ? You might as well ask them to strap on their astropacks and fly to the moon.

Untold thousands of people would be lost without the mail service. Especially those who live in small, isolated towns.

I hate to break it to you, but for some the Internet is a scary, futuristic beast that they want NO part of...

And really, they shouldn't have to be a part of it if they do not want to be.

There's no shortage of money to keep the post offices open, a reallocation of funds is all that's needed.

And trust me, once the GOP gets that Kenyan out of office, suddenly there will be money to keep things "the way they were."

Until those voters in Mayberry die off, of course.

I know lots of folks like what you describe. But is it a smart business move to continue funding a moribund relic of a bygone era? At what point do we stop?

Hallmark can sell online cards, if they don't already.

 

[IowaGuy]

I would rather have a birthday card in my hand that someone took the time to care and send instead of an "email" birthday greeting!

 

[Spiff]

Nobody writes letters anymore. You can pay all your bills online and even get your bills by email.

You must not have much experience interacting with senior citizens. But I can assure you that the average senior (not all of course) doesn't even know how to use a mouse. Completely ridding the postal service would be another blow to elderly who already are biggest victims of government spending cuts. The elderly still have bills to pay, who is going to train them all to use a computer, use the internet, and help them buy a computer and pay for an internet connection? Their income is already fixed and limited.

 

[chrisrobin]

No more bailouts for anybody. Let the postal service sink or swim on it's own.

That's what the True Believers said about General Motors, who was given a government loan, not a bailout. July 2011 represents the highest gross sales since the "meltdown". The loan is virtually paid off, as is the interest on the loan. Republican plan: Postal Service goes under - more unemployed - economy continues to flounder - blame Obama.
P.S. I just sent a sympathy card via the moribund USPS. To me, an e-card would have been a little rude. No USPS? I'd probably opt for a singing ********.

 

[MystikWizard]

I would rather have a birthday card in my hand that someone took the time to care and send instead of an "email" birthday greeting!

You see, and vice versa for me since the animated birthday cards are a lot more involved and interesting, personally. Besides that, a personal message can be left by the sender.

You must not have much experience interacting with senior citizens. But I can assure you that the average senior (not all of course) doesn't even know how to use a mouse. Completely ridding the postal service would be another blow to elderly who already are biggest victims of government spending cuts. The elderly still have bills to pay, who is going to train them all to use a computer, use the internet, and help them buy a computer and pay for an internet connection? Their income is already fixed and limited.

The elderly has plenty of access to computers ... their local library, retirement home centers (if they live at one), the family computer (if they live with their family), etc.

I think the biggest thing holding the elderly back from not using computers is simply their stubborness and refusal to want to learn. And under normal circumstances, that would be fine. However, in circumstances like these, which their stubborness would result in another proposed bailout of a body in which simply can not remain in the black because the demand isn't there, it is simply unacceptable and I have zero sympathy. It's time to change with the times and quit living like we are in the 1900's. Computers are not difficult to learn the basics, however you have to demonstrate a desire to learn and quit being lazy and stubborn.

Aren't seniors predominantly Republican anyway? If they want to bail out the postal service simply because they don't want to learn how to use a computer, I find that extremely hypocritical.

 

[T-Rexx]

Seriously, outside of mailing an occasional package what use are they? Nobody writes letters anymore. You can pay all your bills online and even get your bills by email.

Getting rid of the USPS would actually be very green.

QFT.

Welcome to the 21st century where we use email and pay our bills online.

Fed-Ex and UPS will be happy to help you mail your occasional package.

I'm sure 100 or so years ago, people were lamenting the fate of the buggy whip business.

If the postal service is so outdated and useless, how is it that Fed-Ex and UPS (which do exactly the same thing, but less efficiently) are so helpful?

Recently, I inquired about mailing a package to Europe. USPS wanted $84, which I thought was way too much. So, I brought the package down the street to UPS, where they quoted me $340 to ship the same package to the same address.

The problem with the USPS is that it is way too much of a bargain. USPS could double its postage fees, and it would still be only half as expensive as its commercial rivals.

 

[CowboyBob]

The USPS's default is a yearly event which gives them the opportunity to raise rates.

As T-Rexx mentions, it's a bargain. I ship out lots of small packages all over the world, and use the USPS exclusively. A rate hike is expected and due.

 

[Spiff]

The elderly has plenty of access to computers ... their local library, retirement home centers (if they live at one), the family computer (if they live with their family), etc.

I think the biggest thing holding the elderly back from not using computers is simply their stubborness and refusal to want to learn. Computers are not difficult to learn the basics, however you have to demonstrate a desire to learn and quit being lazy and stubborn.
Aren't seniors predominantly Republican anyway? If they want to bail out the postal service simply because they don't want to learn how to use a computer, I find that extremely hypocritical.

You are just being so out of touch with reality. Someday when you are in adult diapers with no family to take care of you, you will learn the reality of living as a senior. A gay one at that, which likely means you will have no children helping you out. Or perhaps you have Peter Pan syndrome and think you will never grow old and will be forever independent. Good luck with that. It will be interesting to see how you will handle the inevitable newer technology of the younger generation when you are elderly, if you make it that far.

 

[MystikWizard]

You are just being so out of touch with reality. Someday when you are in adult diapers with no family to take care of you, you will learn the reality of living as a senior. A gay one at that, which likely means you will have no children helping you out. Or perhaps you have Peter Pan syndrome and think you will never grow old and will be forever independent. Good luck with that. It will be interesting to see how you will handle the inevitable newer technology of the younger generation when you are elderly, if you make it that far.

Thank you. I will. I will also be conscious enough to understand the predicament I will be in as I grow older, so will therefore will commit myself to being more proactive when it comes to learning new technologies, as opposed to being arrogant enough to think that I won't even bother teaching myself just because I want to be a stubborn jackass set in my ways and pretending to live in the 1800's.

Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[jackoroe]

I belong to a club which has a good number of seniors as members. The executive board has decided that it will be run exclusively by means of the website and by email. There won't be any more snail mailings. The older people are adapting just fine. Email isn't rocket science.

 

[Spiff]

I belong to a club which has a good number of seniors as members. The executive board has decided that it will be run exclusively by means of the website and by email. There won't be any more snail mailings. The older people are adapting just fine. Email isn't rocket science.

I'm so sure this "club" is representative of the average senior that is on a fixed income. And it's not just about the email. They have to first buy a computer, learn how to use the operating system, learn how to interact with the computer, learn how to navigate the internet, be able to afford the internet connection. Of course it is not rocket science to you, because you do this stuff every day. But the typical senior does not.

 

[Spiff]

The US is beginning to resemble Logans Run.

That's a scary thought, don't give the Republican party any ideas. But then once any of them turn 30, I am sure they would manage to exempt themselves from termination.

 

[jackoroe]

Jackaroe it was your own Republican party that encouraged us to be fiscally irresponsible in the first place.

On an unrelated note, the arrogance of the 20-somethings on this matter is disheartening. Many seniors cannot afford a computer, and even fewer will, if the Republicans do away with SS.

The US is beginning to resemble Logans Run.

And the democrats have been very quick studies in continuing that tradition, or do you deny that with over $4 Trillion in new debt in 2 1/2 years?

Computers are getting cheaper every day. Taxes however, are going in the opposite direction when you consider state and local levies. I would hope that you would rail as loudly about that unsavory situation with the same vigor with which you protest the price of a new PC.

I don't recall any proposal to do away with SS. You wouldn't happen to have a cite or a bill number would you?

Did you know the USPS has a no layoff clause in their contracts? Seriously, how do you defend such an idiotic concept? Can you name any other industry anywhere else in the US that has this kind of insane contract item?

The folks who run things are looking to layoff almost 120,000 people in the midst of this Great Recession. Would it not have been wiser to have allowed them to do so in a piecemeal fashion over many years instead of all in one fell swoop? Maybe in years gone by when they could have actually found work?

 

[swerve]

I think that it is INSANE to suggest that the U.S. should allow the Postal Service to default...

It is ONLY a $5B deficit (72B spent - 67B brought in)...

What some of you may NOT be aware of -- is the AWKWARD position that the Postal Service operates...

They are REQUIRED by law to cover their expenses -- however they are NOT given the flexibility to do so -- major decisions, such as closing smaller branches, not operating on Saturdays, etc. CANNOT be made by the Post Master General -- they REQUIRE an act by Congress -- so they're kind of put in a catch 22 situation...

A BEST CASE scenario would be for congress to cover the $5B -- and allow the 1200 branches to close -- and stop Saturday hours -- thereby ALLOWING the Post office to break even WITHOUT rate increases...