Can we please just privatize the USPS?

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
The problem that I have is that nobody except the USPS is allowed to deliver mail. Only the USPS can put mail in mailboxes. Sure, First class is great, but all their other services are bad- Priority, which you pay extra for but is not guaranteed(I have had trouble with this), and even worse, Express mail! I missed my flight and was laid over in Los Angeles 2 DAYS because of late and mismanaged express mail. The USPS just isn't motivated to perform because there is no chance of them going out of business due to the mandated monopoly. They can do whatever they want- even outside of the realm of putting mail in mailboxes- and not care about service, success, etc because they have no reason to do better and no reason to avoid failure.

express mail has been contracted out to fedex for several years now. so blame fedex and not the government monopoly

 

[OdiN]

USPS is awesome.

Priority Mail is awesome.

I used to do a lot on FS/FT and Priority Mail worked great!

I once got a package from California to Georgia in just two days. Send it around noon on one day and it arrived two days later. How can you beat that?

I received consistently good service from USPS. They always got every package that I ever sent (even some to Hawaii/Alaska) on time or earlier than the service would lead you to believe. They don't "guarantee" Priority Mail but in my experience, they never failed to deliver on the 2-3 day period.

 

[elektrolokomotive]

Originally posted by: Reel
The reason that the government keeps them with a monopoly is that the country is so spread out with lots of rural areas. If you were to start a postal company, you would only take the high revenue areas. You'd start with cities and there would end up a cutoff point where it is no longer profitable to deliver mail to a certain level of city or rural area. By keeping the postal service in monopoly of the deliveries, they are obligated to service those areas as well.

This is precisely the same issue with Amtrak. If it was totally privatized, there would be no monetary incentive for a rail company to cover the country coast-to-coast. There just isn't enough passenger traffic anywhere but the East (and possibly West) coast to sustain enough revenue. End result: a private enterprise would start drastically cutting service in lesser populated areas.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: thepd7
I have to disagree, I love USPS for the price and reliability.

 

[TitanDiddly]

Originally posted by: sciencewhiz

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly

Ironically, managerial postal employees have been increasing in numbers. There are currently approximately 8 managerial employees for every craft employee in the USPS- in comparable organizations: UPS- 1 managerial employee for every 50 employees- Fedex- 1 managerial employee for every 150 employees. This is a facet of postal operations that is seldom mentioned, and is the premiere reason for the undue level of postal "stress" that is so endemic in the postal workplace: too many bosses, with too little to do, and so much incentive to harrass. (See "Letter Carriers" above...)

Please provide a source for this statement. I might beleive 1 manager to 8 employees, but not 8 managers to 1 employee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...Employment_in_the_USPS

 

[Brainonska511]

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly

Originally posted by: sciencewhiz

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly

Ironically, managerial postal employees have been increasing in numbers. There are currently approximately 8 managerial employees for every craft employee in the USPS- in comparable organizations: UPS- 1 managerial employee for every 50 employees- Fedex- 1 managerial employee for every 150 employees. This is a facet of postal operations that is seldom mentioned, and is the premiere reason for the undue level of postal "stress" that is so endemic in the postal workplace: too many bosses, with too little to do, and so much incentive to harrass. (See "Letter Carriers" above...)

Please provide a source for this statement. I might beleive 1 manager to 8 employees, but not 8 managers to 1 employee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...Employment_in_the_USPS

It was nice of the person who wrote that subsection to cite the source of that information...

 

[Throckmorton]

A privatized USPS would still have no competition and would charge 10x as much. I've had enough of you anti-government troglodytes spewing your stuck-in-12th-grade-economics BS.

 

[compnovice]

• Delivers almost anywhere in the US: Check
  Delivers almost anywhere in the world: Check
  Cheapest service around: Check
  Very low package loss rate: Check

Hmmm..... why again should we privatize it?

 

[Kelemvor]

The main thing about the USPS is they don't take ownership of any problems. My wife sent out some stuff and they mangled it in their machines. (standard envelope with an invite in it). So they send it back to use in a little baggie with an "Oops" sticker on it. She took them a replacement and asked them to mail it using the postage from the old one. THey said no, they can't be held responsible for things that they destroy. That's a crock of @#%@.

 

[Xyclone]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
I'd rather use USPS Priority than UPS any day of the week. Most of the time it's cheaper, and in my experiences, all of my smaller packages get across the country in 2 days.

 

[potato28]

NOOO!!! Don't privatize USPS! Then I'll be stuck with UPS to ship to the US

 

[sciencewhiz]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly

Originally posted by: sciencewhiz

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly

Ironically, managerial postal employees have been increasing in numbers. There are currently approximately 8 managerial employees for every craft employee in the USPS- in comparable organizations: UPS- 1 managerial employee for every 50 employees- Fedex- 1 managerial employee for every 150 employees. This is a facet of postal operations that is seldom mentioned, and is the premiere reason for the undue level of postal "stress" that is so endemic in the postal workplace: too many bosses, with too little to do, and so much incentive to harrass. (See "Letter Carriers" above...)

Please provide a source for this statement. I might beleive 1 manager to 8 employees, but not 8 managers to 1 employee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...Employment_in_the_USPS

It was nice of the person who wrote that subsection to cite the source of that information...

Not only is there no source, but the person who added that paragraph has had several other statements removed due to them being incorrect, inflammatory, or uncited.

A 2003 study by Unisys and Watson Wyatt is impressed by the USPS's "lean structure" which is in line with other companies of similar size. It shows 26 employees to every manager.

 

[alrocky]

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly

Originally posted by: sciencewhiz

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
There are currently approximately 8 managerial employees for every craft employee in the USPS(See "Letter Carriers" above...)

Please provide a source for this statement. I might beleive 1 manager to 8 employees, but not 8 managers to 1 employee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...Employment_in_the_USPS

It was nice of the person who wrote that subsection to cite the source of that information...

"USPS employs... 790,000 personnel in 2003" - wiki

---

214,000 NALC letter carriers

"214,084 are active city delivery letter carriers employed by the U.S. Postal Service" - that's just one union

 

[clamum]

I think they do a pretty good job, except for like some others have mentioned their online tracking system blows goats.

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: thepd7
I have to disagree, I love USPS for the price and reliability.

:thumbsup:

 

[Rogodin2]

Typical stupid shit from a lifer. I use usps for a majority of my ebay shipping, and they destroy ups and fedex.

Rogo

 

[AlienCraft]

http://usgovinfo.about.com/blpostalservice.htm


The Modern Postal Service: Agency or Business?
Until adoption of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, the U.S. Postal Service functioned as a regular, tax-supported, agency of the federal government.

According to the laws under which it now operates, the U.S. Postal Service is a semi-independent federal agency, mandated to be revenue-neutral. That is, it is supposed to break even, not make a profit.

In 1982, U.S. postage stamps became "postal products," rather than a form of taxation. Since then, The bulk of the cost of operating the postal system has been paid for by customers through the sale of "postal products" and services rather than taxes.

Each class of mail is also expected to cover its share of the costs, a requirement that causes the percentage rate adjustments to vary in different classes of mail, according the costs associated with the processing and delivery characteristics of each class.

According to the costs of operations, U.S. Postal Service rates are set by the Postal Rate Commission according to the recommendations of the Postal Board of Governors. [See: Postal Service Says It Needs Even More]

Look, it's an agency!
The USPS is created as a government agency under Title 39, Section 101.1 of the United States Code which states, in part:

* (a) The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the people. The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities. The costs of establishing and maintaining the Postal Service shall not be apportioned to impair the overall value of such service to the people.

Under paragraph (d) of Title 39, Section 101.1, "Postal rates shall be established to apportion the costs of all postal operations to all users of the mail on a fair and equitable basis."

No, it's a business!
the Postal Service takes on some several very non-governmental attributes via the powers granted to it under Title 39, Section 401, which include:

* power to sue (and be sued) under its own name
* power to adopt, amend and repeal its own regulations
* power to "enter into and perform contracts, execute instruments, and determine the character of, and necessity for, its expenditures"
* power to buy, sell and lease private property
* power to build, operate, lease and maintain buildings and facilities

All of which are typical functions and powers of a private business. However, unlike other private businesses, the Postal Service is exempt from paying federal taxes. USPS can borrow money at discounted rates, and can condemn and acquire private property under governmental rights of eminent domain.

The USPS does get some taxpayer support. Around $96 million is budgeted annually by Congress for the "Postal Service Fund." These funds are used to compensate USPS for postage-free mailing for all legally blind persons and for mail-in election ballots sent from US citizens living overseas. A portion of the funds also pays USPS for providing address information to state and local child support enforcement agencies, and for keeping some rural posts offices in operation.

Under federal law, only the Postal Service can handle or charge postage for handling letters. Despite this virtual monopoly worth some $45 billion a year, the law does not require that the Postal Service make a profit -- only break even. Still, the US Postal Service has averaged a profit of over $1 billion per year in each of the last five years. Yet, Postal Service officials argue that they must continue to raise postage at regular intervals in order make up for the increased use of email. [See: Postal Service Says It Needs Even More]

In it's private business persona, the Postal Service ventures into E-commerce with "USPS eBillPay," a popular online bill paying service and "Postmark America," an online store for postal oriented gifts, clothing and collectibles.

For email senders, USPS offers an email certification system which enables customers to create and send messages via the Internet through a secured postal account. Customers don?t need an Internet service provider to send electronic messages.

USPS -- One Big and Busy Outfit
Today, the U.S. Postal Service:

* Delivered mail to 134 million delivery addresses, including 20 million post office boxes. About 1 million new addresses are added each year.
* Carried more mail to more people over a larger geographic area than any other country
* Served 7 million customers daily at one of 38,000 postal retail outlets
* Employed 750,000 career mail carriers, including 235,985 veterans and 47,937 employees with disabilities
* Leased more than 27,000 facilities at a cost of $727 million a year, providing tax revenue to thousands of communities
* Paid $1.6 billion in employee salaries and benefits every two weeks

The Postal Service currently handles more than 200 billion pieces of mail a year, or five pieces per address per day.

 

[SSP]

I also love your USPS. No more unexplained $200 charges (*cough*UPScrewyou*cough*) for crossing the border... only a $5 flat fee to change hands with Canadapost.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: ISAslot
Besides, if the government didn't do Amtrak, then there would be no people train service. It's just not a profitable business model imo.

Sure, that's why no one in Europe takes the train, right?

The reason why Amtrak sucks is that they're overpriced for no reason, our rail lines suck and so they can't go fast, they're always late, and freight trains get 100% priority on the tracks so that if you're a little bit late, you'll be HOURS late by the time it's all said and done.

That said, except for one REALLY bad experience with USPS misdelivering mail, they've been excellent for me and much, much cheaper than anyone else.

Originally posted by: compman25

Why should it be funded at all? If it can't support itself, get rid of it.

So in your world, every city street would be a toll road? Every city park would charge $50 entrance? A 100% capitalist society ends up being no fun for anyone.

 

[SSP]

Originally posted by: sciencewhiz

Originally posted by: Brainonska511

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly

Originally posted by: sciencewhiz

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly

Ironically, managerial postal employees have been increasing in numbers. There are currently approximately 8 managerial employees for every craft employee in the USPS- in comparable organizations: UPS- 1 managerial employee for every 50 employees- Fedex- 1 managerial employee for every 150 employees. This is a facet of postal operations that is seldom mentioned, and is the premiere reason for the undue level of postal "stress" that is so endemic in the postal workplace: too many bosses, with too little to do, and so much incentive to harrass. (See "Letter Carriers" above...)

Please provide a source for this statement. I might beleive 1 manager to 8 employees, but not 8 managers to 1 employee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...Employment_in_the_USPS

It was nice of the person who wrote that subsection to cite the source of that information...

Not only is there no source, but the person who added that paragraph has had several other statements removed due to them being incorrect, inflammatory, or uncited.

A 2003 study by Unisys and Watson Wyatt is impressed by the USPS's "lean structure" which is in line with other companies of similar size. It shows 26 employees to every manager.

What??? Are you doubting wikipedia's credibility??? you monster!

 

[LegendKiller]

USPS rocks, nowhere in the world can you send mail for so cheap on such great distances with awesome reliability. People bitch about it without knowing the facts, yet, when presented with those facts present nothing to counter them. Show me any other country in the world with the same level of delivery service, over the same geographical span, that gets even close to the same accuracy and cost and I may consider advocating a change in the system. Otherwise you're just talking out of your ass.

 

[PELarson]

oops. wrong quotation

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: Xyclone

Originally posted by: blurredvision
I'd rather use USPS Priority than UPS any day of the week. Most of the time it's cheaper, and in my experiences, all of my smaller packages get across the country in 2 days.

same here, USPS Priority has been more reliable for me than any of the other more expensive carriers.

 

[Troll4Hire]

Originally posted by: Mike
There's no competition?

It's part of the founding documents that the USA has to have a government run postal service. It's just as important as free speech, free press, and free protest; it's intent was to provide a communications link between the citizens and their governing body. With out it individuals could not voice their democratic concerns with their elected officials.

I also find it funny how many of the same people want everything socialized also have the ironic desire to privatize the postal service. Keep it the way it is, if little or nothing is broke then don't try too hard too fix it as you may seriously regret it later.

 

[Troll4Hire]

Originally posted by: 13Gigatons
41 cents to mail a letter anywhere in the usa isn't that bad, although if ups and fedex didn't exist shipping prices would probably be much higher.

Wrong. If fedex and UPS did not exist prices would be lower, because the postal service would handle more volume and could charge lower rates. And in order to increase rates, the postal service must ask USPS Board of Governors and the Postal Rate Commission for permission to do so. Privatizing the postal service would also mean thousands of local branches would need to be closed and would mean that many people would have to drive 15-20 miles or more to mail a letter and at triple digit cost.


http://www.pittsburghlive.com/...urghtrib/s_276651.html