Community Chat

[JoyFilled Warrior]

Well, remember, to some, USPS postage $$ is important, esp/incl once every 4 yrs!  And how USPS is/was considered more trustworthy than perhaps "privatization" of mail. 

    (Remember the public uproar when there was (perceived) destruction of USPS machines, (prior to, & anticipation of important mail being used at that time).

Remember  Proof of Santa on "Miracle on 34th Street"  (Natalie Wood version)

[Iwantcoffee]

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@KatieB wrote:

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@Kachina624 wrote:

I can't believe 78 cents to mail a letter.  Outrageous!  I don't mail anything anymore. 

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I can't believe people are complaining about it.  Where else can you get anything delivered for $.78?  I don't know of a place.

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USPS will deliver a card or letter over 2000 miles for $.78, It is outrageously cheap.

[geezerette]

There's also the big problem of having to pre-fund retirement benefits.

from usps:

Unlike any other public or private entity, under a 2006 law, the U.S. Postal Service must pre-fund retiree health benefits. We must pay today for benefits that will not be paid out until some future date.

[THEY CallMe Mr Wilkes]

I consider 78 cents to be a great bargain in getting a first class letter from Point A to Point B.

[monicakm]

I bought forever stamps last century and still have most of them.  All bill pay is done on line.  I don't write letters since all forms of communication are included with phone and internet services.  Man, I remember not being able to call someone  because it was long distance and what, about 25 cents/minute?

[bikerbabe]

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@sabatini wrote:

Sure, we all mail that occasional birthday card, but gone are the days when important things came to us through the mail.

Most of us pay our bills online, and our checks are directly deposited into our accounts.

On a daily basis, hard working mail carriers have been reduced to delivering us junk; catalogues that we don't want and will never order from, coupons for businesses we don't patronize, and ads we'll never read.

There've been rumblings about privatization for years now.

Here's a snippet from The Cato Institute:

From its inception, the USPS was intended to be a public good, not a profit-making entity. Indeed, in 1958, federal law declared it “clearly not a business enterprise conducted for profit.” But non-profits should not be financial black holes, and universal service should not require billions in annual losses, as demonstrated by private providers.

At present, the USPS is a failing monopoly. Title 39 of the US Code hinders private carriers’ ability to compete by requiring weight minimums and USPS approval for packages. Additionally, only USPS may use mailboxes. The USPS also receives substantial financial aid from taxpayers: $120 billion since 2020. Despite this legal and fiscal aid, USPS has run a deficit every year since 2007, accumulating a total loss of $108 billion. And service quality continues to decline—between 2022 and 2024, the percentage of packages delivered on time fell substantially.

A possible response to these financial difficulties is the removal of rules that make the USPS less profitable. The USPS must offer reduced postage rates for certain users, such as non-profits, and its uniform rate requirement means serving remote areas at the same price as cities. Repealing these restrictions would allow USPS to be more competitive.

An even better response is to privatize the USPS. This would eliminate its uniform price and service mandate and allow it to close unprofitable locations. Privatizing would also eliminate restrictions on private carriers’ activity, enhancing their efficiency.

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Ultimately, the case for privatization is one of efficiency, competition, and fiscal responsibility. By privatizing the USPS, the US could foster a competitive, market-driven postal industry that better serves consumers and taxpayers alike.

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What happens in rural areas when the private carrier decides it's not profitable and doesn't they no longer want to provide mail service?

FYI, USPS actually posted a profit last quarter and congressional appropriations have dropped substantially to only 50 million in 2023. 

I'm not 100% dead-set on changes or even privatization but viewing postal service as needing to make a profit is worrisome, as is this push that federal services overall somehow need to make a profit. "Market-driven" and basic federal functions are worrisome in the same sentence. 

[Iwantcoffee]

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@ROMARY wrote:

I don't know why 'they' can't offer a plain stamp at a substantial reduced rate.  

Just mark the stamp:  'STAMP'  

Let the others who love to have beautiful stamps pay the higher rate.  

Makes more sense (to me, anyway).

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You are getting more than a stamp. You are paying for a service, for mail to be delivered.

Would you take $.78 to carry a card from New York to Seattle? I would not.

The cost to deliver far exceeds what people pay for a stamp.

[THEY CallMe Mr Wilkes]

That's some bargain indeed!

[JoyFilled Warrior]

@lynnie61   WOW!!  You send 80-100 Christmas Cards.  HOW KEWL!!

That is such a wonderful gesture, I'm so impressed!  

Also, $4.50 transport fee!! Yikes!   I wouldnt be surprised if that outrageous cost catches on with even more enterprises! 

      One of my Bills charges an additional $1.70 to pay online, or by phone!  Harbinger of things to come, increasingly! 

    Yeah, USPS 78cents cld be considered a bargain for what i see the Commerce direction is even more addt'l  $$$  JUST to pay bills (& so far, their charge isnt a mere 78cents)!

Heck, Bank Accts, for instance, are trying to go Paper Free, (or charge $$$ to mail out your own info)!

My own Bank charges a generous Fee to create a paper Money Order of my OWN MONEY they're holding, & that's even me inconvenienced by showing up at the Bank itself!

[bikerbabe]

@geezerette

I heard years ago that the retirement future funding requirement set by Congress is one of the biggest problems.