Do you need the U.S. Postal Service?
Posted at 5:00 AM on March 7, 2011
by Eric Ringham
(86 Comments)
Filed under: Economy, Politics/Government
The U.S. Postal Service is losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year. It says it will be unable to pay its bills this year unless Congress lets it stop Saturday delivery. Today's Question: Do you need the U.S. Postal Service?
Comments (86)
The USPS employs over 500,000 people - the second largest US employer. The end of the USPS will push this country into a true depression. It will immediately raise the unemployment rate by more than 1/10 of 1%. It will kill 1000s of online small businesses who rely on first class mail's low rates to compete. It simply cannot be allowed.
The USPS is a vital part not only of history but of our present and future.
And how would the wacko's send Anthrax???? just say'n
Yes, I need the USPS.
I don't need Saturday delivery but instead could use one hour longer at the service counter M-F. I am not ready to trust all financial dealings to the internet.
Is it true that the USPS spent $40 million to sponsor Lance Armstrong and team in the Tour de France?
Yes, we need USPS.
No, we don't need it 6 days a week.
I think they should go to a MWF schedule with longer shifts, with PO being open from 6am to 9pm, with business mail pickup/delivery from 8am-6pm and residential from 7am-8pm.
This should save about the same number of "person hours" would be about the same as canceling Saturday but the I would expect additional savings savings due to more efficient delivery schedules (i.e. more mail per delivery)
We have the BEST postal system of the world, why would we want to eliminate it?
Saturday delivery and postal hours are essential because some workers cannot get to the post office during their working week. USPS also provide services to some smaller communities that are not covered by other services.
To improve the postal system, I would recommend increasing the postage on 'junk' mail, I can live without all the junk mail that gets to our mailbox. I would not mind a postage increase for individual letters and I also would not mind if the USPS got involved in electronic transmission of information.
Yes, we do need the USPS. The infrastructure that it has in place is indispensible and should be maintained. Like other institutions, it should change with the times, but it is not time for it to be downsized out of existence or morphed into some inferior version of itself. It is very efficient and has a fine international reputation which can and should be maintained. Any living thing inevitably has it's political dimension, but if it becomes "privatized" -- it would probably cost more for customers than it already is.
Not everyone is wired into the internet. Where we live it is only available on dial up or satellite. Dial up is too slow to down load most emails. Satellite is too expensive for most in this area. This area has the highest unemployment in the state. That is another topic, how many postal workers would lose their jobs it postal system was discontinued? Also not everyone is computer savvy. We better keep the postal system although changes might be needed.
yes
Has everyone forgotten how nice it is to get a hand written "thank you" without the Postal service that would be a difficult thing to come by. Bottom line, we all use the postal service in some way. if you think we can go without it, you are too far from today's reality. maybe in 2050 we will be ready to let it go, when then our senior citizens will have email accounts.
maybe when the 2012 elections come, they could put the question on the ballot and let the majority decide
The Postal Service’s deficit was caused by the unfair requirement to pre-fund future retiree health benefits, and the Service has been overcharged $75 billion for its pension fund obligations. Fixing the $75 billion pension overpayment and using that money to pre-fund retiree health benefits would make the USPS profitable. The USPS budget can be stabilized without having to resort to sacrificing service.
It never ceases to amaze me now ill-informed some people are. The USPS not a government money-pit. By law it has to be completely self-supporting. No tax money is used to subsidize it. It is not part of the federal budget (except insofar as government entities pay postage to use the service). You can't get more funding for schools or health care by cutting mail service.
The idea that we should get rid of the USPS comes from far-right libertarian ideologues who live by the superstition that everything works better if it's privatized and subject to market forces. (How about if we privatize law enforcement. Wouldn't that be grand? Imagine justice sold to the highest bidder!) While not perfect, I think the USPS is working pretty well as a government-run monopoly.
(To brian f: I didn't mean to sound like I was debating you-- just using your comment as a jumping-off point for my comments.)
Full disclosure: I am employed by USPS as a rural carrier. I also live in the country - 10 miles from the nearest town. We get our newspaper in the mail 6 days a week as do many of the people on my rural route. There is no other way to get the daily paper delivered. Also, we USPS employees deliver MANY packages daily for Fed Ex , UPS and Speedy as it is not cost-effective for them to deliver in certain areas. They just drop off their packages at the P.O. and we deliver these packages the next day. USPS is trying to "contract out" more of their routes to non-USPS employees as it is more cost efective to do so. However, it does show up in the quality of service in many instances, unfortunately. I drive a small, sparse route, so I work 6 days a week. But I am generally done by 2:00 p.m. each day. Most of my customers are wonderful. Also, many ARE elderly and appreciate their daily newspaper, magazines and personal correspondence, etc. delivered 6 days a week.
Is this a legitimate sight for the public to make comments or a forum for postal employees to pretend they are just citizens and making up silly reasons why we need 6 day delivery ? The PO loses millions of $$$$ A DAY !!!! If they can cut the losses by closing a few more days a week , go for it !!!
I just mailed 45 Happy International Women's Day cards including 11 overseas. I am of the dying breed of letter writers and postcard senders and I love the Postal Service.
Yes. The postal service provides competition for UPS and FedEx for package deliveries.
Second, it is essential when I send care packages to members of the armed services overseas.
Third, I pay some bills online and some by check. I prefer delivery by the post office as a safeguard against server crashes and denial of service attacks. On the other hand, I like electronic delivery of the same information as a safeguard against mail theft.
Yes, for obvious reasons. I need the postal mail that I receive, therefore I need the postal service.
The question sounds like a non-sequitur to the issue posed. Is the question you're getting at: do we need Saturday delivery? For me, no. But the larger issue - that the postal service is loosing money, doesn't sound like it would be solved in the long run if they cut service.
If they do cut service I would ask, where would it end? The postal service has been running into financial problems for decades and resolved them with rate hikes. Now they want to cut service. What should they do when they have the same problem (and they will) in the near future? If they keep this up eventually a letter will cost $1.79 and would only be delivered once a month.
We need the mail, but postal leadership stinks. As a contract mail hauler, I never saw such a bunch of incompetent and mean-spirited bureaucrats as those running the Postal Service. And the postal union makes it nearly impossible to fire bad workers in the mail-handling centers. A guy who threatened to shoot a co-worker continued to work at the plant I served. Most mail carriers and postmasters, at least out of small rural offices are doing good work, but the USPS needs a thorough housecleaning, starting at the top. I have heard they are started to cut the bureaucrats, yet it may be too little, too late.
i live in a rural area and depend on the USPS for paying bills, receiving goods, services, and monetary resources. i get exceptional service from the rural mail carriers as well as my hometown P.O. Many of my friends do not have computers or other means of electronic communication. Call me a Luddite but i like sending and receiving "snail mail" ...i am doing my bit to keep the art of letter writing alive. Saturday service is optional as far as i'm concerned...i am happy for the weekend when i don't conduct business anyway. i would feel at a complete loss without the USPS.
Absolutely we need the postal service! How can anyone think we don't need it. I think people take for granted the service that they receive daily by getting their mail delivered in any kind of weather by the letter carriers and work by other postal workers, we need to appreciate the work they do instead of trying to eliminate their jobs!
Full disclosure: I am an employee of the USPS
I know the postal service seems kind of old fashioned what with e-mail and electronic payments. However the Postal Service does not take any money from the government, instead it pays the government about $5 billion a year as others have noted.
Were the Postal Service be disbanded today, and I have not heard anyone suggest that yet, over 600,000 people would be out of work. Think of the effect of that on the economy.
There are benefits other than mail delivery that the Postal Service provides. They often find elderly people or others who are injured in their homes or neighborhood. Mail carriers save many lives every year. They also spot suspicious activity and report it to the authorities.
Finally the Postal Service plays a big part in emergency plans made by the Department of Homeland Security. If a serious pandemic were to hit the US requiring quarantining large parts of the country, the Postal Service is a delivery system ready to respond with food or medicine.
The Postal Service is the most trusted branch of government for a reason. It a wonderful group of people who serve their country daily.
Absolutely yes, we need the PO. I have a computer and use the e-mail part. I will not put my personal info on line in regards to paying bills etc. I do avail their auto pays though. However I still get had copy(real mail) announcing them! These 2 entities can exist side by side! I love getting an unexpected invite or check in the mail.
I personally do not need the the mail, all I need it for is studentlans which I could set up on line. The rest of the mail I could live with out. At work however many people get their deliveries by mail and I am sure we could find other (more expensive) ways to deliver thier package but it would have an effect on our business.
What a ridiculous question. Does someone get paid to come up with these questions? Here's one for you: Do we need MPR? You can use that for free.
Unfortunately, the postal service is becoming obsolete at a swift rate. Considering our national debt, this government service should be questioned. If I had to choose, I would prefer more funding to education and public health services rather than having the USPS.
yes. i get my daily paper this way. if they stopped the mail (on saturday or any day), i would be without a paper. i would not want my saturday paper on monday so i would cancel my strib subscription.
i would not want to drive the 60 miles to pick up the mail in town.
mr internet , go teach typing and english somewere else, stick it, the fact of this comment by the media is foolish
Dear THE FACTS,
Please stop shouting at us. Writing in all caps degrades your credibility and discourages people from even reading your comments, much less taking you seriously. If your message is important, it can stand on its own merits. You are doing yourself no favors by repeatedely typing the same misspelled, poorly punctuated content as if you were a crazed street-corner preacher trying to save the souls of sinning pedestrians.
Sincerely,
The Internet
//The U.S. Postal Service has overpaid its pension obligations to the Civil Service Retirement System by $75 billion and the method for calculating this amount was unfair, says a new report from the postal service’s Office of the Inspector General.
If this money had been used to cover the USPS’s separate health benefits fund the postal service would not have to prepay $5.4 billion to cover the health costs of retired employees each year, the report said.
Specifically, the OIG found the method used to determine how CSRS pension costs for postal employees with service before 1971 are split between the postal service and the federal government is inequitable. This is partly because the USPS had to assume more financial obligations than it had to before 1971 when it operated as the U.S. Post Office Department, a government agency.//
http://directmag.com/postal/0122-postal-usps/
//The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) released an independent actuarial report on June 30 which confirms that the Postal Service was overcharged $50-$55 billion for payments to the Civil Service Retirement System between 1972 and 2009. The report recommended an “adjustment” of $50-$55 billion in favor of the Postal Service.//
//The Postal Service is facing severe budget deficits due to a requirement of the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act that the USPS must “pre-fund” future retiree healthcare benefits at a cost of more than $5 billion a year for 10 years. To help restore the Postal Service to financial health, postal unions and other “stakeholders” have been urging Congress to relieve the USPS of the pre-funding obligation – a burden that no other government agency or private business bears.//
MR, DAVID, THE WORD IS IF , THE POSTAL SERVICE IS NO T BY NO MEANS LOSING MONEY, THEY HAVE A PRE PAYMENT MANDATE ON THERE BACKS PUT ON THEM TO PRE PAY IN TO A FUTURE RETIREMENT HEALTH CARE PLAN THAT ALREADY HAS 40 PLUS BILLION IN THE FUND, CONGRESS DID THIS IN 2006, IF NOT FOR THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE WOULD HAVE MADE A 3 BILLION DOLLAR PROFIT SINCE 2006,
I don't think there could have been a better place to begin the American Holocaust (death fix it). Coercion / Collusion / Corruption / Subterfuge / Subversion / Sabotage / Murder / Terrorism results premeditated and orchestrated Terminal Injustice (Goin Postal).
What I need is a postal service that works. I live in Brooklyn Center & frankly my postal service is spotty. I lived in my house almost a year before my mail person would pick up outgoing mail until I got frustrated & complained then they started picking up. I have many issues with receiving mail that was not mine some of it with very personal information; again I had to complain several times. I put stop delivery while on vacation & yet I still have to have friends come over & check my mail. Recently the mail person completely stopped coming to my block altogether until I went to the post office & complain for myself & neighbors. When I go to the post office I have to stand in line for up to 45 minutes because they are so busy. If you call the 800# you are dealt with in the most generic way possible. (Please press 97 if you are tired of options) The mail is important to me. I cannot send a package through the internet. The internet is not entirely secure so what bills I cannot set up for auto payment I send through the mail. I still mail & receive many cards, letters, and all my bills. If I ran a business like the postal service runs theirs I would be bankrupt as well. Losing the mail on Saturdays would not be a huge deal if the postal service would run as a business. Each year my cost of using the postal service goes up & the level of service goes down, & yet I feel as though I have little recourse. There is no compensation if I do not receive what I need through the mail. Until the postal service is reorganized they will continue to see a downward trend as people find other more reliable & cheaper ways of receiving their physical items.
Yes, we probably need it. But, if it is losing millions every year, then we either need to lose a few days of service or close offices and government jobs.
It is like we bail them out all the time, so close a bunch of offices and make people drive a few extra miles to mail a letter.
Every city in the US doesn't need to have an office. The USPS is financially a black hole.
Are you insane MPR? This has got to be one the most elitist comments I have heard on the radio. Please keep in mind that many low-income and seniors do not have access to the internet. How would they receive important information?
Addendum: At what happens if my computer crashes??? Does that mean I get no mail until I scrape up the cash to get a new computer???? No. No. No!!!
Absolutely keep my snail mail coming. Internet delivery is too unreliable, too easy to miss, too expensive ($50/month), and too hard on the back (disability) for me to sit at a desk and read. Will everyone have to go out and buy computers, software, and IP service, and then update them with costly replacements every few years just to get their mail. What a great boon for the computer industry!! But, this is far more expensive than paying a few more dollars to subsidize postal delivery. I suppose for those who already have computer/smart phone access, it's not an issue. For those of us who don't have hundreds of extra dollars to spend each year on electronics, we need to get our mail, at our homes. Besides, I need all my legal notices to be on paper so I can file them away and refer back to them without having to turn on an appliance each time. Moreover, I want my e-mail address kept private, so that I don't have to deal with junk-mail, spammers, etc. E-mail for me is a form of private diversion and entertainment, not a vehicle for legal communications. Besides, I don't want to have to check my e-mail every day, or worry that I accidentally pushed a button and lost a crucial notice. I want to continue conducting all of my business in the tangible hard-copy world. And yes, I religiously re-use and recycle all my paper mail materials -- even using envelopes for shopping lists!!!
I would say that I need the postal service, although I wish that big companies didn't pay the government to bring trash to my house. I've been a Comcast customer for years, so I don't really need ads encouraging me to switch to Comcast.
And The Facts, if you press "Caps Lock" again, you'll be able to type in lower case letters. Just a suggestion.
i think that postal delivery is good and a need for it-alot of people in rural areas need that service-even saturday delivery. it is an alternate form of delivery. altho everything is electronic postal is necessary still!
FORTLADERDALEGUY, YOUR WISHING THOUSANDS OF JOBS AWAY, ANY WAY THE POSTAL SERVICE COULD NOT WORK WITH THAT LITTLE OF DELIVERYS THE HAS TO MOVE DAILY , YOU HAVE NO IDEA
i think that postal delivery is good and a need for it-alot of people in rural areas need that service-even saturday delivery. it is an alternate form of delivery. altho everything is electronic postal is necessary still!
NIO !!! 3 day delivery would be fine !
YOU PEOPLE THAT WANT FIVE DAY DELIVERY NEED TO MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY, YOUR WISHING 1 MILLION JOBS AWAY FROM YOUR FELLOW AMERTCANS, YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely need USPS. Not everyone opts for bills received and paid over the internet. If anyone thinks private business will deliver our personal mail, X-Mas cards, etc for cents instead of dollars is out of touch with profit based reality.
yes, maybe when all with memories of usps is
gone. I don't need 6day per week service, Give the postal delivery people a weekend like the rest of us have
this is a wrong question - the better "starting" question is .... Do you understand what reliance you have on the US Postal service? Polling a randomly informed public generates rubbish data. If an individual has no understanding of the necessity of that service to support businesses or services that they rely on - but are unaware of that linkage - may say - elminate the postal service only to find that they have blindly impacted themselves. This is the problem with OPINION polls. Many view the results as a substantive and thoughtful review ... when in fact its no better than having chickens peck at grains in a grid on the floor. Lets step it up a notch - shall we?
do you people realize that public mom and pop only are 8 percent odf the postal services bussiness, this is the reason what you think about cutting service is not the point, it is the big bussness like amazon and news papers and big stores that have saleS on saturdaYS AND WON,T THERE PRODUCT NIN THE MAIL ON SATURDAYS THEY PAY THE THE BILL AT THE POSTAL SERVICE, THE PEOPLE AT HOME THAT SAYM THEY CAN DO WITHOUT SATURDAY ARE ONLY 8 PRECENT OF THE FACTOR
IF PEOPLE WANT FIVE DAY SERVICE , MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY!!!, YOU SHPOLD NOT BE WISHING 1 MILLION OF YOUR FELLOW AMERICANS JOBS AWAY, YOU PEOPLE ARE NUT!!!!!!!!!
I'm using the Post Office less and less. Used to be the only thing I ever mailed were bills, now I even pay bills by computer. No stamps - no checks. Still need the USPS for magazines and packages though. I would be perfectly fine with 5-day delivery of the mail.
Sell it to the private sector so they can bring into the 21st centrury. Improving productivity is not the strong point of federal government and they will likely be prevented from most improvements by postal union.
Personally, don't rely on mail and don't send mail as technology has made postal service obsolete for many citizens.
There was a time when U.S. postal service was required but not so much anymore so why not make the changes necessary to reduce red ink.
KELSEY, DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW THE POSTAL SERVICE WORKS , AND EVERY BODY DOES NO HAVE A IPHONE OR CUMPUTER, I WOULD SAY YOUR AGE IS UNDER 21, AND DO YOU KNOW YOUR WISHING AWAY AROUND 1 MILLION JOBS
I think if the USPS were to be cut, it would save the federal government a lot of money. I don't need the USPS and with video chatting and all of the easy ways to set up digital communication, we should start phasing out the USPS and start saving the government lots of money!
I think stopping Saturday mail is a great idea! I don't need it!
THE FACT IS THAT UNWANTED BULK MAIL PAYS THE BILLS AT THE POSTAL SERVICE IT IS MORE THAN 50 PERCENT OF REVINUES, IF THEY DIDN,T HAVE THAT YOU WOULD 2 BUCKS TO SEND A LETTER, SO EXCEPT THE MAIL YOU ARE ONE PERSON AND IF DON,T WANT TO READ IT JUST THROW IT AWAY IT IS YOUR RIGHT , BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ENJOY IT AND READ IT, BUT I DO AGREE THE BUSS THAT SEND THIS MAIL GET TO CHEAP OF RATES
Steve,
I agree that the USPS is something the government has run very well. And I'm not advocating for privatizing it; I'm just wondering what it would look like - and it looks like it would probably be a boon for business, and a mess for consumers - just like health insurance is now.
Yes! I have a 31 year history of using the postal service, with some distress but much appreciation and cannot replace that with email or digital or visual communication. It is priceless for social networking.
THE FACT IS YOU CANNOT DROP A SERVICE DELIVERY DAY AN STILL BE UNIVERSAL SERVICE, 6 DAYS A WEEK IS NEEDED , IT IS THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD THAT NEEDS THE SERVICE, NOT MOM AN POP
Save Saturdays. The first thing the US Postal Service should do to save money is to get rid of the subsidy for bulk mail. The majority of mail sent through the service is at the cut rate and is unwanted junk mail -- yet no resident can refuse it. Make everyone pay the regular rate and suddenly businesses and nonprofits would have to target their mailing lists, which would greatly reduce the waste of forests and US postal service time and costs.
Save the service, save Saturdays and cut junk mail waste by eliminating bulk rate mailings, or give a modified version only to nonprofits. But make all organizations more discerning and let residents refuse unwanted mail.
Yes! What company will come to my home/office every single day, just in case I have mail. Talk about customer service! I can't imagine a more convenient service and I can't imagine UPS or FedEx providing a comparable option.
Yes I need postal service, and prefer the postal service be that service.
However, the postal service only needs to operate three or four days a week to meet my needs.
They can drop Sat service, and even Mon as well, and still be the ideal service to meed my postal needs.
YES! NETFLIX!!
Yes. I don't trust corporations to deliver my bills.
Yes, so I can stay in touch with my 83-year old grandma. Until digital communication - like email and automatic bill pay - is affordable and accessible for everyone, we will continue to rely on the USPS.
My life would change in small but important ways if the US Postal Service were to shut down. I spend anywhere from 3 to 12 hours a week on my written correspondence and have developed relationships with those Postal Service workers I encounter on a regular basis, from my mailman to the woman who sells me stamps and processes my larger packages.
The truth is, as a writer, keeping up a written correspondence with other artists is important to me. Sure I also email with them, but there's nothing like setting aside distractions and writing a letter. Perhaps even writing in a notebook is anacronistic in a world where I can more easily make a note on an iPhone or create a voice recording. It seems to me, though, that eliminating the US Postal Service eliminates a few more healthy and important human interactions that we have.
USPS is amazing with consistent overnight Netflix delivery. I'd prefer to pay more rather than loose Saturday service.
On the other hand, brian f, just think how much less bad health insurance would be if we had a system modeled on the USPS. Our mail system is one thing that's being done very well as a government-run monopoly. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Those who think everything will run better if it's privatized and left to the free market are selling snake oil.
THIS IS TO THE PERSON OR PERSONS WHO WROTE THIS , YOU NEED TO GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT, THE FIRST THING IS NOT TO CUT SERVICE , IT IS TO AJUST OR CUT OUT THE PREFUND PAYMENT FIRST NOT CUT OUT SATURDAY MAIL DELIVERY, THIS IS THE VERY LAST RESORT THAT THE POSTAL SERVICE HAS ON THE TABLE IS TO CUT SERVICE, PLEASE QOUTE THE FACTS NO T MORE MEDIA HIPE AND BS
Yes, I need the post office for all my little mailing needs. For shipping - They are certainly cheaper than UPS or FedEx, and I use them almost every time. However, I like the tracking options from the private companies better. The USPS delivers to my door 6 days a week (what a luxury - I could do without Saturday if needed) and I have a PO Box for the things I'd prefer not to risk at my home (and so I don't have to change my address every time I move, which is a hassle no matter when or how often it happens).
I admit that all my bills are paid online with the exception of a couple that I auto-pay from my bank (they mail the paper checks for me). I also have my credit report marked "Do Not Solicit" and have registered with the DMA to be off all mail lists. So - I've taken away some of the USPS's revenue stream. Would I be willing to pay more for stamps? Absolutely. I'd rather keep the USPS than not.
THE FACTS ARE THE POSTAL SERVICE IS NOT LOSING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, THE POSTAL SERVICE IS FORCE TO PREFUND IT RETIRE HEALTH FUND SINCE 2006 AT A RATE OF 5.5 BILLION TO 6.5 BILLION A YEAR,NO OTHER COMPANY HAS DONE THIS OR HAS EVER DONE THIS, IF NOT FOR THIS PAYMENT TO THE FUND THE POSTAL SERVICE HAS MADE A PROFIT OF THREE BILLION DOLLARS IN THE WORSE DOWN TURN IN THE UNITED STATE SINCE THE DEPPRESSION, THE FACTS SHOULD BE IS THERE IS NO NEED TO CUT SERVICE JUST ADJUST THIS PAYMENT AND THE POSTAL SERVICE IS JUST FINE, AND BY THE WAY MAIL VOLUME IS UP 9.5 PERCENT FROM LAST YEAR
do you people realize that public mom and pop only are 8 percent odf the postal services bussiness, this is the reason what you think about cutting service is not the point, it is the big bussness like amazon and news papers and big stores that have saleS on saturdaYS AND WON,T THERE PRODUCT NIN THE MAIL ON SATURDAYS THEY PAY THE THE BILL AT THE POSTAL SERVICE, THE PEOPLE AT HOME THAT SAYM THEY CAN DO WITHOUT SATURDAY ARE ONLY 8 PRECENT OF THE FACTOR
I could totally get by without it. All of my bills are on auto pay, and if I never got another credit card solicitation or catalog, I'd be O.K. with that.
I need, like, want the USPS but there are so many outdated functions, it feels like I am in the 70's when I use the Postal offices. While standing in line, metering and weighing packages, picking up items may stay...what about getting an personal account and using it like a debt card. Stamps, postage for packages, pick ups and drops offs could be updated, computerized, etc to keep up with the rest of the consumer world. Sometimes I need just a stamp or I've weighed my package and can't easily get postage without going to a post office, then I stand in line, and often meet up with a grouchy postal worker who is waiting for their break, shuts their window and leaves us in a longer line.
For a while now I've been saying I can do without Saturday delivery. Like John O said, the majority of what I receive in the mailbox goes into the recycling unopened.
Do I need the USPS on an ongoing basis? Yes. Well, I need *some* kind of method for sending things from my house to others, because I can't afford to drive all of my Christmas cards all over the country (yes, I still send paper Xmas cards, and I expect to do so until I'm dead). I also still receive magazines (in paper format - how archaic!), and I have a couple of bills that aren't yet electronicized.
On the other hand, UPS & FedEx, among others, do a find job of delivering packages as well. I don't fully agree with Steve the Cynic that a privatized delivery system would be a nightmare, but I do wonder, if UPS had to stop at every house to stuff mailboxes with unwanted credit card offers and Menard's flyers, I wonder how much it would cost us, and how (in)efficient would it be?
I LOVE the postal service. I think we get a lot of value for what we spend on postage, which leads me to wonder if we pay enough for postage? I agree with many of the comments here that Saturday delivery is not essential.
The USPS, like roads, bridges & sewers, is essential infrastructure and should not be privatized. Just imagine what would happen to the quality of our postal service if it were run like our health insurance system. Scary!
Yes. My wife runs a business that relies on the USPS system.
People seem to be answering the question of "Do you need the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail on Saturday?" which is NOT the question, the question is "Do you need the U.S. Postal Service?"
Hey, folks, don't complain too much about junk mail. Without junk mail, there wouldn't be enough volume to keep the USPS in business.
Heck, if I could just go pick my mail up at the post office once a week I'd be fine with it... Netflix is the only thing that I actually care deeply about (a few bills that are important, but hard to care deeply about unless they are over due.)
And even the bills, most if not all of them get paid online, many of them I get notices that they are due via email, before the paper bill shows up... I just like having the hard copy that isn't going to change to go back to for reference.
We do not need Saturday mail. Most of the household bills and monthly statements arrive via e-mail and virtually all are paid electronically.
The vast majority of mail we get at our house now is junk mail that goes nonstop from the mailbox to the recycling container.
Yes, a national postal system is a highly important service. However, I'm sure that efficiencies can be achieved by acting on data from operational performance measures.
Personally, as a resident consumer, I don't need or want delivery of un-solicited (i.e., junk) mail and I don't need 6 days a week mail delivery, 3 days a week is fine. I would use hardcopy mail more often if the rates were cheaper.
Another company that can't make it because their unions have pensions and benefits the company can't afford.
Yes. I think it would be more financially beneficial if it were privatized or discontinued. Let UPS or Fedex take over. Transition is hard, but people would eventually get over it and new mailing trends will emerge.
I could easily live without USPS mail service on Saturdays. As a matter of fact, I think it's been over a year since I've put anything in the mail. Times are changing, it's time that the government changed with it.
Can live without on Sat, and maybe just three days-a-week could be acceptable. With less service that means prices would go down for the lesser service right?
I can live without mail on Saturday- most countries don't have Saturday mail delivery. If cuts are needed- go for it!
Yes! How else would I get my Netflix? But more importantly, I use the USPS every day at my job, sometimes mailing out over a hundred pieces of mail.
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Looking for ways to ensure your students are doing quality research from credible sources? Sound Learning is a launching point to Minnesota Public Radio's content on the Web. -
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Your daily note for good music, news and pop culture. With attempted jokes.
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