The Postal Service

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I really don't get why they don't sell "advertising" on stamps to companies like Disney and Coke.

I think weekend delivery should go....also our mailman here takes monday off and the other trucks around cover his route.  If you can do that 1 day a week, you could do that the whole week as well.  How many people could go?  UPS sends out a fill-in driver, the postal service has others cover the route, look at who is more efficient.

Agreed. But how many postal workers would that add to the burgeoning list of un-and under-employeds? It might make 18,000 former Twinkie makers look pretty insignificant.

It isn't a problem with a simple solution, but one thing for sure, I'm not looking for much sensible leadership from Washington.

[Screened Gear]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

Yes, we have to stop this madness.  Boortz read a story on his show this morning that new mandated regs will require Domino's Pizza to display about 3 million different Nutritional Information Placards for all the combinations of ingredients, crust styles, and sizes possible.  Just more madness, and it is going to eventually bury us.

[inkman996]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

I wouldn't be so harsh about our postal system, it is older than our actual government almost. They do get certain subsidies just like any large corp (Oil) etc. but they still have to rely on their own profits or else. Amtrak on the other hand is an actual gov owned business and the two services could not be any different.

[Frog]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

This is about to move to the cage, but would you really want to see, for instance, our oil companies fail, or perhaps just limit profits? Perhaps as a condition of any government help, tax breaks or other "welfare"  their executive packages could be limited to a mere million or two.

[Screened Gear]

Keeping companies from failing is as close to a monopoly as you can get. If you don't have to fear going out of business you have nothing to lose. If your failing but your always bailed out then there is no urgency to change. If you don't change then you keep on the path of failure. It only cost more to keep you going. Let me take this into the screen printing world. If your dryer keeps undercuring shirts you don't keep giving it more shirts thinking it will change. You find out what is the problem and fix it. If it can't be fixed you get a new dryer. Just like the dryer the government needs to fix the reason they are failing or let them fail and get a new company to do the job.

[Northland]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

Well... if you feel that strongly about it, I would hope you shipped the shirts FedEx.

[GraphicDisorder]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

Well... if you feel that strongly about it, I would hope you shipped the shirts FedEx.

That's what I was thinking? 

[royster13]

Canada Post would have been about 118.00.....So USPS is not far off......

[Screened Gear]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

Well... if you feel that strongly about it, I would hope you shipped the shirts FedEx.

That's what I was thinking?

My point is no company should get an advantage.

[Northland]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

Well... if you feel that strongly about it, I would hope you shipped the shirts FedEx.

That's what I was thinking?

My point is no company should get an advantage.

You're confusing the !@#$% out of me.
If any company profitted from the situation, it would appear to be you.
Had the shipping been $980:
1) the customer wouldn't have placed the order.
2) you wouldn't have had the job

I guess, everyone's for smaller government.. unless it impacts them.

[inkman996]

North you are the man! Last comment was dead on lol.

We all enjoy gov subsidies every day, just look at gas prices wow so high aren't they NOT! We pay much less than other civilized nations thanks to subsidies, take them away and start paying $8 a gallon.

Not seeing how the USPS is getting any kind of advantage, they been around much longer than any private delivery service, if they don't like it then don't get in the biz. The UPPS is mandated for our benefit not for some CEO's pocket.

It's almost like saying our military gets a government advantage because private mercenary groups can't profit in our wars.

[Frog]

North you are the man! Last comment was dead on lol.

We all enjoy gov subsidies every day, just look at gas prices wow so high aren't they NOT! We pay much less than other civilized nations thanks to subsidies, take them away and start paying $8 a gallon.

Not seeing how the USPS is getting any kind of advantage, they been around much longer than any private delivery service, if they don't like it then don't get in the biz. The UPPS is mandated for our benefit not for some CEO's pocket.

It's almost like saying our military gets a government advantage because private mercenary groups can't profit in our wars.

I think that Academi/Blackwater is doing just fine. In fact, some have even said that our present wars were tailor made to profit a few major corporations. (I, of course, would never say that)

[Screened Gear]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

Well... if you feel that strongly about it, I would hope you shipped the shirts FedEx.

That's what I was thinking?

My point is no company should get an advantage.

You're confusing the !@#$% out of me.
If any company profitted from the situation, it would appear to be you.
Had the shipping been $980:
1) the customer wouldn't have placed the order.
2) you wouldn't have had the job

I guess, everyone's for smaller government.. unless it impacts them.

That is not entirely true. If the post office was removed or failed. There would be a ton of packages that need to be shipped to Afghanistan. Now Fedex knows they can't compete in that market so they just don't. If it was a fare market they would have deals and transports to handle that area. With fare competition comes lower costs to the customer without a need for subsidizing. What the gov is doing is making areas where Competition is not driving pricing and the need for better practices and technology to compete. Competition is what gives the customer choices to pick the winners based on performance not by how many people will lose jobs if they fail. Its what american business was founded on and what made this country so great.

[Northland]

I just sent 80 shirts to Afghanistan. 39 pounds in one gildan box.

Fedex $980
USPS $89

They may not be directly government run but they are subsidized in some way. I hope they fail like every other company the government plays favorites with.

Well... if you feel that strongly about it, I would hope you shipped the shirts FedEx.

That's what I was thinking?

My point is no company should get an advantage.

You're confusing the !@#$% out of me.
If any company profitted from the situation, it would appear to be you.
Had the shipping been $980:
1) the customer wouldn't have placed the order.
2) you wouldn't have had the job

I guess, everyone's for smaller government.. unless it impacts them.

That is not entirely true. If the post office was removed or failed. There would be a ton of packages that need to be shipped to Afghanistan. Now Fedex knows they can't compete in that market so they just don't. If it was a fair market they would have deals and transports to handle that area. With fair competition comes lower costs to the customer with out a need for subsidizing. What the gov is doing is making areas where Competition is not driving pricing and the need for better practices and technology. Competition is what gives the customer choices to pick the winners based on performance not by how many people will lose jobs if they fail. Its what american business was founded on and what made this country so great.

No... what the Post Office does, in many cases, is something that private enterprise doesn't want a part of.
No private company wants to deliver a birthday card from Broken Spoke, Montana to Blackwater, Mississippi for $.49
They might do it for $4.90... but not $.49
So it's not a case of customers choosing winning businesses... it would be a case of businesses choosing winning customers.

I going to take a guess at something..... you probably shipped shirts to a US serviceman.
The Postal service is based on helping citizens stay connected... it's part of their business model to honor that premise.
So, I guess in this case the connection between you and your customer was subsidized (by default) by some other customer.
It's not about what's "fair"... it's about what is good for a society.
Yes.... competition helps make America "great"... but so do many other practices, like a fully functioning Postal Service.