Privatize the U.S. Postal Service?

[UltraChad]

Only idiots use terms like "fee fees." Only idiots think like that.

^^ Regularly rejects facts in favor of fee fees.

 

[Politruk]

^^ Regularly rejects facts in favor of fee fees.

^^ Only idiots think like that.

 

[BookishBabe0]

No.

 

[Politruk]

No.

Meaning, "No, don't privatize it" or "No, Trump's not really planning to"?

 

[TrailerHitch]

Considering most of rural America already goes to town to get their mail moving from USPS to UPS that most the county already uses, they won't really be "suffering" lol...but please keep the histrionics up, they're amusing.

"Suffering"..... Boomers having to make a minor adjustment to their in town errands, so much suffering!!!

Not any of rural America where I live goes into town to get their mail.

 

[colddiesel]

A more positive approach is needed. The first question should be: ' Considering alternatives, is a postal service required at all in future?' Second question: 'What kind of service should be considered?' Third question: 'Should it be either a public or private monopoly?'

If you put the third question first, the result must be a stuff up.

 

[BookishBabe0]

Meaning, "No, don't privatize it" or "No, Trump's not really planning to"?

No to privatizing. Trump wants to privatize everything.

 

[Politruk]

A more positive approach is needed. The first question should be: ' Considering alternatives, is a postal service required at all in future?'

It's not going to be completely replaced by email in your lifetime.

 

[JohnEngelman]

The USPS delivers to places in the United States that private companies won’t because they can’t turn a profit. If you “shit can” it you will end postal service for big swathes of rural America. Those of us in dense blue cities will be fine, but red America will suffer.

Red America will suffer from a lot of Trump's policies, as will the poorly educated people trump pretends to love.

 

[colddiesel]

It's not going to be completely replaced by email in your lifetime.

On the contrary, I think that we are only at the beginnings of a communications revolution. Within 10 years I think it is more than likely that we will have some sort of chip 'AI implant' allowing us to communicate with whom and whatever we choose wherever we are. In 1975 the telex was advanced communication, within 10 years the fax was the latest, and by 1995 emails were well founded. Emails will soon be old hat and the mobile phone won't last too much longer.

And my 'lifetime' is a limited horizon.

The Brits privatized a number of monopolies and it was a disaster, because they were still monopolies doing the same old things. Better to question their need to exist at all before jumping to conclusions.

 

[Politruk]

On the contrary, I think that we are only at the beginnings of a communications revolution. Within 10 years I think it is more than likely that we will have some sort of chip 'AI implant' allowing us to communicate with whom and whatever we choose wherever we are.

You mean, a strong neural-electronic interface?

That's one of those things that seems always to be 10 years away, like strong self-aware AI, or nuclear fusion power plants.

 

[UltraChad]

^^ Only idiots think like that.

Facts are stinging a bit today ......

 

[BAstoicguy]

The USPS delivers to places in the United States that private companies won’t because they can’t turn a profit. If you “shit can” it you will end postal service for big swathes of rural America. Those of us in dense blue cities will be fine, but red America will suffer.

Where, pray tell me, will they not deliver?

 

[BAstoicguy]

When you have an underperforming unit (or an over-performing, for other reason), in a business sense, you write it off, depreciate it and increase the ROI for the investor.

You hired a businessman and he is going to make business decisions which generally tend to be more reliable than government consensus.

And remember. You, the taxpayer, are the investor. I want the best returns. Don't you?

Competition and meritocracy provide the best returns.

 

[BAstoicguy]

Not any of rural America where I live goes into town to get their mail.

They have no one single PO Box? I find that most extraordinary...

 

[BAstoicguy]

On the contrary, I think that we are only at the beginnings of a communications revolution. Within 10 years I think it is more than likely that we will have some sort of chip 'AI implant' allowing us to communicate with whom and whatever we choose wherever we are. In 1975 the telex was advanced communication, within 10 years the fax was the latest, and by 1995 emails were well founded. Emails will soon be old hat and the mobile phone won't last too much longer.

And my 'lifetime' is a limited horizon.

The Brits privatized a number of monopolies and it was a disaster, because they were still monopolies doing the same old things. Better to question their need to exist at all before jumping to conclusions.

possible

 

[UltraChad]

Not any of rural America where I live goes into town to get their mail.

Well I wasn't talking about suburban rural....I meant out in the boonies. Like you have a lot number not an actual address.....you can't even be this remote east of the Mississippi it's not physically possible, WAY out in the fucking boonies. I've lived in several places around Alaska, Montana and Idaho where this is the case.

And when you live that far out, you have to get a PO box and go into town to the post office to pick up your mail.

Unless your stuff is coming UPS, then they deliver....those guys will get a F'ing package to god damn Mars overnight if you pay them enough. FedEx is a maybe. You might have to get that one at the post office too.

 

[UltraChad]

They have no one single PO Box? I find that most extraordinary...

Suburban "rural"......they think 30 min outside of Atlanta or Nashville is "rural" because the housing development lots are a whole full acre!!! And you can't even hear the howl of the interstate LOL

 

[BAstoicguy]

90% of the population lives on the Interstate (before it was rail and in the beginning, it was the rivers [I live on the first great Midwestern highway, now not a byway, rail and asphalt ran through here]) much like Canada and the US border.

 

[UltraChad]

90% of the population lives on the Interstate (before it was rail and in the beginning, it was the rivers [I live on the first great Midwestern highway, now not a byway, rail and asphalt ran through here]) much like Canada and the US border.

And the vast majority also live east of the Mississippi.

People who've never been out west REALLY don't understand just how remote you can get out here.

 

[BAstoicguy]

Preaching to the choir. They should really see the stars at night when there isn't even as much as a homestead's "light pollution."

The Left should have been smacked down with that phrase alone. Light as a bad thing?

 

[Wat_Tyler]

If I received much worthwhile mail, that's be one thing.


USPS mail should come with a spam blocker.

 

[BAstoicguy]

I need the gully-fill. But, it has kind of solved itself like the nuisance newspaper that kept getting driveway delivered. They would chuck the kindling log a quarter-mile from the house, which is where the mailbox is. They do not exactly deliver to the door. UPS and FedEd, Walmart, Schucks, Kroger, et. al., DO!

Go figure.

 

[MajorRewrite]

The package delivery part of the US Postal Service is self-sustaining.

It’s the delivery of non-package mail (mostly junk mail) that loses money. So the solution is simple: raise the price of postage for junk mail and letters, with the goal of eliminating most of it. Then you can vastly reduce the number of mailmen because the avalanche of junk mail to deliver to every house will be gone.

 

[BAstoicguy]

Everyone has a simple solution, but when government is the entity, only consensus emerges.

If you want simple, then you have to eliminate government.

Champions of the complex arise!