Social Security and Medicare are "drivers of debt". GOP lies all the time.

That the constitution requires we have the USPS, they despise the constitution.

They are no better now than a terrorist organization.

They only care about veterans when they need to start a new conflict and recall them to fight in it.

Don't forget the photo-ops. They look so good on their campaign flyers.

And a big WELCOME to DU! Damned glad to have you here.

They said it would take until Friday (4 days) just before Xmas. It took TWO DAYS!!!

USPS ROCKS!

Mailed hundreds of packages from 1999 to 2007. Never had one damaged and never had one complaint about them arriving late. Even media mail made it to the destination on time or, in some cases, earlier than promised. Can't say that about FedEx or UPS.

Seems where I am something gets screwed up in the handoff occasionally. On their own, I've always had good results with UPS and USPS. Fed Ex, not so much.

USPO. Compared to even Canada's postal system, we are soooo fortunate to have the USPO. I give them high points since Clinton made some good changes in the 90's.

Damage usually results from improper packing.

I live on a strange street where the numbers on the opposite side are different from my side. The postal service has never had a problem finding me. Not so FedEx and UPS.

The postal service is fast and cheap. Try sending a letter from CA to NY for under 50 cents with one of the others.

the gop is against ANYTHING that actually works and helps ordinary people. Who do they have in mind to take over the USPS and screw it up, I wonder?

they must have had a new system going because it was noticeably different---a breeze going thru and being helped. They had great service every time I went there.

.

That's called Final Segment Delivery. It's the way Companies Socialize Costs and Privatize Profits.


FedEX and UPS do not have the vehicles or manpower to perform many final segment deliveries.


What they do is lobby to cripple the USPS so they aren't a competitive threat to their next day services, but keep them viable enough to have the USPS perform the most costly portion of package delivery--that being the distribution center to the home or office. The post office makes one cent per package. That's right, just one cent profit.


The private carriers pocket the savings. Many USPS centers have a FedEx and UPS drop box and perform the receiving and sorting of packages, especially local ones. They will white label the packages, so you won't even know the private carriers never even touched the package and USPS did everything.


So, the private carriers use the quasi-government USPS to save money and stay viable, since neither of them could deliver the packages without huge equipment and labor expenses. They do this just a penny over USPS costs. But, they privatize the the profits that they bilk from their customers.

.

and not a cost up model. They need to be setting their price at just the point that UPS and Fed Ex reject the capital investment to deliver their own packages for the final segment. In that sense Trump is right (but his corporate masters won't like it if the Post Office pursues this policy). I don't know if USPS has the expertise to do this pricing. If not they should look to hire a former marketing manager or operations type from UPS or Fed Ex.

I can understand postage stamps being controlled since it is a legislated monopoly.

They have full authority to alter the prices of other classes of mail, such as Priority and all the flat rate boxes without going through Congress.


Edited to add:

I just read recently that the hoops to raising First Class postage have been lowered, making it much easier to raise stamp prices.

Many, many years ago, I had to send my son his birth certificate overnight. I went to my local FedEx 'since it absolutely had to be their overnight'. Well FedEx wanted to charge me about $25. The FedEx clerk whispered to me that it would be cheaper if I sent it through the Post Office. I said, but it has to be there overnight. She said you can send it via FedEx for less through the Post Office. I said "Okay", not truly convinced and hating that I might have to drive all the way to the Post Office only to have to end up back at FedEx. Once at the Post Office and not convinced, the Post Office Clerk pleasantly instructed me where the FedEx envelopes were and it ended up costing me about $13. I thanked the clerk at the Post Office after making sure it would be there the next day. She then told me it would be there the next day and she was certain of that because it was going on a USPS plane along with all of the other FedEx stuff that had to be their overnight. I told her never knew that, and it was cheaper. She said a lot of people don't know that, so make sure that you tell them. I told her I would. I then drove all the way back to FedEx to thank the clerk there again. I told her "you know I didn't believe you when I left here". She said, "I know".

I live at the end of an un-well travelled gravel road (20 minutes), which hits my driveway and meanders down a long DIRT road (6 minutes)... and i get deliveries from FedEx, UPS, and USPS. Just depends on who i order from and who they contract to deliver to me. I'm not sure why i don't exemplify that "last mile" customer. I'm as out of the way as you can get in Western MA.

Of course, i do a fair amount of shipping and only ever use the USPS. I go to my PO in town and ship things. Period. Why would i as a person (not a business) need to use another shipping service? Besides, as a Union guy i tend to want to use Union businesses...

who have good union jobs.

No doubt Dumb Donnie has that union in his sights

thanks for the post (no pun) but thanks TO the post office as well

That whole Repug "must fund pensions 70 years into the future" racket put the USPS in serious straights. Part of the ALEC (UPS/FEDEX) low hanging fruit they thought. But the USPS has fought the Repugs back tooth & nail and is surviving the kneecapping.

USPS is also one of the largest employers of minorities (Democratic voters) ...another reason it was targeted by Repugs.

profit above all.

Great bargain. Community center.

I once ordered tickets and asked they be mailed to me.. They wanted $15 to send them UPS.. Would not send them USPS.

I will support the Post Office always.. They are my friends, family and neighbors.

My postman is Donny. Thanks Donny..

My grandpa was a letter carrier for about 25 years. He was very proud of having been a letter carrier, and I am proud to tell people that he was as well. He had so many stories about people he met and knew on his route, and he made many friends in the course of career. He left with a good retirement. He even wore his old work shirts til the day he died. The USPS is a fine service, I don't hesitate for a minute to use them, I've always gotten much better service from the USPS than other companies.

USPS was in debt?

Debt-plagued U.S. Postal Service eyes bipartisan bill to solve woes

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/03/01/debt-plagued-us-postal-service-eyes-bipartisan-bill-solve-woes/97944594/

P.S.. I get all my Amazon deliveries from the USPS!

pbmus, for clearing this up for me!

raised their rates like $0.02 per item, they'd be well in the black even with stupid pension accounting rules.

UPS and FedEx are great for what they do, but Postal Service does it well too, sometimes at much lower cost. Try sending a guitar, or something similar size, overseas and see which one is significantly cheaper.

Then, see what FedEx or UPS charges to mail a Christmas card.

i dont understand why Deocratic voters do not shove this down the republican (cough": choke)

I wish I could choose my delivery method on Amazon because I would pick USPS

Turd in the punch bowl here...but I own a small business that ships multiple parcels daily both domestically and internationally. While I love the mail carrier tha picks up from my shop, the reality is that USPS pricing is sooooooo much higher than Fedex for us. I negotiate my FedEx rates yearly. I can't do that with USPS. Further, if there's an issue with a shipment, getting a USPS customer service person on the phone is difficult at best. My business orders a lot of supplies on online...Amazon and other retailers...some of those vendors ship via UPS or Fedex who will the hand off those packages to USPS for final destination delivery...WELL, I'm sad to say that if we're going to have an issue with delivery of those supplies, it is always at the point of UPS or Fedex giving the shipment to USPS where it gets messed up. Don't get me wrong... I want to LOVE USPS because I believe in their mission. I've just not experienced their awesomeness first hand at my business...where it matters.

and 49 cents, or whatever the current cost of a stamp is, and ask them to get it to West Jesus, Pennsylvania, or North Bumfuck, Montana. They'll stare at you in total incomprehension, but delivering first class mail to every single part of this country for an incredibly low price, is exactly what the Post Office does.

Oh, and postal rates in almost every other country is about double what we pay.

on the price and value of the USPS for getting a letter from here to anywhere...particularly rural addresses. However, when they are quite flawed at package delivery and tracking. I ship thousands of dollars in parcels monthly. I’d love to use them more but just can’t. USPS is our go to for the mail but not for parcel...it isn’t bad mouthing when it is the truth.

but my experience in recent years is that the USPS does an excellent job of delivery and tracking. Especially since all packages now have tracking numbers.

with tracking when they generate the shipping label and the package travels with the USPS from start to finish. However, there's a trend with several online retailers including Amazon where UPS will hand off a parcel to USPS for final destination delivery - at that point, the UPS tracking # ceases to exist and USPS replaces that # with their own tracking #. We have had three packages in the last month get lost at that particular point within the USPS system. It is beyond frustrating when I'm trying to run a business. The good news is that I know what USPS does well and I use them within those boundaries. I ship often to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the UK and USPS is the only viable option to those countries. Glass half full!

unless something only benefits their racist gun nut asshole base they want to destroy it.

and FEDEX and UPS use then at low rates and these corporations don't deliver to rural areas!
Damn Rethugs!

Maybe stay on topic rather than point out an irrelevancy?

(it's fun... I get why you do it)

Pushed thru and Bush signed designed to bankrupt USPS so they could privatize it.

that were losing money in rural red districts.

I'm very thankful for my Post Office. I'm even contemplating going there in a blizzard because I have pussyhats to ship

it would cost you $5 to send a letter via private shipping company.

“Employes?”

Everyone has an anecdotal story about this or that letter that the USPS mishandled blah blah blah. Spare me.

AFAIC they should bump the price of a first class stamp to $1.00, and it would still be a bargain.

Maybe some type of scientific study could be researched to actually determine if republicans are genetically are not just branching off another malevolent strain or rodents

Re: "USPS is not losing money"

According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office's 2017 report titled:
"Restructuring the U.S. Postal Service to Achieve Sustainable Liability"

"The U.S. Postal Service faces a serious financial situation that is putting it's mission of providing prompt, reliable, and efficient universal mail services at risk.
It reported a net loss of $5.6 billion in fiscal year 2016 - it's 10th consecutive year of net loses.
Additionally, it continues to face unfunded liabilities - totaling about $121 billion at the end of fiscal year 2016.
These unfunded liabilities consist mostly of retiree health and pension benefit obligations for which USPS has not set aside sufficient funds to cover."

View entire 2017 GAO report:
https://www.gao.gov/highrisk/restructuring_postal/why_did_study