How will I get my 'Linens and Things' catalogue?

---101chairborne----

First they're getting rid of thousands of those regular blue mailboxes on your street, and now the Post Office wants to forget about delivering mail on Saturdays too? Give them some of those billions of bailout bucks then.

Mail delivery can also be considered part of our U.S. "infrastructure" so let's hope Obama tosses a billion or two to the Post Office. I'm sick of all our services and quality of living in this country going to hell while there seems to be no problem with handing out unaccounted for billions $$$$ to the sleezebags on Wall Street, the hedge fund operators, investment bankers, not to mention billions more given in Iraq war profiteering contracts for the "favored few" these last eight years.

How about taking care of regular Americans for a change?
After all, it is our tax dollars.

Actually they are considering going to 5 day delivery but that doesn't neccesarily mean Saturdays would be cut; according to one article I read, if they implemented this it might well be Tuesday, which is a lighter volume day.

Dear U.S. taxpayer,

Soon the basic services you've come to expect from your government will be rescinded in order to free up more cash for bailouts to huge multinational conglomerates, banks, and credit card companies. We understand that around ninety percent of you are opposed to this plan, but it really matters not. The money was only yours until we took it from you, so we can do whatever the hell our corporate puppet masters tell us to do with it, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Also, there's not enough of your tax money to go around, so we'll be making more out of thin air. This will almost certainly result in massive inflation if the economy ever manages to recover, but rest assured, when that time comes, we'll be blaming someone else for it. In the meantime, please continue to rack up your credit card bills and enjoy coming to the crushing realization that all the hype over the last few months was all so much smoke being blown up your tailpipe.

Ta,

The United States Government.

As long as i can remember, we folk up in Canuckistan have never had saturday mail delivery...and we seem to have survived just fine!

Why don't they just deliver every other day?

Hit half of the town each day.

Do we really need to get mail every fucking day?

I could care less about mail delivery on Saturday's. All I care about is the Us Postal Service rolling out those Commemorative Obama Stamps

The post office is becoming obsolete because of the internet and because UPS and Fed X do most of the packages. Greenies should be happy with all those soft copies replacing all those hard copies.

My prediction is that some of the bail out money will go to the PO and they will actually do some hiring soon so Obama can take credit for creating jobs. All you welfare libs can finally go to work. Take the PO test. Sign up at USPS.gov

Former postal Worker Thom

it'd be alright by me. time sensitive stuff can go ups or fed x.

The largest majority of what they deliver is junk mail. Of course they can't cut that out because it accounts for most of their revenue.

Cutting out a day or two would not effect me in the least.

I think making mail delivery less available, is all part of a trend to get people to pay their bills online and/or to allow companies to automatically deduct the amount of your bill from your bank account every month. More and more companies (utility, credit cards, insurance, etc.) are pushing for it now more than ever. They get their money faster and it's in their own bank account sooner and collecting interest for them at a faster rate.

I prefer the old-fashioned way of writing out checks for my bills and mailing them in. I just feel more secure in my payment being received on time when I physically write out my own check and mail it than trusting some company to automatically deduct my bill due online on time -- and to do so in the correct amount.

Am I the last one left who feels this way?

"Dear U.S. taxpayer,...
Congress is considering a 900 billion dollar bail out package to try and repair some of the damage done to our economy during the administration of George W. Bush who ran up over 5 trillion dollars of debt while REpublicans nodded their heads in agreement and called anyone who objected a traitor.
In case you didn't know, our nation elected a new president...a black man...a democrat and he thinks he should be allowed to use our money to help Americans find or keep the jobs they have. He thinks he will improve schools and roads. He thinks he will fix the economy so that we can all have a better future.
Please call your Congressman and tell them that yes it was oK for Bush to piss away billions on tax cuts for rich folks and unnecessary wars but to use tax dollars to fix infrastructure and put Americans to work is socialism and worse...communism.
Tell your Congressman to obstruct every attempt that the Dems make to repair the damage the Republicans did.
Why? Because we hate Democrats more than we love America.

Sincerely,
The American Right

Am I the last one left who feels this way?

I don't know about the last one but probably close. ;-)

I personally enjoy the time-savings of online bill payment. My dad's bank has an online bill paying service where they write all the checks and mail them. I think they do EFT's for some companies they have agreements with.

Personally, when I come across a bill that I have to mail I'm a little irritated! And I probably shouldn't feel that way since my dad is a retired postal worker.

BTW, I would say that the post office is probably one of the more efficient government processes. I'm probably going to get slammed for that comment and hear all the post-office horror stories. But if you've ever seen the mail sorting operations - pretty impressive.

Here's an idea: allow people to "opt out" of junkmail on a per-sender basis and you'll see the volume of mail drop by about 60-70%. That, however, would require them to fire 60-70% of their workers, which will never happen in any area of government.

Typical bias bullshit answer danni. I hold YOU accountable for your recent statements PRAISING the us postal office as an example of how well the gov can run a business.

Well now they are running it into the ground. And please note these figures DO NOT include unfunded pension liabilities which we all know is the 80 lb gorilla in the room.

"Faced with dwindling mail volume and rising costs, the post office was $2.8 billion in the red last year and, "if current trends continue, we could experience a net loss of $6 billion or more this fiscal year.."

It's time to privatize the postal service. There is NO business the gov has EVER been able to run better then the private sector..NONE.

Sell off all those post offices in every little town and let fed ex and ups fill the void.

"There is NO business the gov has EVER been able to run better then the private sector..NONE. "

Social Security and Medicare are run very efficiently when compared to private pension and health care companies.

Oh come on, you know that's not true. You are completely ignoring the inherent costs associated with these programs which ANY actuarial will tell you are coming, and pose huge problems.

There was a time, say 100 years ago, when gov control of mail systems made sense. Does it now?????

It's time to privatize the postal service. There is NO business the gov has EVER been able to run better then the private sector..NONE.

Sell off all those post offices in every little town and let fed ex and ups fill the void.

#15 | Posted by DavetheWave

Tell that to DHL.
The post office delivers parcels cheaper and better than fedex or ups. I have no idea why anyone uses them.
It annoys the hell out of me when people send me things via UPS.
By the way, the Post Office receives zero dollars from the federal government. Conservatives had no problem flushing $800 billion down the Iraq toilet but if anyone suggested giving the Post Office $6 billion they'd have a stroke.

"By the way, the Post Office receives zero dollars from the federal government. Conservatives had no problem flushing $800 billion down the Iraq toilet but if anyone suggested giving the Post Office $6 billion they'd have a stroke.

#18 | Posted by RastaCyborg

WHO do you think pays for their pensions? Do you have ANY idea whatsoever about anything that's not completely deficient??

We are talking about the post office, btw, and I don't see your messiah directing any money to them...he'd rather give 1 billion to acorn!

Oh and i was reading how the battery industry is spellbound in amazement at their billion dollar funding that's coming. It's like giving a trust fund to a 12 year old.....and expecting good results!

"WHO do you think pays for their pensions? "

The Civil Service Retirement System, paid into and funded by the Postal Service.

ProudLiberal

...my dad is a retired postal worker.

BTW, I would say that the post office is probably one of the more efficient government processes. I'm probably going to get slammed for that comment and hear all the post-office horror stories. But if you've ever seen the mail sorting operations - pretty impressive....

I totally agree with you. I have hardly had any complaints -- ever -- with my mail delivery anywhere.
I'll even leave my outgoing mail on top of the mailbox at the door and it's picked up for me when the postman comes to deliver my mail. Only once in a great while will I get someone else's mail by mistake but it's rare. Where else for under 50 cents can you get almost a 100% guarantee your letter will arrive 3000 miles away at the very doorstep of the person you addressed it to and within one week's time.

Very few postal workers are covered under Civil Service anymore. They haven't been Civil Service since the early eighties.

"They haven't been Civil Service since the early eighties."

But there were still monies going there in 2003:

"The post office delivers parcels cheaper and better than fedex or ups"

LOL. The post office is subsidized by the federal government. Hand the billions of dollars they get each year to FedEx or UPS, and they would run USPS into the ground.

For those who can't read, the Post Office receives zero dollars from the Federal Government.

"The post office is subsidized by the federal government...billions of dollars they get each year"

Link?

www.wimp.com

Here's a good review of the US gov org....

#25 | Posted by DavetheWave

Thanks for the propaganda. I haven't sat through all of it yet. Is any of it relevant to this discussion?

LOL. The post office is subsidized by the federal government. Hand the billions of dollars they get each year to FedEx or UPS, and they would run USPS into the ground.

#26 | Posted by JOE at 2009-01-28 06:42 PM | Reply | Flag: Flag: (Choose)
FunnyNewsworthyOffensiveAbusiv
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This link might be bullshit but it says the USPS is subsidized by the Federal Government.

From Larry's link:

By law, we have to use the United States Postal Service (USPS) for delivery of first-class mail.

What law? It's against the law to have UPS or Fedex deliver a letter for you?

Wouldn't it be great if UPS delivered the mail? Everyday you'd have one of those annoying stickers on your door and you'd have to drive down to UPS to pick up your stuff.

No racty sorry I meant that for another retort!

"Link?"

From their 2008 Annual Report:

Capital contributions of U.S. government (in millions): $3,034

"The post office is subsidized by the federal government."

So what? It's a service, not a profit making venture. Just like libraries. When are losertarians going to call for privatizing them as well?

good, more for the private sector.

PO can't compete at their current rates. Postage will go up again soon

"Jerry, NOBODY HAS EVER HIT 70%!!" Newman

Nice try Joe, if you click on "Notes" from your link you'll see the following:

The equity that the U.S. government held in the former Post Office Department became our initial capital. We valued the assets of the former Post Office Department at original cost less accumulated depreciation. The initial transfer of assets, including property, equipment, and cash, totaled $1.7 billion. Subsequent cash contributions and transfers of assets between 1972 and 1982 totaled approximately $1.3 billion, resulting in total government contributions of $3.034 billion. The U.S. government remains responsible for all of the liabilities attributable to operations of the former Post Office Department. However, under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, the liability for Post Office Department workers’ compensation costs was transferred to us.

The government is responsible for liabilities to operations of the former department.
$3.034 billion out of the PO's operating budget of $77 billion? A pittance.

By the way, I think the Federal Government should support the Post Office. I suggest all of you conservatives spend some time in a free market paradise like Brasil. We'll mail you the food you'll need to survive. You won't get much of it.

From the wiki link--

Have annual operating revenue of nearly $75 billion.

Are the second-largest employer in the United States with nearly 685,000 career employees.

Pay $2.1 billion in employee salaries and benefits every two weeks.

--

Can this be correct?

No wonder they are at a loss.

They keep raising the cost of a stamp.

Are they under a union?

It is no matter if they drop Saturday service. It will all transfer to Monday and Tuesday.

But to drop Tuesday--now that is a goofy proposal.

"So what? It's a service, not a profit making venture."

Once again, you need to read. The USPS was being compared to UPS and FedEx with regard to quality of service. Obviously if they receive federal money they are at an advantage as far as the services they can provide, so the comparison was inaccurate.

Try reading. You'll waste a lot less of your own and everyone else's time.

Oops, almost forgot:

So what? It's a service, not a profit making venture. Just like libraries. When are losertarians going to call for privatizing them as well?
#37 | Posted by nullifidian at 2009-01-28 07:20 PM Flag: Stupid Fuck

Hey,

Here's our economic recovery package all set up and ready to deploy.

Keep Saturday deliveries and institute twice a day deliveries. Double the workforce. Pay the extra salaries out of the money we are wasting bailing out the banks.

The vast majority of those postal workers live hand to mouth so nearly every cent will be spent within two weeks after the pay hits their bank accounts. Most that extra money will be spent locally several times before it winds up in the hands of the big corporations or someone's investment account.

More people will be keeping their homes, buying new cars and paying off their credit card debt. The banks will benefit in the end as much as just handing them the money directly. But Rtards like Murphy won't like this idea either because some poor person might benefit. Better to give tax breaks to Exxon-Mobil and Haliburton.

Screw you Axe--The bailout plan was a farce and this stimulus package is even worse.

Grow up.

You'll waste a lot less of your own and everyone else's time.

#43 | Posted by JOE

Perhaps, but you could everyone's time by just not posting, shit for brains.

could save

Postal Service May End Saturday Delivery

Does this mean I get 16.7% fewer bills?

The post office is a necessary Government (i.e socialist) function. Three cheers for the mailman.

It is amazing to me how many people, right-left, conservative-liberal, Democrat-Republican, who understand that Paulson's bailout cry and timing doesn't pass the smell test. Now he's gone. Do you suppose he's back working for one of his beneficiaries?

Paulson and Bush repeated over and over that the economy was "fundamentally sound" for years, then threw a three page unconditional bailout demand on the table out of the blue, just before they dissappear.

Where is the outrage? Where are the prosecutors? And where is Rubin?

I am a USPS Letter Carrier. It sickens me the way that people talk about us. 90% of us are very good employees who take pride in their job and are very hard workers. We have had people retire and they do not give us new employees, they just add deliveries to our routes. Someone calls in sick, and we are working ten to twelve hours to cover the routes (this is why you may get your mail at a different time, because we do our route and then go do someone else's route). We are out their in the blizzards, ice storms, excessive heat, rain, and we are out there when it is below zero, without the wind chill. I have actually been out when it was so cold that MY EYE FROZE SHUT! How many of you people complaining about the post office spend thirty minutes outside when it is below zero, let alone seven to ten hours? When fuel went up a couple of months back, UPS and FedEx raised their prices to cover fuel surcharge, the post office did not. Anyone who wants to complain about the post office, put your walking shoes on and come with me to do my job for one day! Not everyone can do it. And eventhough mail volume has gone down, we still have to deliver to EVERY HOUSE six days a week!!!
By the way, I would love to have Saturdays off.

I love the USPS. It is a powerful force holding this country together. It is extremely reliable. It is impossible to overemphasize how crucial it is.

#51 | Posted by LWIRSING at 2009-01-28 09:25 PM

I have nothing against mail carriers, and commend them for doing a difficult job. I think the animosity toward postal workers is more directed at the branch workers who are indoors.

I think I can live with 5 day a week delivery. As far as I am concerned overnight express by the usps is the best service on the planet. They are on time every time.

I use USPS delivery for anything I order over the net now, unless it isn't offered. It's less expensive, even for 2 day priority stuff. It usually shows up in better condition than a box that's been loaded and unloaded a dozen times by UPS workers who don't give a shit.

OK, 2 birds, 1 stone: the banks are being federalized and the post office is a dying technology.

but, there is a post office in every town, even in towns with not much else. what to do? learn from the chinese and make the post offices into banks.

My father receives a civil service pension after having retired from the USPS but here's a newsflash. He does not get Social Security. So the social security he paid into the system at the jobs he had before the postal service was forfeited. He did not even have enough points to collect disability.

So, he's living large on about $24,000 a year. Not horrible but certainly not the rolling in dough some of you would portray.

He put his life into the postal service. Who would deny him a pension?

I just wish they would deliver the mail addressed to me to my house and the mail addressed to my neighbors to their houses.

In my eyes the postal service is just like any other government run program. It spends more then it can bring in. I have nothing against those that work for the post office I wish them all well but they are not immune to the economy any more then any of us are.

I'll even leave my outgoing mail on top of the mailbox at the door

#22 | Posted by CalifChris

That's not a very smart thing to do.

So.. who uses the post office now days? With e-mail and FED-UP we have what we need.

Well folks the USPS processes over half of the Worlds mail everyday.They are the most efficient postal system in the world. Also they lose less than 1% of the mail. The sanctity of the mail is something we all take for granted. Hell they are stealing stamps off postcards in Russia. Has anyone ever mailed anything to Mexico? Good Luck! We can send our packages without Big brother, or a local sheriff, going through our letters! I remember reading about Fed x employees stealing DEA packages going to their labs. Of course they canceled the acc. went back to the USPS.

it'd be alright by me. time sensitive stuff can go ups or fed x.

fyi- the post office delivers many ups and fedx items, and fedx and ups contract with the p o

... the real issue is the p.o. is constitutional it is not a business and it is not run like a business ya think fedx and ups will give congress franking privileges

They better send out special notice to the retards that wanted the digital TV conversion deadline extended. Those poor fuckers will be standing outside on Staurday, and not go back inside the house until Monday.

In case you didn't know, our nation elected a new president...a black man...a democrat and he thinks he should be allowed to use our money to help Americans find or keep the jobs they have.

ATTENTION: OBAMA IS BLACK!

Did we mention he's black? That's right, he's black & he does want you to use your money, unless you don't have what you think is enough, then he'll be more than glad to take it from someone else to be "fair".

Oh, & did we happen to mention he's black?

... the real issue is the p.o. is constitutional it is not a business and it is not run like a business ya think fedx and ups will give congress franking privileges

#63 | Posted by reinsurelaw

Frankly, I don't know.

Sean Insanity and other "deregulate, privatize, and destroy" people always complain about the Post Office. The USPS provides an outstanding service at a very affordable price. The idea that you can send a letter across the country for 42 cents is amazing. Try using Fed Ex -- that letter will cost you more than $3.

The Postal Service helped connect the West Coast to the East Coast in the early 1800s. It made America possible.

Sean Insanity and other "deregulate, privatize, and destroy" people always complain about the Post Office.

What did Sean Hanntity have to say negative aout the post office and when? I remember him praising them a year or so ago.

Or is this your usual "righty's fault" knee jerk response, knowsnothing?

No offense, but you've turned into the boy who cried wolf and I can't believe a word you say without a citation. Your "Bush's fault" on that 7 person murder/suicide is a great example. Classic, in fact.

Anyway, when did Sean put down the post office?

it would be nice if they increased charges for stuff like catalogs that we get unsolicited. price increase those suckers rigth out of existence. a one ounce letter and a six ounce catalog are not the same but as is, it is cheaper to send the catalog than a letter.

I don't mind getting catalogs. They're great fire starting material for my wood stove. I have enough newspaper and magazines for about 3 years of fires.

Some of them I read though. Gotta have something to look at on the crapper.