1 The irony.  It burns. 

2 40 fucking dollars per hour to deliver the fucking mail? Bums off the street stuff flyers door to door for minimum wage. Hire the bums for $10 per hour and boom the US just saved billions. The ex-postal workers can send resumes to Fed-Ex and UPS.

3 Too bad the Postal Service is mandated in the Constitution.  We're shackled to this until an Amendment changes it.

4 In before the spam!

Oh, and do you know they have to have postal inspectors who hide out in catwalks to patrol above the sorting floor during tax refund season?

5 It's easier to understand how they could lose so much money when you consider they have 600,000 employees and 480,000 pensioners. I reckon it's hard to be profitable when you have (almost) a 1:1 ratio of retirees to employees.

So they lay off 120,000 and go right to 1:1.  Seems like they should be working on that second number somehow.  Oh yeah, that's what Obamacare is for.

6 Too bad the Postal Service is mandated in the Constitution.  We're shackled to this until an Amendment changes it.

Posted by: EC at August 12, 2011 10:48 AM (GQ8sn)

Don't be silly.  All the Constitution says is that Congress has the power to regulate Commerce between the states.  I mean, that pretty much lets it do anything anyway.

7

1. Steal more packages than you already do.

2. Sell those Gamefly and Netflix discs that "go missing" on eBay. 

3. Profit!

8

40 fucking dollars per hour to deliver the fucking mail?

Well that's the average for all postal workers, so it includes the useless and redundant managment who probably makes big bucks(100s of thousands i'm guessing) and I believe that number also includes benefits.

 

Still, it's a fairly high number when compared to private sector package delivery services that are profitable.

9 Too many pensioners? 

Two words.  Company picnic.

Two more words.  Warm mayonnaise. 

10 The problem is they didn't spend enough money sponsoring Tour de France participants.  If only they'd spent several dozen million more they wouldn't be in this situation.

11 But I won't get junk mail six days a week that I have to accumulate and eventually haul to the dump!  Oh, that's a good thing.

12

$41 an hour my ass.  They added the cost of benefits to that figure. 

How many employees and pensioneers does the Defense Department have?  I don't see the Postal Service buying up $900 hammers. 

13

"Prohibits layoffs."  Absolutely amazing.  

14 10 Too many pensioners? 

Two words.  Company picnic.

Two more words.  Warm mayonnaise. 

Posted by: Y-not at August 12, 2011 10:51 AM (5H6zj)

Is it too wate to get a job in male dewivewy?

15

A Post Office in every g-ddamn town paired with a "decrease" in overall mail volume, yet it still takes a fricking week for my sister's birthday card to travel from Concord, NH, to Hershey, PA.

Efficiency!

16 Congress can just waive the requirements that future pension benefits be properly funded.

Problem solved.  Duhhh.

17

So they lay off 120,000 and go right to 1:1.  Seems like they should be working on that second number somehow.  Oh yeah, that's what Obamacare is for.

Well, I think the WAPO article I read implied that it was going to try to buy out the 120,000, which I think implies no pension, but instead a one time lump sum payment.

The days of pensions are over, people need ot understand that. Companies can't continue to pay people who aren't working.  We're already seeing it with IRAs, 401K, 403B, and other forms of "pension-like" programs.

The federal government, as is always the case, is slow to catch up with the economic realities.

18

$41 an hour my ass.  They added the cost of benefits to that figure. 

How many employees and pensioneers does the Defense Department have?  I don't see the Postal Service buying up $900 hammers. 

Posted by: Spiker

 

I agree. let's change the subject to another department.

19

Or,

So the hammers that the post office uses to break fragile objects cost less than $900? I feel so much better now about that $20 billion dollar debt .

20 Most of the stuff I want delivered to my house gets there via FedEx. About 95% of the stuff the postman leaves goes straight in the trash.

There's a nice metaphor in there.

21 I wondered how they were doing when I realized I buy and use about 3 stamps per biannual price increase, and somehow misplace the rest of the book.  

22 How many employees and pensioneers does the Defense Department have? I don't see the Postal Service buying up $900 hammers. Sorry, red herring are covered under the Dep't of the Interior.

23 We have a dear 94 year-old friend in SC who sent me a letter a couple of months ago.  He has a bit of dementia.

The letter arrived with a flag sticker  where the stamp should have been.

Heh.

24

41 an hour my ass.  They added the cost of benefits to that figure

I thought that would be understood, but I've made note of it in the main post anyway.

I looked at the website and it says the starting average salary is 19 dollars an hour(just salary, no benefits)

25 Posted by: Spiker at August 12, 2011 10:53 AM (u2rWt)

I don't know if they added the cost of benes to that or not (though I doubt it), but I do know that a fairly average postal worker in the DFW Metroplex (1 year on the job) was making about $15.00/hr 13 years ago.  Willing to bet that's at least $20.00/hr now?  That was a normal delivery driver.

Also, the Constitution just mandates (IIRC) that Congress has to ensure the mail is delivered.  The USPS is not, itself, mandatory- as proven by the fact it didn't always exist.  Remember the Pony Express?  The correct answer is to remove the law that says that ONLY the USPS can deliver normal mail, divorce them from the federal dole, and make them compete with UPS, FEDEX, and DHL for all postal business.

26 Don't be silly.  All the Constitution says is that Congress has the power to regulate Commerce between the states.  I mean, that pretty much lets it do anything anyway.

Not sure if serious.

The Constitution says (I forget which article) that the federal gov will create and operate a postal system.  So for any of this to change, we need that edited out.

27 Seeing the Democrat logic that unemployment benefits somehow magically create jobs, shouldn't they be supportive of the layoffs?

28 I opt in to paperless billing as much s possible, email and fax for my business, pay bills online or over the phone with a debit card and overnight with Fed Ex. Snail mail aint just a river in Egypt

29

$41 an hour my ass.  They added the cost of benefits to that figure. 

How many employees and pensioneers does the Empire have?  I don't see the Postal Service buying up 900-quadrillion-dollar Death Stars. 

30 My cousin just had her first baby.  I stupidly sent a package to her via USPS. It took 3 weeks to get from Austin to Amarillo, and the idiots didn't even deliver it to her door.

31 Speaking of DoD and layoffs, I wonder what it would be like to have a union agreement that "prohibits layoffs."  Not that I'd ever want to have anything to do with a union, but the writing is on the wall, and there are a lot of nervous people.

32 14

$41 an hour my ass. They added the cost of benefits to that figure.

How many employees and pensioneers does the Defense Department have? I don't see the Postal Service buying up $900 hammers.

---

Just talked to a relative yesterday who works there. $30 something an hour not including benefits. She tells me she's working mandatory 50+ hours a week. How does this square with the articles contention that they're grabbing rooms to look busy?

33 The Constitution doesn't mandate the Post office, but it does explicitly authorize it (Article I, Section 8, paragraph 7 grants the power "To establish Post Offices and Post Roads").

34 I looked at the website and it says the starting average salary is 19 dollars an hour(just salary, no benefits)

Wow.  $40k/year is a great starting salary. 


I'm not a fan of reporting salary plus benefits together.  When you recruit someone for a job, they focus on salary.  Yeah, we all try to use benefits to sweeten the pot IF the salary is too low. 

Go ahead and report it if you like, but you have to report salary separately, imho. 

35 32 My cousin just had her first baby.  I stupidly sent a package to her via USPS. It took 3 weeks to get from Austin to Amarillo, and the idiots didn't even deliver it to her door.

Posted by: Lauren at August 12, 2011 10:58 AM (cVIY5)

You forgot to factor in "rattling around forgotten in the back of a delivery truck for two weeks before getting crushed under a thirty pound box of designer stencils" time when sending your package.  We can't be responsible for that.

36 The one thing I do use the USPS for is sending cards.

When my mom died, all the cards I received were comforting.  Also, I really hate those e-cards for birthdays, Christmas, etc. 

The amount of junk mail we receive is ridiculous.  Having to haul it to the recycling center is a pain in the ass.

37

The Constitution says (I forget which article) that the federal gov will create and operate a postal system.  So for any of this to change, we need that edited out.

article 1 section 8 i think

38

The problem with everything is defined benefit plans, both for private and public sectors.  If there were no defined benefit plans, the post office wouldn't be having these problems. 

You can also argue the real problem for the US debt is the same.

Has anyone speculated as to what might have happened if Bush's plan to partially privatize SS had passed?  What would that have done to our current problems?

39 The Constitution doesn't mandate the Post office, but it does explicitly authorize it (Article I, Section 8, paragraph 7 grants the power "To establish Post Offices and Post Roads").

Ok, if it doesn't mandate them, then what law says that only the Postal Service can handle delivery of first class mail?

40 If the USPS does go bankrupt I guess the pensions won't get paid either.

41

I love the post office.

Use it all the time and have nearly no problems to report.  None. Ever.  Hundreds of Records shipped/received a year.  Hundreds of paper transactions.  The check is always in the mail and always arrives where it's going.

UPS and Fed Ex used for shipping larger items, but nobody beats the PO for shipping anything smaller than a bread box.

...and I have had a lot more problems with UPS and Fed Ex than I have ever had with the PO. 

42 The Constitution says (I forget which article) that the federal gov will create and operate a postal system.  So for any of this to change, we need that edited out.

Incorrect.

Article 8 says, "The Congress shall have the Power ... To establish Post Offices and post Roads;"

This provision does not mandate the creation of a postal system, it simply authorizes congress to do so.

43 Well in all fairness, I once had a mailperson actually put his truck into reverse once after delivering my mail.  You see, if they cannot reach your mailbox without putting their vehicle in reverse, then they don't have to deliver. Even worse, they don't notify you that they aren't delivering. So those bills and checks you were expecting? Too bad.
 
Anyhow, this one time only he delivered my mail along with a note saying it won't happen again unless I fix the problem. The problem? The road crew had scraped a pile of ice in front of my box. A fucking grader couldn't dislodge this massive ice lump in the street. Yup, all my fault....including the late fees I paid for late bills that were never delivered.
 
Postal? You want postal bitches? Bring it!
 
/mild rant mode off

44 As a side note. Where are the mailmen supposed to get their pilferred gift cards now?

45 article 1 section 8 i think

"To establish Post Offices and post Roads;"

46

I would like to point out that I've had nothing but good experience with the USPS. I don't hate them, but it's clear we can't maintain it as it currently exists.

It's hemorraging money. Something has to give. I know the libs love all government institutions, but we have to at least have a couple that are running under or on budget, no?

They can't all be losing hundreds of millions, billions and tens of billions of dollars.

47 It's easier to understand how they could lose so much money when you consider they have 600,000 employees and 480,000 pensioners.

Everywhere its the same story. It's crazy to pay people not to work.  Unless the individual has been paying up over the years to fund themselves, you run short of enough payers to fund the takers.  It just can't work demographically.

And, given what can be done to sweeten the payout, particularly in places like California for public employees, its far beyond the point of sanity.

48

The Constitution says (I forget which article) that the federal gov will create and operate a postal system.  So for any of this to change, we need that edited out

Constitution, smonstitution.  Dude, that thing is like 100 years old - who cares what it says.

49 Sure.  the USPS has problems, but we've got problems of our own.

50 Has anyone speculated as to what might have happened if Bush's plan to partially privatize SS had passed?  What would that have done to our current problems?

I remember Dick Cheney (PBUH) talking about this.  He said a voluntary 3% of your income will go to a private account that you control just like a 401k.  3%!!! 

51 O/T:  Candidate survey over at Hot Air for those who are so inclined. 

You don't have to be registered at HA to cast a "ballot." 

52 thank God cliff clavin has voice over work to fall back on

53 39 The one thing I do use the USPS for is sending cards.

When my mom died, all the cards I received were comforting.  Also, I really hate those e-cards for birthdays, Christmas, etc. 

Posted by: Jane D'oh at August 12, 2011 11:01 AM (UOM4

Ditto.  But I also use USPS for delivering packages to my friends and family who have a PO box.  My sister and b-i-l live in an apartment and they've seen more than one UPS or FedEx delivery box just sitting beside the security door, waiting for literally anyone to come along and grab it.  I think that says more about the particular FedEx and UPS delivery guys than it does about the actual FedEx and UPS services, but they still prefer it if I send things to them via the Post Office. 

54

46Well in all fairness, I once had a mailperson actually put his truck into reverse once after delivering my mail. You see, if they cannot reach your mailbox without putting their vehicle in reverse, then they don't have to deliver. Even worse, they don't notify you that they aren't delivering. So those bills and checks you were expecting? Too bad.

Anyhow, this one time only he delivered my mail along with a note saying it won't happen again unless I fix the problem. The problem? The road crew had scraped a pile of ice in front of my box. A fucking grader couldn't dislodge this massive ice lump in the street. Yup, all my fault....including the late fees I paid for late bills that were never delivered.

Postal? You want postal bitches? Bring it!
----

Same here. PostMASTER showed up at my house saying the 4 cars in my  2 wide driveway didnt allow the mail lady to deliver mail at the curb, and use my driveway to turn around.

I needed to move or sell a car, or go to the post office to get my mail going forward.

55

Just talked to a relative yesterday who works there. $30 something an hour not including benefits. She tells me she's working mandatory 50+ hours a week. How does this square with the articles contention that they're grabbing rooms to look busy?

Posted by: Jimmah

 

Some areas may be busier than others, particularly if they serve business clients. And there is also the factor of people having to work to cover the senior union and minority types who don't work and cannot/will  not be fired. A friend of mine in the mid 1980s worked like hell to get in there and left after a year because of it (granted; this is his story). If there are layoff, then they will likely axe the junior employees first (senority rules) so they'll be left with the older, higher paid workers.

56 Posted by: EC at August 12, 2011 11:03 AM (GQ8sn)

From the The About.Com Website:
Under federal law, only the Postal Service can handle or charge postage for handling letters...

57

@ 44, Garrett, I'm in you're boat. I have had nothing but good experience with the post office (i sent checks and invoices mostly), however we've been receiving a service at a price welll below what we should be paying for it(what it costs to send it).

So while I think its awesome I can send out my business mail for 0.44 cents a pop, it's only because the USPS is keeping the postage artificially low. And they can't continue to do so anymore.

As i said above, I'm guessing we go to a 4-5 days delivery week and a massive increase in stamp prices, probably incrementally though. Maybe 60 cents and then slowly working its way up to a dollar over a few years

58 Gee, I wonder how long until they start bringing up email taxes again?

59 Ok, if it doesn't mandate them, then what law says that only the Postal Service can handle delivery of first class mail?

The Postal Act of 1845.

That's right. Eighteen. Fucking. Forty-five.

The buggy whip industry was also thriving then.

60 The PO was on the verge of obsolescence just before 9/11. Then, we were suddenly compelled to throw millions at it to increase security. Now's the time for it to die.

61 44

I love the post office.

-----

I still do a lot of bill paying through regular mail and I have about 4 older relatives to whom I write letters a couple of times a month.  They are not internet savvy and I can send pictures that way.  We've moved a lot so friends and relatives are scattered.

The bill-paying is partly because we've been in transition, financially and physically.  I find it easier to track expenses and control which pot of money is being used by doing it on paper.  And I'm a dinosaur.  If my hubby were doing the bill-paying right now, we'd be more paperless. 

I've had mixed results with the mail carriers.  Current crop is not that great.  I actually had better luck in California, amazingly enough.  Same problems with "blocked" mailbox claims, as well as leaving packages in the rain (when a covered porch was steps away) and that sort of thing.  Our UPS guy, in contrast, was lovely.  Veteran. 

Now in terms of special services, my experience with the P.O. has been pretty bad.  I tried using them for registered mail / confirmed delivery on a couple of correspondences when we were in dispute with companies and the tracking was useless, plus they first claimed they could not deliver.  In general the desk clerks are AT BEST slow but vaguely pleasant, but more often than not they are SLOW and UNpleasant. 

62 Ben, I posted on that APWU ad a couple of weeks ago, BTW.

63 My shrew of a sister in law works at the PO.  When I mentioned a couple of weeks ago to her that the Post Master General was talking about going to a 3 delivery day week, she squealed "We'll just see about that" in her best I'm a union hag voice.  I'll have to ask her what she thinks about this latest development.

64 You Rethugnicans are so ignorant. If the Postal Service wants to spend its own money on fair wages for their noble workers and pension benefits for their poor retirees that's their choice. It's their money, for cryin' out loud. Who are you to judge what the Postal Service does with their own money. You've got no shame and no heart.

65 IIRC, first-class mail subsidizes the junk mailers, and that has to stop.  If you raise the price to deliver a piece of mail, any piece of mail, and charge junk the same price as letters, the amount of junk mail will plummet like a Barack Obama stock market.

66 The Postal Act of 1845.

That's right. Eighteen. Fucking. Forty-five.

The buggy whip industry was also thriving then.

Then that's the law that needs changing. 

67

60Posted by: EC at August 12, 2011 11:03 AM (GQ8sn)

From the The About.Com Website:
Under federal law, only the Postal Service can handle or charge postage for handling letters...
----

Congress let them farm out some of the "unprofitable" package deliveruy, and UPS was born. How are they doing running all that unprofitable frieght?

68 O/T:  Candidate survey over at Hot Air for those who are so inclined. 

You don't have to be registered at HA to cast a "ballot." 
Posted by: Y-not at August 12, 2011 11:06 AM

Yeah...yet another chance for a 1000-comment Palin-pumping thread, which Tepid Air revels in when "the Captain" and his Groan Room Stars are not pimping T-Paw.

I mean, I'd vote for Palin in a heartbeat if she's the nominee, but the drooling love for her over there is worthy of inclusion in Penthouse Letters. When, that is, the True Believers aren't calling anyone who dares question Her Divinity assholes.

Back on topic: I'm a freelance writer, and my current clients will only pay via paper checks sent in the mail. So I'm a big fan of the post office. For now, anyway.

69 Posted by: EC at August 12, 2011 10:48 AM (GQ8sn)

The postal service is not mandated by the Constitution. All it says is that congress has the power to establish post offices and post roads.

70 The USPS has many problems.  The number of Pensions is only a symptom.

Let's look at some of them:
1) They are partially funded by the US Govt.  This removes much of the motivation any other private organization would have to maximize efficiency, since they can just go back to uncle sugar for more, if they have to.  Expect Congress just to bail them out, at least in the short term, by the way.

2) They are required not to make a profit.  Even "non-profit" or "not for profit" (two different designations) entities are allowed to make profits.  Indeed, it is the profit motive that causes many of them to exist. Being required not to make a profit is also a negative incentive away from maximum efficiency.

3) They are forced to work with a union- in their case, a Government union (which is worse than a private one, as we've discussed before).

4) They are required, by law, to provide one of the most generous healthcare packages available in America.  I've mentioned before that I'm familiar with the Federal Employee Program health benefits- let me assure you, they're very nice.

$0.44 per oz might be enough to cover costs, if the post office were also run more efficiently.  It is not, however, and so that postal rate won't work. 

So, again, I say the correct answer is to divorce them completely from the US Government, Repeal the Postal Act and replace it with something that is more sane, and then let multiple companies compete for that business.

71

First, I believe Postal Service is a legitimate gov't function, so whether it is "profitable" or not is not really the sole issue (I doubt the Postal Service ever really made a profit, and if it did, it was more than 30 years ago).

However, the Postal Service is wayyyy to generous with pay and benefits, including pension and that needs to end.  There is absolutely no reason that a mail carrier should make more than about $20/hour (and even that seems high to me).  It is not a difficult job, it doesn't take any brains, it doesn't take any skill, it doesn't take any particular education or training, and it doesn't even take stamina as they mostly drive and don't even walk and carry the mail.  I suppose they need to be able to read and that is about it.

The postal service is actually a case-book in how bad unions are in the public sector.  Pay and benefits wayyy out of proportion to the work.  Pensions that are ridiculous compared to what 90% of the population gets.  An anti-layoff provision?  It's outrageous.

I have no problem with layoffs, and delivery limited to 3 days  per week.  With electronic mail, faxes, and private delivery there is no need for 6 day a week mail delivery.  And, raising the price of stamps doesn't bother me either.  Back when people did a lot of mailing, it might have been a hardship for stamps to get expensive.  Now, what does the average person mail - maybe 2 or 3 things per week?  $0.10/stamp more is not going to break the bank.

I still think there is a place for gov't postal service, b/c I don't see fedex or UPS or any other outfit gearing up to deliver regular daily mail - b/c I doubt you could ever make it very profitable. 

72

Some areas may be busier than others, particularly if they serve business clients. And there is also the factor of people having to work to cover the senior union and minority types who don't work and cannot/will  not be fired. A friend of mine in the mid 1980s worked like hell to get in there and left after a year because of it (granted; this is his story). If there are layoff, then they will likely axe the junior employees first (senority rules) so they'll be left with the older, higher paid workers.

This.  I bitch and moan about the USPS because they DO drive me crazy with their inefficiency and their rules regarding when they will and will not deliver (my family has had the same issue as GnuBreed regarding snow and ice in front of our mailbox), but I also understand that in certain areas and at certain times of year, postal workers really are painfully busy.  My father continually gripes about how long it takes for bills and letters to reach their destination around Christmas time, and I always try to remind him that everyone is sending things at Christmas time, and the post office has people who take time off to visit family at the holidays, just like everywhere else.  It's irritating as hell sometimes, but when I know that they're actually working, I can understand it. 

It's when I go to a post office with three or four employees, all of them standing around doing nothing, that I get justifiably pissy.  Small towns should not all need their own post office.  Anywhere with a population below 1,000 should club in its lot with a neighboring town or towns for postal services. 

73 My Rottweiler is in the corner, despondent.

74 Postal? You want postal bitches? Bring it!

I had a problem last fall with them leaving "come get your package" cards instead of delivering packages. Got a real snotty note when I filled out the online form asking them to please deliver my packages and leave them in the locked package box if that was easier than walking to my apartment door.

75

Geeze, the post office still delivers to your door down there?...they haven't done that up here for 20 years.  There are neighborhood boxes at the end of streets, entrances of developments etc that they put our mail in.

Small corner stores can be postal outlets, they put a parcel card in your box saying you have a package at the corner store and you go get it.

Not exactly the ultimate service but it all works pretty well...they go on strike often though and I prefer to get paid electronically.

76 The postal service is not mandated by the Constitution. All it says is that congress has the power to establish post offices and post roads.

On this point there is also no mention of delivery to your door either.

77

@66 Andy, HA.  I didn't remember that. I'll add it to this post.

 

78

Closest small town: Population "about 400". Rural Route Delivery within the county includes "about double that....maybe 800 total".

Postmaster's job involves supervision of 2 delivery people both working 4 hour days to run their rural route delivery routes, and personally manning the post office (for PO Box pickup and delivery) while they are out on their delivery routes. The post office is only open 8am to 3 weekdays and 8 til noon on saturdays not including federal holidays.

Postmaster's Salary: $165,000 plus standard  federal benefits and heathcare and 100% pension after 20 years. His salary alone exceeds all other civic employees in this town combined, including the other postal employees, our Mayor, one police officer and volunteer fire dept.

I. Sh*t. You. Not.

79 Posted by: Ben at August 12, 2011 10:50 AM (wuv1c)

Depends on the position in private industry. UPS package drivers (the brown trucks) probably make more than that including benefits. And the semi drivers make even more.

But they are held to standards of productivity that would stun the post office.

80 "I can only surmise that along with layoffs, we'll be seeing higher stamp prices and shortened delivery weeks." Isn't this the general model, or rather, expected results from Obamacare as well? Higher costs, shitty results. FTW!

81 Posted by: Buzzsaw at August 12, 2011 11:19 AM (tf9Ne)

But...but...but...it's for the children!

82

ATM's killed the Post Office.

They're runnin' amok and bamboozelin' us all!!!

83

GnuBreed at August 12, 2011 11:04 AM (ENKCw)

That is correct.  When a utility crew was working on my street and making it difficult to drive through, I did not receive any mail for two days.  When I called to complain, I was told that there was no requirement for the USPS to deliver my mail.

84 Oh, and speaking of "they don't have to make a profit" it still pisses me off that they used to give Lance Armstrong millions of dollars while they were losing money and raising rates.  If his cycling team wants a federal pork grant, they should go get it from Congress like the teapot museums and gay penis researchers.

85

WATCH OUT!!!  ["Danger Will Robinson. Danger!"]

The key phrase here was dropping the "retiree health benefit pre-funding costs imposed by Congress". That means they have to put the money in the pot for the retirees' health care. If they skate out on this one what will happen is that those costs will fall back on the government's retirement plan rescue program (for all comers). In other words, they will dump their health care costs on the taxpayers not the people paying for mail.

It's a scam and a fraud.

86 On this point there is also no mention of delivery to your door either.

This is true.  But if there were competition to handle mail, we'd still get door (or at least curb) delivery.

87 If USPS is 100% self funded (no tax $) then how is that $20B short fall getting plugged?

88

My Rottweiler is in the corner, despondent.

 

Mailman!

(god how I miss doing that to the pups)

89 The key phrase here was dropping the "retiree health benefit pre-funding costs imposed by Congress".

Sort of.  What I heard on the radio today was they were just asking congress for permission to do the layoffs.  No mention was made of them actually asking to remove the pre-funding requirement.

It's the Union that's saying, "No, no, no: just remove that pre-funding requirement, and everything will be hunky-dory!"

90

67My shrew of a sister in law works at the PO. When I mentioned a couple of weeks ago to her that the Post Master General was talking about going to a 3 delivery day week, she squealed "We'll just see about that" in her best I'm a union hag voice. I'll have to ask her what she thinks about this latest development.

---

Reminds me of the state run toll roads (pre-Ez pass). The toll person would wait until I pulled up and stopped before putting down her book and coming to the window to get my money. Always acting like she just noticed me there. She's gone now.

91

Depends on the position in private industry. UPS package drivers (the brown trucks) probably make more than that including benefits. And the semi drivers make even more.

But they are held to standards of productivity that would stun the post office.

Oh right, I'm sure they get paid more than that including benefits, but as you said, the company has to be profitable first.

92 5 It's easier to understand how they could lose so much money when you consider they have 600,000 employees and 480,000 pensioners. I reckon it's hard to be profitable when you have (almost) a 1:1 ratio of retirees to employees.

So they lay off 120,000 and go right to 1:1. Seems like they should be working on that second number somehow.
_________

CAROUSEL! RENEW! RENEW!

93 If USPS is 100% self funded (no tax $)

It's not.  They do get Govt. Support.  And they go back with their hands out fairly regularly.

94

and gay penis researchers.

...and that is how you clean an African penis!

95

Olbermann on Current TV.  Ratings juggernaut!

96 I need to pay my cable bill.

OPTION 1: I can write out a check, enclose the check with the bill in an envelope, put a $0.44 cent stamp on it, mail it, and then wait two days to a week (for local delivery, no less).

OPTION 2: I can log in to the cable company's website and pay my bill electronically in about five minutes.

This is why the US Postal Service is doomed. Its business model is obsolete, and fixed labor and retiree costs are killing it dead, dead, dead. There is no 'fixing' the USPS. It is insolvent and has no future. Let it die with whatever dignity it has left.

97 Obama is in even worse trouble than we thought.

Down 8 points in NJ since May

Now under water in NY

98 I mean, I'd vote for Palin in a heartbeat if she's the nominee, but the drooling love for her over there is worthy of inclusion in Penthouse Letters.

---

More like "Teen Beat."  It is a squeaky clean site, after all. 

I hope to goodness that the next time Gabe does the poll here he posts the responses over time to the last poll to show the effect of an Instalanche of Palin and Paul supporters on the results.  I don't care about who can win the poll as much as I care about what the opinions of real morons are.  The best way to do that is to track the results over time so that you can distinguish between a random sampling of site visitors and folks who descend on the site to win a poll. 

99

92On this point there is also no mention of delivery to your door either.

This is true. But if there were competition to handle mail, we'd still get door (or at least curb) delivery.
---

Yep, unless they changed the law, anyone inside a certain distance from the post office enjoys the "privilege" of having the mail delivered to their house. At least thats what they told me when my car was in my driveway, preventing them from using it the driveway to turn around.

100

Oh, and speaking of "they don't have to make a profit" it still pisses me off that they used to give Lance Armstrong millions of dollars while they were losing money and raising rates.  If his cycling team wants a federal pork grant, they should go get it from Congress like the teapot museums and gay penis researchers.

But don't you realized the increased business the USPS got from that endorsement?

How many young kids out there thought to themselves, "Wow, Armstrong is so inspiring, I need to get down to the Post Office and pick up 20 books of forever stamps!"

Step 1: Spend millions in advertising even though you don't have any competition for sending snail mail letters

Step 2: ????

Step 3: Profit

101
We are subsidizing the USPS to contract-deliver junk mail to us.

Enough said.

102

My Rottweiler is in the corner, despondent.

heh.

My collie amuses herself by alerting me to every yard worker, sprinkler, and air conditioner in the neighborhood. 

103

102I need to pay my cable bill.

OPTION 1: I can write out a check, enclose the check with the bill in an envelope, put a $0.44 cent stamp on it, mail it, and then wait two days to a week (for local delivery, no less).

OPTION 2: I can log in to the cable company's website and pay my bill electronically in about five minutes.

This is why the US Postal Service is doomed. Its business model is obsolete, and fixed labor and retiree costs are killing it dead, dead, dead. There is no 'fixing' the USPS. It is insolvent and has no future. Let it die with whatever dignity it has left.
----

Dem solution:

Tax online payments and use that money to subsidize the post office.

104 25 We have a dear 94 year-old friend in SC who sent me a letter a couple of months ago. He has a bit of dementia.

The letter arrived with a flag sticker where the stamp should have been.
_________

Dementia like a fox!

105 We have an excellent mail carrier.  And our FedEx guy is great. 

The lazy, rude bastards behind the counter at the PO are another story.  First time I sent a package to our boy, I politely asked the bored employee how long he thought it would take to get to him.  His reply, "Who knows?"

This, after standing in line for at least half an hour.  I was seething when I left.

I now use my UPS Store.  Great people, and they have all my information on their computer, fill out the customs form with it, and I'm in and out of there in minutes.

106 We are subsidizing the USPS to contract-deliver junk mail to us.

yup - it's stupid
I wonder, what are the commercial rates for sending bulk mail?

107
Hey, I have an idea!

Stop hiring.

108
Here's another idea.

Fire all employees hired in the last 12 months.

109 The APWU has a clause in their contract that prohibits layoffs.

What. The. Hell.

What rational company can expect to *never* lay off anyone, ever?  Hell, my company sheds between 2% - 5% employees every year to boost year-end numbers.

On a side note, I despise working for a publicly traded company.  Causes myopic management.

110 Paperless billing is where the USPS is hurting right now. My company spends thousands of dollars on postage every month sending out paper invoices. We're desperately trying to get all of our customers set up for paperless billing so we don't have to send out as much postage.

111 Will they (the surviving PO employees) get a waiver on Obamacare?  I mean, since they're getting kicked off the Federal  Employees' Health Insurance program, and will have to be put on something in the private sector? I imagine the Postal Workers Union will have something to say about it if there is no waiver.

112
What, you don't think the USPS is still hiring?

I'll bet my leftnut on it.

113

“Presidential campaigns are like MRIs of the soul,” said Axelrod.  “If Obama had one, heÂ’d be fucked.”

Almost verbatimÂ… sorta.

114 No one I know uses USPS to pay bills any more...I know that I get about 3 useful pieces of mail per week and 100 pieces of mail that go straight to the recycle bin. If delivery was down to only a day or 2 per week, I'd be ok with that. I only mail birthday cards or thank you notes.

115 33 Three-fourths of what I get are flyers for discount grocery stores at which I do not shop, and credit card and insurance offers in which I am not interested.
________

And the other fourth are bills I don't want to pay...

116

I think it's been pointed out on this website before, but when customers began complaining about the wait time in the post offices, the USPS fixed it by getting rid of all the clocks.

So next time you are in your local post office check to see if there are any clocks there

117 "...let multiple companies compete for that business."

Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at August 12, 2011 11:18 AM (8y9MW)

Interesting idea. But that would suppose that there are companies that can deliver to every address in the United States, and can handle both parcels and letters. They would have to have existing networks of planes, trucks, trains and small delivery vehicles, and the sorting facilities to handle millions of pieces each day. They would also have to be technologically advanced to maintain robust tracking and confirmation systems.

Obviously those companies don't exist, so this is all a pipe dream.

118 If USPS is 100% self funded (no tax $) then how is that $20B short fall getting plugged?

Posted by: GabeS at August 12, 2011 11:22 AM (ZaNql)

They have 'a line of credit' from the US Treasury. They have borrowed up to their max on it. I'm sure Congress, in their infinite wisdom and total disdain for our money, will just up the number. It's what they always do.

Regardless of my previous rant, I don't have a real problem with the USPS in general....I just think they should be run like a private business. They are mostly irrelevant to me any more, as I've mailed out one item in the past year. I get my bills online and pay them that way too.

119 I once had a postman come down the street, spending several minutes at each box while he read people's catalogs and magazines.  I took pictures.

120 I'm realizing the limitations of my plan from upthread.  I hereby modify it so it will be revenue-generating. 

10 Too many pensioners? 

Two words.  Company picnic.

Two more words.  Warm mayonnaise. 

Two more words.  Meat grinder. 

121

No one I know uses USPS to pay bills any more...

 

Hi!

122 don't get me started on my post office.....i hope they shut it down....they are the rudest, slowest mouth breathers....it's so bad there that our state representative came out on a saturday morning to field complaints about them.....he was a lib and even he could see their uselessness

123 I now use my UPS Store.  Great people, and they have all my information on their computer, fill out the customs form with it, and I'm in and out of there in minutes.

Posted by: Jane D'oh at August 12, 2011 11:29 AM (UOM4

I use UPS to send packages to my son too but I've found that not all UPS stores have the computerized custom forms.  The one closest to me does not.  I went to another one that I use to go to all the time (before we moved) and they have it computerized.  I don't get that.  Wouldn't all UPS computer systems be the same?  Or is the one I'm going to lying to me because they don't want to bother filling in the custom form fields on the computer so they  make me do it by hand?

124 You know, garrett, if you hadn't sworn off marriage and I wasn't attached, we'd be perfect for each other. 

125

“Presidential campaigns are like MRIs of the soul,” said Axelrod.  “If Obama had one, heÂ’d be fucked.”

Almost verbatimÂ… sorta.

Did he mean an MRI or a soul?

126 Another thing - a cousin of ours AND HIS WIFE were USPS employees, they laughed their asses off at the rest of us because they were both making $75,000+ per year in office jobs (I don't think either one of them ever delivered mail)... they have a boat, a lake house, and a nice regular home. SUCKAS.

127 ....and my uncle was a postal employee......what a piece of shit that guy is......

128 The USPS's responsibilities should be trimmed down to only providing service for correspondence directly related to official government business. Correspondence between two private individuals or companies can be accomplished through private means, easily.

129 I don't think it's just the unions you have to worry about. The USPS is probably the largest employer of minorities. It's the third rail on steroids for Dems.

130 Posted by: Y-not at August 12, 2011 11:34 AM (5H6zj)

Soylent Green: It's postal workers!

131 Regarding junk mail and recycling: in case you didn't know, it costs more money to recycle paper than it does to manufacture new. As with most recycling, it's a scam to suggest we're saving anything, including precious resources, by recycling. People recycle because it makes them feel good, and governments subsidize recyclying operations because... wait for it... the recycling business is a good way for goverment and do-gooder operations to create jobs for themselves. Throw your junk mail in the trash. Recycle aluminum cans because it's cost-effective to do so, pretty much everything else though, you're paying lots of money for the privilege to do so.

132 Hell, Just lift the restriction on the private carriers from delivering to mail boxes or PO boxes. Can anyone think of a compelling reason that FedEx is federally barred from putting an envelope in your mailbox?

133

We're desperately trying to get all of our customers set up for paperless billing so we don't have to send out as much postage.

Here's a hint from the consumer side - I refuse to agree to paperless billing because it is way way way too damn easy for the company to claim "oh hey yeah we totally sent out that email sorry it got spammed and you got hit with a $25 late fee lol".  That actually happened to me in the middle of the Adelphia/Comcast merge and Comcasstic's response was hey you should have known that the bill was due.  When I politely pointed out that I couldn't log into the website to see what I owed or pay the bill since the website was down due to the merger, the response was a shrug. 

Funnily, when I mentioned that I would be more than happy to start up a class action suit, that fee got waived. 

 

134

How Congress will respond to the postal proposals remains to be seen.

-----

I sense another terroristic GOP hostage event, followed by a speech from the president.

135 Posted by: Y-not at August 12, 2011 11:35 AM (5H6zj)

I thought Garrett is a woman!

136 43 If the USPS does go bankrupt I guess the pensions won't get paid either.

No, the pensions will get paid.  They will get bailed out by the government.  That is how public employee union logic works.  They push for the maximum demands, completely going over the line from "reasonable" to "batshit insane", threaten strikes and bedlam if they don't get their way, with absolutely no worries in the world because they know that their completely unreasonable demands will be met by tax hikes and government bailouts in the end.

137 It's the fault of those tea party terrorists.

138 Can anyone think of a compelling reason that FedEx is federally barred from putting an envelope in your mailbox?

Government doesn't like competition.

139 Do we really need daily mail service? I certainly don't. I could easily get by with twice-a-week delivery (for the occasional letter or card). I haven't shipped a package via USPS in years and year after having a fairly valuable package "disappear" in transit and getting the runaround from the USPS on what happened. UPS and FedEx have broken stuff and lost packages, but they've never screwed me on the settlement.

Many of the worries that rural areas would lose mail service altogether are probably overstated, and I'd be willing to bet that lots of people would compete for private contracts to deliver mail to rural areas (some already do that for UPS and FedEx way out in the boonies).

140 Here's a hint from the consumer side - I refuse to agree to paperless billing because it is way way way too damn easy for the company to claim "oh hey yeah we totally sent out that email sorry it got spammed and you got hit with a $25 late fee lol".

The ones I hate are the companies that do auto-bill and make it really hard to turn it off.  I got zapped by Angie's List doing that.  My impression of that enterprise was already going negative, but that sealed it. 

141

Paperless Billing = Self Checkout at the Grocery Store

I refuse.

 

142

thanks y

how'd yer turkey turn out?

143 I now use my UPS Store.  Great people, and they have all my information on their computer, fill out the customs form with it, and I'm in and out of there in minutes.

Oh I only wish that I had a UPS store here.  Instead, I have some lackey in a trailer that is only open about 3 hours per day, always with long lines to get and send packages.

144 I don't need daily mail delivery....I only pick it up about twice a week.

145 Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo (NJConservative) at August 12, 2011 11:33 AM (LH6ir)

First off, there are at least 2 that have (between them) 100% coverage.  So, yes, there could be competition.  Second, I don't need 100% coverage.  What you might well see spring up are regional carriers which then form coalitions to deliver cross-country.  Say a TX/OK/AR Carrier vs a TX/NM/CO Carrier vs a TX/LA/MS Carrier and then various other combinations.  Then, If I want to send something from Hawaii to NY, I select one of the national carriers (the new USPS, UPS, FEDEX) or I select a regional carrier that has business partners that can get it all the way where it needs to go.

146

I don't think it's just the unions you have to worry about. The USPS is probably the largest employer of minorities. It's the third rail on steroids for Dems.

You can expand that statement to include essentially any and all forms of governent employment.  You can't expect Dems to reduce the size of government anywhere, because your federal, state and local goverment workers are the people who vote them into office.

 

147 $40 per hour?  $80,000 per year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

You could hire a highly educated lawyer, accountant, or engineer for this hourly rate.

148 145 Do we really need daily mail service? I certainly don't. I could easily get by with twice-a-week delivery (for the occasional letter or card).

That would only work if all companies were required to provide a 14 day billing cycle to account for the lag in service at both ends and delivery time.  A lot of them don't.  The phone companies seem to be particularly guilty of quick turn-arounds on billing. 

149 Last time I moved I forgot to forward my mail. I didn't notice for 6 months. There's nothing I need that comes in the mail. I get bill notices by email and pay online or over the phone.

It's all junkmail and redundant bills I've already paid.

USPS could cease operations tomorrow and I wouldn't notice.

150
The amount of junk mail we receive is ridiculous.  Having to haul it to the recycling center is a pain in the ass.

Posted by: Jane D'oh at August 12, 2011 11:01 AM (UOM4

What? I don't haul my trash anywhere regardless of how much gas costs. If they don't make recycling stupid simple - ie, pickup at my curb. I don't do it. If I have to read signs to figure out where something goes, it goes into the receptacle nearest to me.

I've got better things to do than waste time with trash. That includes Liberals.

151 Is it just me, or does almost every letter carrier have that "carny ride operator / registered sex offender" vibe going on? USPS carriers are a pretty scurvy-looking lot.

152

^{_{Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo (NJConservative) at August 12, 2011 11:38 AM (LH6ir)}}

 

I'd be a big, ugly, bearded bitch!

153 meh - I used to be skeptical of paperless billing, but I've been going more and more to it.  I have my finances organized well enough that I know about how much I should pay and when, so I know what to expect.

154

WEll, I have had the opposite problem than some of you...I HATE dealing with the Post Office and have had nothing but problems with them. Their "tracking system" is a total joke. If I order from Amazon or another web site I makle sure that they aren't using USPS, or I pay extra for 2-day delivery. USPS has lost  and inordinate amount of packages over the past few years, and there's no customer service to complain to, or incentive for them to improve. And don;t start me on the retail locations, where the clerks smugly go to lunch as the line starts to build.....

 

 Fedex is best, followed by UPS. DHL is best for overseas work.

155 Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at August 12, 2011 11:41 AM (8y9MW)

I was being sarcastic.

Obviously UPS and FedEx have the existing networks to deliver 1st class mail and all of the packages that the USPS deals with. The bulk mail? I doubt it.

156 USPS carriers are a pretty scurvy-looking lot.

I don't know, mine is kinda hawt actually

(she's clearly not a carnie)

157 ...but women would KILL for my arms!

158

145Do we really need daily mail service? I certainly don't. I could easily get by with twice-a-week delivery

---

Works for me. Thats about how often I check the mail and still there's nothing worth getting. It helps that when I moved in January I took the mailbox out of the ground, and didn't do the change of address thing.

The only person who got excited was the bank who suddenly started getting "return to sender" on their statements (that I put straight into the shredder anyway).

 

159 This is so simple it hurts my brain to realize that we have such simpletons in the presidency, congress, and heading the Post Office. They've known for years that people don't use the snail mail like they used to. Yet we still have home delivery 6 days a week, we still have post offices open unnecessarily long hours. Cut home delivery to 3 days a week. Drastically cut the times the offices are open. People can get stamps and drop off mail at grocery stores for gawd's sake. Is the pay the same all across the country? Because anyone with half a brain in their head knows that people in many states don't need the same pay as those living in California or New York.

160 Here's a hint from the consumer side - I refuse to agree to paperless billing because it is way way way too damn easy for the company to claim "oh hey yeah we totally sent out that email sorry it got spammed and you got hit with a $25 late fee lol".

This.

I will pay my bill online, but I want a paper bill.  Or, at least, I want a simple and convenient way to view my bill online, and a reminder that the bill is available. 

And, no, I will not set up automatic payments.  You may not keep my credit card number and just bill my card- I will pay you when I'm good and ready.  If that means I have to pay a late fee, that's on me, isn't it?

161 how'd yer turkey turn out?

Perfectly!  I know this is bad, but I couldn't find my meat thermometer, so I "winged" it.  It was a 10lb turkey that I'd taken out of the fridge early, then stuffed just before cooking.  I did it at 325 for 3 hours.  Breast meat is good enough for even me to eat (I'm a dark meat gal... no, no, not THAT!).

Of course slathering it with butter at the start and basting every 20 minutes probably helped. 

I could have gotten the breast skin a tad darker, but I was worried about drying it out so I tented it about halfway through. 

Came in handy that night.  Hubby had a crapola day and was sort of dreading having to work from home after dinner.  He opened the door and was greeted to the aroma of turkey dinner.  Happy man!

162 Posted by: Empire of Jeff at August 12, 2011 11:43 AM (lbo6/)

The UPS guys on the other hand....

I worked for UPS for a long time, and I had drivers who did very, very well on their suburban delivery routes.

163 I'd be willing to bet that lots of people would compete for private contracts to deliver mail to rural areas (some already do that for UPS and FedEx way out in the boonies).

Or set up a system to deliver to a gas station or grocery store where you could pick up your mail from. Just like the general store did in all the westerns I've seen. It would minimize stops and in a privatized system I'm guessing stores would fight over the privilege of providing that service in town.

164 Regarding junk mail and recycling: in case you didn't know, it costs more money to recycle paper than it does to manufacture new. As with most recycling, it's a scam to suggest we're saving anything, including precious resources, by recycling. People recycle because it makes them feel good, and governments subsidize recyclying operations because... wait for it... the recycling business is a good way for goverment and do-gooder operations to create jobs for themselves. Throw your junk mail in the trash. Recycle aluminum cans because it's cost-effective to do so, pretty much everything else though, you're paying lots of money for the privilege to do so ------- Don't forget all the bleach required to recycle paper, which then gets dumped. Then there's the enegy required to do it, plus the double transportation, the collection and sorting. Recycling paper is considerably less "green" than just starting from scratch. Trees are a god damn renewable resouce

165 About fifteen years ago, I had a case that involved suspected fraud on the part of a PO employee.  He had fallen off a postal truck and injured his back such that he was unable to work. so he got a nice pension for not working.  The postal inspector got tips that he might not be all that disabled.  They followed him around with video cameras for several days.  He ran a barbeque business in which he would come to your party and barbeque stuff up for you.  They had video of him loading and unloading those big half-a-55-gallon-drum barbeque ovens with no apparent effort.  Video of him just walking around and living large.  They had video of him driving to Denver for an annual status check on his back injury, a distance of some 250 miles.  He drove to just outside Denver then let his wife drive the van while he got in the back a lay down.  When they got to the hospital, he could barely get up and had to use two canes to shuffle slowly into the hospital.

We showed that video a head honcho at the post office to get him on board for the prosecution.  He looked at the video then signed off the the guy was truly disabled.  end of prosecution and everybody was happy.  Well, not me or the inspectors so much.

166 Same political strategy as with the debt ceiling, wait until the last minute then trade insults and blame the tea party. Great leadership.

167 "OPTION 1: I can write out a check, enclose the check with the bill in an envelope, put a $0.44 cent stamp on it, mail it, and then wait two days to a week (for local delivery, no less).

OPTION 2: I can log in to the cable company's website and pay my bill electronically in about five minutes."

Yeah, my wife is still paranoid of Option 2 and insists on mailing nearly every bill in. .20 for the check, .05/envelope (or w/e they cost now), and .43 for the stamp. Plus time to write all of that out.

And then, she is surprised when someone calls to say 'why didn't you pay your bill'. 'Because the post office ate it. duh.'

Nearly free, instantaneous delivery, but she insists on doing it the expensive, time-consuming, and unreliable way because she 'feels better about it'.

If she weren't married to me, I'm almost certain she would vote Democrat.

168 147 Paperless Billing = Self Checkout at the Grocery Store

I refuse.
_________

I don't go paperless because I use the pile to remind me when it's time to pay the bills. When I'm having trouble stuffing the bills into their nook, it's time to pay them.

169 Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo (NJConservative) at August 12, 2011 11:43 AM (LH6ir)

Sorry.  Sometimes tone-of-voice doesn't come over so well.

As for handling bulk mail- I think they'd be fine.  It would probably cost more per ounce (but you'd probably pay based on your actual usage, not a minimum of 1 oz), but I bet they could do it.  I think FedEX has even said they have plans to that effect, just in case the opportunity comes up.

170 I'm in ur mailbox, stealing ur money!

171 Obviously those companies don't exist, so this is all a pipe dream.

Here's a novel thought...USPS handles trunk route, regional and local delivery is contracted out to private firms.  Where no firms exist to handle given routes and distribution, retain existing staff and facilities until such time as they exist.

Possible alternative/additional idea, spin the existing staff, facilities etc. off as private firms. Have contracts come up for review and renewal every five years or so.  USPS handles complaints about contractors, giving at least the potential for accountability.

Probably at least a dozen problems with the plan, but it's a start...

172

My neighbor is a postal worker with 30 years in. He is the laziest piece of shit that I have ever known. About 10 years ago he started having "back problems". He was off work for about a year, no surgery but damn if he don't dig on the pain killers. Since then he's probably averaged 10 work days a month ( I'm not shitting you here ). He has no problem getting out and mowing the lawn, bar-b-queing and laying in the sun. According to his wife he's hated at work because of the extra burden they have to cover his route, but his supervisors can't touch him because of his seniority and the union. He makes 54,000 a year just in salary as a letter carrier.

And on a side note....registered dem....go figure.

 

173 177 I'm in ur mailbox, stealing ur money!

Resist we much! 

174 USPS carriers are a pretty scurvy-looking lot.

Mine is actually a very nice young lady (she looks like she's about 12). But she's new; the old guy looked like an alky coming off of a four-day bender.

175 O/T: I thought Ace said that he didn't control the ads. I just saw one for flea and tick control. Tell me that this wasn't targeted at him.

176 I can log in to the cable company's website and pay my bill electronically in about five minutes."

I don't get why people go to each merchant's site to pay their bills.  How many logins does that require?

Why not set them up as payees at your bank website?  Then it's one login for paying all bills.

177 I thought Ace said that he didn't control the ads. I just saw one for flea and tick control. Tell me that this wasn't targeted at him.

To all morons: Always click on an Obama or DNC ad when you see them.  It'll be one less ad in their inventory.

178 O/T: I thought Ace said that he didn't control the ads. I just saw one for flea and tick control. Tell me that this wasn't targeted at him.


eh - mine was still the scary looking grandpa dude about mortgage refinancing.

Something tells me you were surfing recently about fleas and ticks...

179 Nor Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Mass Layoff

Nor interesting topic. An inefficient government agency staffed by union members going broke due to labor and pension costs is only marginally interesting in that they are actually considering laying off someone. (The horror. Expect protests)

180 You could hire a highly educated lawyer, accountant, or engineer for this hourly rate.


But not a Milwaukee Public School teacher....

181 Hens have fleas

182 Why not set them up as payees at your bank website?  Then it's one login for paying all bills.

well, not all banks are this organized.
I bank at a regional bank here (I refuse to go to one of the mega-banks).  Their website is a bit on the primitive side.  It is fine for balancing my checkbook and transferring funds between accounts, but it isn't good for much more than that.

183 Why not set them up as payees at your bank website?  Then it's one login for paying all bills.

Lots of companies won't allow second-party payment. (Verizon won't, for example, or at least it didn't the last time I tried to set it up.)

184 Why won't you wingnuts let me be clear for once?

Oh well.  FORE!

185 Something tells me you were surfing recently about fleas and ticks...

Replacement windows (Nope didn't look for em, and don't need em)

And

Web hosting? (Similarly disinterested)

Laser guided ads missed target by a mile.

186 183 Why not set them up as payees at your bank website? Then it's one login for paying all bills.
_________

That's the way I do it. For some reason, the bank can't make my car payment automatically, so they have to actually mail a check. It takes anywhere from 5 days to three weeks for that payment to go through.

I don't think it's all on the USPS end, though; other payments that the bank has to mail (plumber, etc.) always seem to go through in no more than a week.

187 Lots of companies won't allow second-party payment. (Verizon won't, for example, or at least it didn't the last time I tried to set it up.)

Posted by: Monty at August 12, 2011 11:55 AM (/0a60)

I've been paying my Verizon bill for years through my online banking.

188 My UPS Store owners are a husband and wife who worked together in the CIA.  Local rag did a story on them.

They're very nice.  (He is also former military, and looks like he could kill Jesse Ventura with his bare hands.)

189 We're desperately trying to get all of our customers set up for paperless billing so we don't have to send out as much postage.
---
Has your company seen a effect in collections from this?

A few years ago I had a discussion with a vendor who had gone to paperless billing complain that their collection costs had gone up as a result. Making the customer responsible for printing e-mailed invoices meant they didn't get into the payables system as promptly thus delaying payment.

190 190 Lots of companies won't allow second-party payment. (Verizon won't, for example, or at least it didn't the last time I tried to set it up.)
___________

Odd. I pay my Verizon bill from my bank every month. My wife set it up, though, so I don't know if there was some special magic she had to use.

191 Scary grandpa, car insurance (avoid paying), and moms make money. 

192 Odd. I pay my Verizon bill from my bank every month. My wife set it up, though, so I don't know if there was some special magic she had to use.

Why yes, yes there was. 

193 Will one of you morons/ettes please come vacuum my house *stares at vacuum*?

I'll make dinner for you.

194 It's okay. Obama is going to put them in charge of email delivery.

195 My alcoholic sister in law (and postal worker) was busted (tested positive for something yet to be disclosed to the family). Was off for 3 months whilst the union greivances and appeals ran their course. Laughing the whole time. It was a nice summer for her that year. 

196 It's okay. Obama is going to put them in charge of email delivery.

Does that mean all emails will be loaded on thumb drives and delivered to my mailbox?

197

That's the way I do it. For some reason, the bank can't make my car payment automatically, so they have to actually mail a check. It takes anywhere from 5 days to three weeks for that payment to go through.

I don't think it's all on the USPS end, though; other payments that the bank has to mail (plumber, etc.) always seem to go through in no more than a week.

Posted by: Anachronda at August 12, 2011 11:56 AM (NmR1a)

The only bills I pay through USPS are city property tax bills and that's because they REQUIRE you to do it that way.  Heaven forbid they get rid of someone opening up an envelope.

For at least 10 years I have paid all my bills through online banking.

198 we still have post offices open unnecessarily long hours.

Where?  There's two in this city open past 4:30 on weekdays, conveniently located 20-45 minutes away from my work. If I have anything larger than a Netflix envelope, my choices are FedEx, UPS, and "wait until Saturday."

199 Odd. I pay my Verizon bill from my bank every month.

It's quite possible that I was just dealing with an idiot (hardly rare for my bank). I should go back and see if someone competent can set it up. Almost all my other bills are electronic by now.

I do agree with the "no autopay" option, though. I pay when *I* want to, not when the company wants me to.

200 Will one of you morons/ettes please come vacuum my house *stares at vacuum*?

I'll make dinner for you.

Posted by: Jane D'oh at August 12, 2011 11:59 AM (UOM4

I'll do it. Just tell me what a vacuum cleaner looks like.

201 Mine is actually a very nice young lady (she looks like she's about 12). But she's new; the old guy looked like an alky coming off of a four-day bender. I tend to get either: Tattoed neck, multiple earring, skullet hairdo guy, or Woman with Eighties teased hair, caked-on-makeup; forcibly retired Ozzy groupie with muscular legs and spermbelly. It's fucking ugly out there.

202 200 Will one of you morons/ettes please come vacuum my house *stares at vacuum*?

Oooh, something even I can do!

Oh wait, I'm several hundred miles away.  Sorry Mrs. D'oh, . 

203 Well, I actually have to go do stuff.

Ugh.

204 It's quite possible that I was just dealing with an idiot (hardly rare for my bank).

You know, does it seem to you that there are just more and more idiots out there?  I can't call customer service for any company hardly and not talk to a goddamn idiot, after wading through the retarded phone computer system.  Where did all the non-idiots go?

205 Woman with Eighties teased hair, caked-on-makeup; forcibly retired Ozzy groupie with muscular legs and spermbelly.

Posted by: Empire of Jeff at August 12, 2011 12:05 PM (lbo6/)

Well? How was she in the sack?

206 200 Will one of you morons/ettes please come vacuum my house *stares at vacuum*?


I'd make a suggestive comment here but I don't want to get yelled at by Mama Grizzly D'oh

207

The only bills I pay through USPS are city property tax bills and that's because they REQUIRE you to do it that way.  Heaven forbid they get rid of someone opening up an envelope.

 

Lol!  The Philadelphia Water Dept. charges $4 to make an online payment. So, this is the only bill we mail every month. A book of stamps lasts me almost 2 years. My checkbook collects dust.

If Iran ever gets that EMP strike off, we're boned.

208 Where did all the non-idiots go?

They were culled (thru indoctrination) by the public school system.

209 My home town is so small you can still get a letter delivered within city limits by writing the recipients name and the word "city" in place of the address. Unless you really screwed up the spelling of the recipients name....they know who you meant.

210 Odd. I pay my Verizon bill from my bank every month.

It's quite possible that I was just dealing with an idiot (hardly rare for my bank). I should go back and see if someone competent can set it up. Almost all my other bills are electronic by now.

Wait...you have to have someone at your bank set up your online payees or am I misunderstanding what you're saying? 

I set mine up myself....online.

211 Is it just me, or does almost every letter carrier have that "carny ride operator / registered sex offender" vibe going on?

USPS carriers are a pretty scurvy-looking lot.

Posted by: Empire of Jeff at August 12, 2011 11:43 AM (lbo6/)

I see you have met my brother-in-law. Except he is just a lazy, whiny alcoholic and not a registered sex offender- as far as I know.

212 I don't have the numbers in front of me, but it'd be interesting to tease apart their relative profitability (or lack thereof...) for various classes of service.

They are very cost-competitive in some areas of package shipment.  In a lot of cases they're the only reasonable game in town for shipping stuff overseas.

First-class mail exists now only for things that absolutely, positively must have a paper trail.  Or at least it would be if there weren't still a few entities who either won't do electronic payment or try to stick you with a bunch of fees for doing so.

213 "Or set up a system to deliver to a gas station or grocery store where you could pick up your mail from." Locked Post Office Boxes.

214 215 Buzzsaw Please don't dis the "public school system." Attack specific districts as they deserve, but your blanket statement is insulting to those of us teachers who work hard to educate our students.

215

Here's my experience:

Mrs. MCPO - Retired worked for the Post Office for awhile.  They have this HR model that gets around the benefits issue.  They are hiring what they call Temporary City and Temporary Rural Carriers.  Hourly wage, no benes.  Not required to be in the union. The temporary carrier has to take two or three weeks off at the end of their hiring year in order not to be a full time employee - and thus be paid benefits.  The Mrs. was both a city carrier and a rural carrier.  City carrier paid about $23/hr and rural paid about $18.  The work was not easy.  In my biased opinion, she earned her paycheck.  (Also, being a city carrier is a great way to lose weight and get in shape! - but I digress).

She basically lost her job when she got a new postmaster that didn't like the Temporary Carrier program and started gradually pushing them out, even those who had worked the position for many years.  Oh well, it was a pretty good gig while it lasted.

216 This USPS management going hardball with the Congress. They really want that retiree medical prepayment to go away, first because they dont trust Congress to actually lockbox those funds, and second, because it makes them unprofitable - with all of their problems they would still be profitable without that payment. No one else, government or private does anything like it - it is simply a funding grab. Reduce delivery days Extend Saturday & evening hours Contract out non bulk express mail & packages Close small offices, or go to Saturday only Gangboxes, more

217 Hens have fleas

Posted by: cherry ð

 

You went public with this? I thought that what we had was special. It was certainly non-refundable.

218 Please don't dis the "public school system."

But the problem is as you worded it with the "public school system." The indoctrination is fed out to the schools by govt/NEA and no single teacher can overcome the damage it causes. There are good people that work throughout the govt but do I have to mention that constantly in any complaint.

219 "Has your company seen a effect in collections from this? " In this economy, how could you tell? Honestly though, I'm sales. AR is a whole other world for me.

220 I actually do use the USPS quite a bit and have had a good experience, at least for packages and things.  But they are way overpaid and I don't see why they don't just cut out Saturday service.  At least that would be a start.

221 The USPS is now mostly a glorified make-work program for Blacks the Democrat base.

222 No need for Saturday first-class delivery -  that is all.

223 This is actually not a problem.  All the laid off postal workers will be hired to run the national health care system. 

224 When Romney signed the MA healthcare plan 60% of MA were for it. And if he had not intervened with his own plan, MA would have passed a single payor plan over any veto. I'm not supporting Romne in the primary because of his AGW statement but I believe the criticism he gets for Romneycare is unresearched, unfair and often intellectually dishonest.

225 Yesterday the UPS man told us that he was shaking in his boots, hoping his ten years in are enough for him to keep his job.  Apparently UPS announced they were laying off at least twenty thousand employees.

226 "Take buyout or be laid off, Ford warns workers"

227 The law giving the Post Office the first class mail monopoly dates all the way back to 1792.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Express_Statutes

(As for sponsoring a cycling team, my understanding is that that was for the purpose of advertising to Europeans, for whose business they do have to compete.)

228 It really is amazing that the majority of the people making comments about the Postal Service are really ignorant of the facts.  The Postal service can and does compete with UPS,FEDEX and other private concerns with not one but both hands tied behind their back.  Congressional oversight has ham-strung the Postal Service for years and it is the only governmental agency that has to prefund its employees health care, retirement and disability.  Two independent reviews have proven that the Postal Service has overpaid by between 50 - 80 billion dollars.  Take away the federal mandate and the Postal Service has broken even or even made money the last few years.  Does it need some major restructuring, you bet.  The unions have to much power and the contracts are not in the best interest of the American people.  Management at the headquarters level and area and district level  need to be reduced and the micro-management from the top down eleiminated.

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