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Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

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Re: Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

#41

Post by coldcode »

Spooky23 wrote: post #30
mieseratte wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The core problem is Congress and the requirement they put is the USPS that they prefund 75 years of pensions. A requirement placed on no other institutions in the US. Why is this? Did the USPS have some kind of retirement funding scandal, or was someone trying to smother it?

Two reasons... it’s tranfers postal revenues to federal cash flow via bonds, and key GOP lawmakers want to make the service unsustainable to enable privatization.

Privatization is a key goal here. By making USPS appear to struggle to make money it improves the argument that UPS, Fedex and anyone else who could make more money would be "better" at delivery. But the requirement that all Americans have access to daily (6) deliveries which is a core requirement for the Post Office is in the way of privatization as no one can honor this requirement for so little money as a stamp and make public company profits. So this can be buried in this "review" by proposing doing away with daily or even direct to home deliveries of mail.

Interestingly enough by eliminating the daily delivery of mail also kills the DMA business, which while everyone hates spam mail, is still a vital business tool for small and local businesses. Fedex will not deliver mail to your house that costs a nickel.

Re: Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

#42

Post by InitialLastName »

snarfy wrote: post #12

It's a government service, not a business. It's not supposed to be profitable. It's supposed to provide a service.

Further, it's one of the only (if not the only) federal agency explicitly required by the US Constitution.

(US Constitution Article 1 Section 8 Clause 7) > The Congress shall have Power... To establish Post Offices and post Roads.

Re: Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

#43

Post by jrsmith1279 »

IanDrake wrote: post #27
empath75 wrote: post #3

This is the kind of authoritarian bullshit that putin does to keep the oligarchs in line. You can be sure that if trump remains in office, he’ll keep going after wealthy people that criticize him using any lever he can reach in the federal government, and there are a lot of levers. And he’ll use different levers to reward people that fall in line. It’s bullying, mob-boss tactics.

In an ironic twist, complaining about the wealthy has been the Democrats’ rhetoric for as long as I can remember. Here’s some pre Trump complaints I recall... The wealthy don’t pay their fair share. Trump: New tax plan just took away a huge source of federal tax deductions. The wealthy ship jobs oversees. Trump: attempting to put reciprocal tariffs in place to level the playing field. The wealthy use the government t…

Equally ironic: kowtowing to the wealthy has been the republican rhetoric for as long as I can remember.

There's no question that Trump's motive here is to get back at Bezos for things that The Washington Post publishes. You're arguing in favor of a president using the power of the executive branch to punish a political foe. Do you really think that this is ok? Does the fact that Democrats are usually the ones complaining about the wealthy make you feel better about this?

Re: Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

#44

Post by reformedjuju »

axaxs wrote: post #36
aneutron wrote: post #4

It'd be fun to see Amazon US spinning off their own delivery service if they are backstabbed by UPS/FedEx/Postal service

Oddly, I disagree. Package delivery is one of the few remaining 'low skill' professions that pay well. UPS pays their drivers exceptionally, and has very strict rules and safety standards. USPS also pays relatively well. In exchange, we consumers get service from generally trusted, uniformed individuals. I'm afraid Amazon would create a race to the bottom, which would leave us accepting subpar service like we have in…

I’m a Fedex Express courier in a rust belt city. Fedex pays well enough that, even when I started part-time, I was able to afford a mortgage payment on a three-bedroom in a quiet neighborhood.

That’s a big deal for low-income folk who usually have limited options.

Re: Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

#45

Post by theandrewbailey »

mikeash wrote: post #22
briandear wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a voter and taxpayer, then I demand an end to this service. The last time I received an actual piece of valid mail was probably years ago. The USPS has become an ad-delivery network subsidized by my tax dollars. Perhaps charging bulk-mailers full price could end the problem of junk mail or create financial solvency. Why should junk mail literally nobody wants be subsidized? For official notices, the government cou…

They don’t get any of your tax money.

Who is "they" here? USPS? Commercial carriers? Junk mailers?

Re: Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

#47

Post by jrsmith1279 »

RickJWagner wrote: post #29

Slimy hit piece at Trump. But it does raise some interesting points for discussion. As a consumer, I love Amazon. The convenience and selection are incredible. But jobs have clearly suffered. (This is a point often raised by those on the left side of the political aisle). What's the right thing to do, regardless of who's president?

Amazon isn't the only company using USPS this way. It might be worthy of investigation, but Trump's motive here is to get back at Bezos for things that The Washington Post publishes. The president using the power of the executive branch to fight personal political enemies is never the right thing to do.

Re: Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

#48

Post by krapp »

briandear wrote: post #19
snarfy wrote: post #12

It's a government service, not a business. It's not supposed to be profitable. It's supposed to provide a service.

As a voter and taxpayer, then I demand an end to this service. The last time I received an actual piece of valid mail was probably years ago. The USPS has become an ad-delivery network subsidized by my tax dollars. Perhaps charging bulk-mailers full price could end the problem of junk mail or create financial solvency. Why should junk mail literally nobody wants be subsidized? For official notices, the government cou…

>The last time I received an actual piece of valid mail was probably years ago. The USPS has become an ad-delivery network subsidized by my tax dollars.

The Post Office's job is to deliver mail sent to you, not to presort it by "validity" on your behalf and then only deliver the mail they think you'll want... if advertisers are sending you junk mail and it's getting to you then the Post Office is doing its job.

>Why should junk mail literally nobody wants be subsidized?

Again, it's not the fault of the Post Office that junk mail is a business, or that no one wants to send you anything but that. As far as it's concerned, mail is mail, and the junk treated like any other correspondence. Junk mail isn't subsidized, "mail" is subsidized - that so much of that mail is junk is not the fault of the USPS.

Re: Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

#49

Post by axaxs »

reformedjuju wrote: post #44
axaxs wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oddly, I disagree. Package delivery is one of the few remaining 'low skill' professions that pay well. UPS pays their drivers exceptionally, and has very strict rules and safety standards. USPS also pays relatively well. In exchange, we consumers get service from generally trusted, uniformed individuals. I'm afraid Amazon would create a race to the bottom, which would leave us accepting subpar service like we have in…

I’m a Fedex Express courier in a rust belt city. Fedex pays well enough that, even when I started part-time, I was able to afford a mortgage payment on a three-bedroom in a quiet neighborhood. That’s a big deal for low-income folk who usually have limited options.

That's awesome. Similar story...location in profile. Parents had a house, 2 cars, and raised 3 children on UPS salaries. Until one retired, both still worked there, and doing quite well for themselves.

Re: Trump orders Postal Service review after blasting Amazon deal

#50

Post by Spooky23 »

coldcode wrote: post #41
Spooky23 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Two reasons... it’s tranfers postal revenues to federal cash flow via bonds, and key GOP lawmakers want to make the service unsustainable to enable privatization.

Privatization is a key goal here. By making USPS appear to struggle to make money it improves the argument that UPS, Fedex and anyone else who could make more money would be "better" at delivery. But the requirement that all Americans have access to daily (6) deliveries which is a core requirement for the Post Office is in the way of privatization as no one can honor this requirement for so little money as a stamp an…

Remember that saving money isn’t usually a privatization factor.

FedEx will deliver mail for a nickel when they get a dollar from the government to do so.

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