U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored • Hacker News Board

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#31

Post by curiousgeorgio » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:07 PM UTC

cjsawyer wrote: post #24

curiousgeorgio wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The USPS is a crucial part of the US infrastructure. Mail delivery and shipping are crucial, not the USPS. There are plenty of other private companies that can and do show the ability to do what the USPS does - only more efficiently (and without consistently losing money). At this point in history, there's no need for us to continue supporting the tax-subsidized[1] money pit that is the USPS. Yet another piece of e…

“The Postal Service receives NO tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.” https://facts.usps.com/top-facts/

> ...for operating expenses

Weasel words. See https://fortune.com/2015/03/27/us-postal-service/

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#32

Post by Shivetya » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:08 PM UTC

battery_cowboy wrote: post #10

m0zg wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get why it has to lose money at all in the first place. Sounds to me like they're offering a unique, highly in-demand service, in a market that is currently booming. Perhaps they should consider reworking their pricing structure? Just a thought.

The reason is because in 2006, a law was passed that required the USPS to fully fund 75 years worth of expected retirement compensation. That's not reasonable, and was designed to destroy the service so it could be privatized.

Well that is the line we are always fed but it hasn't been true[0] since day one. In effect they are under similar rules to most private pensions in funding out to 25 years with requirements to project what their 75 year liability would be. Another view [1]

Simply put, the use of the Postal Service has dropped a lot but the number of employees retired or eligible to retire has not. In other words, they have so many eligible for full benefit retirements that they were not even trying to service the debt and instead likely to end up defaulting it to the PBGC which would have gutted payments and left retirees in a lurch.

So what would you have?

[0]https://www.cnbc.com/id/45018432

[1]https://www.forbes.com/sites/ebauer/2019/05/13/why-aoc-is-mo...

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#33

Post by m0zg » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:09 PM UTC

pietrovismara wrote: post #9

m0zg wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get why it has to lose money at all in the first place. Sounds to me like they're offering a unique, highly in-demand service, in a market that is currently booming. Perhaps they should consider reworking their pricing structure? Just a thought.

I don't get why public infrastructure and services are supposed to make a profit. They are already funded by taxes, why are we supposed to pay them again?

USPS is not "funded by taxes". Or at least it's not designed to be. It's not a part of the government either.

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#34

Post by FireBeyond » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:09 PM UTC

curiousgeorgio wrote: post #18

cjsawyer wrote: post #2

Unrelated to this specific article: The USPS is a crucial part of the US infrastructure. The thought that we could loose it over mail in ballot voting is a sick joke.

> The USPS is a crucial part of the US infrastructure. Mail delivery and shipping are crucial, not the USPS. There are plenty of other private companies that can and do show the ability to do what the USPS does - only more efficiently (and without consistently losing money). At this point in history, there's no need for us to continue supporting the tax-subsidized[1] money pit that is the USPS. Yet another piece of e…

1. The USPS receives no tax subsidization.

2. The USPS is the only organization in US History that was mandated by Congress to fully fund its pension for 75 years into the future (i.e. potentially for employees that are _yet to be BORN_).

Details like that are what make the USPS a ripe target.

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#35

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:09 PM UTC

cjsawyer wrote: post #24

curiousgeorgio wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The USPS is a crucial part of the US infrastructure. Mail delivery and shipping are crucial, not the USPS. There are plenty of other private companies that can and do show the ability to do what the USPS does - only more efficiently (and without consistently losing money). At this point in history, there's no need for us to continue supporting the tax-subsidized[1] money pit that is the USPS. Yet another piece of e…

“The Postal Service receives NO tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.” https://facts.usps.com/top-facts/

[deleted]

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#36

Post by phdp » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:09 PM UTC

curiousgeorgio wrote: post #18

cjsawyer wrote: post #2

Unrelated to this specific article: The USPS is a crucial part of the US infrastructure. The thought that we could loose it over mail in ballot voting is a sick joke.

> The USPS is a crucial part of the US infrastructure. Mail delivery and shipping are crucial, not the USPS. There are plenty of other private companies that can and do show the ability to do what the USPS does - only more efficiently (and without consistently losing money). At this point in history, there's no need for us to continue supporting the tax-subsidized[1] money pit that is the USPS. Yet another piece of e…

No one else does what the USPS does. No one else does daily rural mail delivery. The USPS is also not tax subsidized.

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#37

Post by fasteddie31003 » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:09 PM UTC

toomuchtodo wrote: post #20

fasteddie31003 wrote: post #16

Why don't they talk about raising their mailing rates? I would imagine their demand is pretty inelastic.

Congress controls USPS rate setting, as well as mandates the rate of healthcare and pension benefit contributions.

I didn't know that. That seems to be the root of the issue then. Let the USPS set their own rates.

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#38

Post by yellowapple » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:09 PM UTC

buzzert wrote: post #13

bytematic wrote: post #6

Wonder what happens when soldiers can't send/receive mail from their families

Soldiers don't have access to the internet?

Soldiers often receive care packages from family, and those ship via USPS. You can't exactly send snacks over the Internet.

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#39

Post by m0zg » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:09 PM UTC

learc83 wrote: post #11

m0zg wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get why it has to lose money at all in the first place. Sounds to me like they're offering a unique, highly in-demand service, in a market that is currently booming. Perhaps they should consider reworking their pricing structure? Just a thought.

Depending on the type of mail the USPS has to publish rates 90 days in advance, and there are regulatory limits to increases.

Perhaps ease the limits then? What's the endgame here? Let it die? Keep spending tens of billions on it each year in perpetuity while it delivers packages for Amazon and Chinese overseas sellers for next to nothing? Neither is a good outcome for anyone, left or right.

Re: U.S. Postal Workers Were on the Front Lines Before. They Were Ignored

#40

Post by icedchai » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 9:10 PM UTC

throwaway185205 wrote: post #19

hugi wrote: post #3

[flagged]

USPS functions almost exclusively to deliver unsolicited advertisements. Its "delivery confirmation" is outright fraud.

So true. 95% of the mail I get goes straight into the trash. I live in a condo complex with a bunch of centrally located mailboxes. They could save me some time by putting a trash bin right next to the mailboxes.