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The U.S. Postal Service Nears Collapse

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Steve F Jun 1, 2011 7:36 PM GMT A few points in the article need to be cleared up.1. The reason that Nixon signed the Postal Reorganization act was the strike by postal workers, who had relied on congress for fair treatment and were consistently shafted, went on the previous year.2. The 27 Billion in veterans retirement that congress "took over" was because it was the ONLY agency required to pay the entire veterans retirement, even if the vet had only worked for the USPS for a year and had been in the Army for thirty five years!3. It is also the ONLY company required to give the veterans hiring preference and RIF protections.4. If USPS could competer "heads up" with FedEX and UPS, the clock cleaning would be by the Postal Service. the other two companies "cherry pick" and go crying to congress anytime USPS gets close to competing with them. And they get to lobby and raise money for congressional votes, USPS can't.Write the real story next time, please!
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Diane B. Jun 1, 2011 5:30 PM GMT Delivery of mail taken for granted? Not where I live! A few years ago, we had a mailman who would deliver mail to everyone but the addressee. It got to the point where I'd get 12 pieces of mail and only 1 or 2 was actually addressed to me. I had checks, packages, credit card bills and other important pieces of mail "disappear," en route, never to be delivered. When we complained to the Post Office, we were told that, although they knew about the problems, they 'didn't care,' because the letter carrier was 'senior' in the Union. When I contacted the local chapter of the Union by telephone, I was promptly blown off; when I then wrote a letter to the Union (on my law firm's letterhead), one of the two name partners at my firm and received a phone message "advising" her that "it seems that one of your employees has made unauthorized use of your letterhead" - a clear attempt to tortiously interfere with my employment.The only way that I got any resolution for a clearly unacceptable and inexcusable situation was to call the US Attorney's Office, accusing the letter carrier of tampering with the mail, and have them set up a "sting" operation! THIS IS WHY PEOPLE HATE UNIONS.
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NewsBot Jun 1, 2011 4:57 PM GMT The problem is simple: structural incompetence.
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L Rice Jun 1, 2011 3:35 PM GMT Bulk mail (or junk as Anne Ominous calls it) gets charged less postage because most of the work the USPS does for first-class mail is done by the MAILER on the bulk mail...the mailer does the extra work for the discount in postage.
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Anne Ominous Jun 1, 2011 3:21 PM GMT The article asks the wrong questions. Try this one: WHY does it take 3 pieces of junk mail to equal the profit of one first-class letter? Junk mail should cost MORE to send, not less! In effect, what this says it that regular citizens who send "regular" mail are subsidizing junk mail with their postage stamps. That should end immediately.The idea of the post office losing money is hardly new. Remember when the government made the Post Office a pseudo-private organization? I do. They did it because it was going broke.And now it's going broke again. All this says to me is that government remains as incompetent to provide proper services as it has ever been.
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Gerald Jun 1, 2011 2:50 PM GMT Door to door delivery is a core value proposition. European mail operators did not cut it and are profitable. But yes Saturday should be limited to premium express mail, management must get leaner and the network of post offices can be trimmed OR converted into the country's largest chain of convenience stores. Germany's Deutsche Post bought courier DHL and logistics expert Schenker and is now the world's largest integrated logistics operator. There are many ways to turn USPS around!
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Andrew Jun 1, 2011 2:16 PM GMT The US Postal Service is broke because it has overpriced, under motivated employees and poorly designed business practices. Management the US Postal Service should be outsourced to a third party, and the post master general's office would become the Federal oversight of a privatized postal service. Let the market decide the value of a service. The quality of that service is overseen by the Federal Government. The actual deliver of the mail would be done by some new third party(s).
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Don Jun 1, 2011 1:12 PM GMT It is ran by the Government of the USAWHAT MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID ?
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Matt Jun 1, 2011 12:52 PM GMT The problem with the USPS is that it has too many post offices, too many workers and delivers 6 days a week. Cut Saturday delivery, raise the price of postage and close post offices in smaller communities. Take note of Canada...new housing developments and many rural areas don't have door to door delivery, rather large community cluster boxes every few blocks. Canada Post is PROFITABLE...making money every single year.
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Vernon Smedley Jun 1, 2011 12:46 PM GMT As a former letter carrier, the operative word of misuse of funds is "Management". Example: The shifting of PM from one station to the other. Although still assigned to PODUNK they travel to GEEDUNK temporary duty. The post office pays them salary plus per diem plus milage. Where is the waste? The carier is there sweating or freezing and fighting for every minute they need with help while the manager is sitting at his/her desk sending Christmas Cards or other greetings.....Seen it. Workers comp is a joke. Paid all these millions and they fight an honest injury tooth and nail. Seen it done it. I pray for the USPS every day and that someone recognizes that as in every walk of life, the fat cats just keep getting fatter.
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