Is the Post Office too big to fail?

[Hornius Emeritus 12419]

"The United States Postal Service (USPS) will run out of cash in five years. Postmaster General Megan Brennan shared this news in testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee earlier this month. The immediate consequence of USPS becoming insolvent would be that the world’s largest postal system — which moves 150 billion mail pieces per year, or 412 million pieces per day — would be dead in the water. This is something that has never occurred in the Postal Service’s long and storied history.

If you think these primary effects would be devastating, the secondary effects would be catastrophic. More than half a million postal workers would be without wages. Magazine companies, which send millions of glossies per month, would be stuck trying to find local deliverers. Retailers — particularly those that sell via catalogs — would see their main advertising medium vanish. The paper and printing companies they work with would see their revenues plunge. Prescription drug deliveries would be disrupted as sellers scrambled to find alternate means for delivery. Jury summons, voting materials (including ballots for overseas troops), and international mail and shipments would stop flowing."

 

 This seems sort of important.

 

https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/444316-financial-collapse-of-the-united-states-postal-service-is-coming

Edited May 19, 2019 by Hornius Emeritus

[TwiceHorn 31269]

"Too big" I don't think is the question.  The question is "too essential."  They need to up their rates for bulk mail for non-governmental customers.  And probably raise prices across the board, especially for "premium" and non-first-class mail services.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23356]

Seems like bullshit.  How is our military industrial complex not too big to fail?  

But the post office is the real money pit!!!

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

USPS? The bat signal just went up for the half dozen or so sycophants that “believe” in limited government while blindly supporting a President overseeing the largest budget in US history.

[Biff Tannen 45492]

1 hour ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

Seems like bullshit.  How is our military industrial complex not too big to fail?  

But the post office is the real money pit!!!

Seriously.  How bout we borry a couple of billion, or whatever the fuck they need, from the massive sinkhole that is the military budget?

[Celery Man 20885]

Without delving into anything at all, charge a dollar per piece of junk mail.

[Pig Bellmont 8691]

We’ve got millions to spend on detention centers for migrant children- how can we even think of investing in the mail?

[Red Five 40654]

It’s always seemed strange that the cost of mailing an envelope from Austin to Austin is the same as sending the same envelope from Austin to NY or LA. That should cost $2 or $3, compared to the .55 “local” cost.

So hey, fix that and you’re golden usps. You’re welcome.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

11 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Seriously.  How bout we borry a couple of billion, or whatever the fuck they need, from the massive sinkhole that is the military budget?

keep talking like that and you're not going to get your SPACE FORCE!

[atomheartbevo 89416]

Congress needs a way to spam their shitty campaign flyers.  

USPS will get whatever it needs to survive. 

[Guest Lobo]

I miss when my Democrat/Keynesian friends would point to the U.S. Postal Service as a model of economic efficiencies, "Dude, you can send a letter from Key West to Anchorage in just a few days for 35 cents.  The private sector can't do that."  

[David Dennison 18655]

Yes. The USPS isn't going anywhere.

[Guest Lobo]

The USPS won't die for the same reason community banks won't die...legacy real estate leases.  They know their model is dead, just the same way Blockbuster did.  But they won't admit it, because it would be to admit that billions of dollars in real estate lease payments each year were a bad idea.  

[Macanudo 12926]

24 minutes ago, Pig Bellmont said:

We’ve got millions to spend on detention centers for migrant children- how can we even think of investing in the mail?

I bet there is some free space within post offices.  Convert that space to detention and voila!

[elfenix 34171]

Quote

I miss when my Democrat/Keynesian friends would point to the U.S. Postal Service as a model of economic efficiencies, "Dude, you can send a letter from Key West to Anchorage in just a few days for 35 cents.  The private sector can't do that."  

 

the USPS hasn't been directly subsidized in 30+ years.  it's a bad example of whatever the fuck you thought you were discussing.

[Guest Lobo]

It's a bad example? 30+ years ago, letters traveled from Key West to Anchorage.  25 years ago, those letters cost 35 cents (more or less).  I questioned the USPS efficiency then, as I do now.  Keynesian economics didn't expressly call for subsidies.  The budgetary support profile of the USPS has changed over the centuries, to be sure.  But while Congress has no say over the operational budget of the USPS, you'd be surprised who is still cutting the checks for legacy leases.  And doesn't change the fact that Democrats/Keynesian supporters still use it as example of operational efficiency.  Tell them, not me.  I'm too busy cashing checks from the U.S. Government for the post office in my strip center.  

[David Dennison 18655]

3 minutes ago, Lobo said:

It's a bad example? 30+ years ago, letters traveled from Key West to Anchorage.  25 years ago, those letters cost 35 cents (more or less).  I questioned the USPS efficiency then, as I do now.  Keynesian economics didn't expressly call for subsidies.  The budgetary support profile of the USPS has changed over the centuries, to be sure.  But while Congress has no say over the operational budget of the USPS, you'd be surprised who is still cutting the checks for legacy leases.  And doesn't change the fact that Democrats/Keynesian supporters still use it as example of operational efficiency.  Tell them, not me.  I'm too busy cashing checks from the U.S. Government for the post office in my strip center.  

Who cares if it's efficient? 

[Guest Lobo]

The people waiting in line.  

[David Dennison 18655]

Just now, Lobo said:

The people waiting in line.  

That's not what you're talking about.

[Guest Lobo]

I don't know your age and I don't give a fuck about it.  But you honestly don't remember those catch phrases and bumper stickers in the 80's:

"It'll be nice when the Military has to have a bake sale to buy a bomber, like our schools have to have one to buy pencils."  (or something to that effect)

There was one about the Post office being efficient and a good example of how public sector business models work well.  It was just something Democrats would quote (the letter/stamp deal).  happened all the time in my union-heavy neighborhood outside Chicago.  

I could give a fuck.  Honestly.  If you think the USPS has a future, I hope you're right...they pay me for real estate leases because they're fucking insane.  And I couldn't be happier to cash their checks.  Their real estate and their defined comp. plans are what is crushing them even after they've managed to drop off a few Sunday boxes for Amazon.  You like 'em?  Great.  Have at it.  Dying industries often take idiots down with them.  And I do miss my union/pro-big government friends in the Chicago stronghold of the D-party waxing about the wonderland of the U.S. Post Office just like the borderline mentally ill must walk into a modern day 4,000 square foot bank or radio shack and think "These are the days."  

A business, public, private, subsidized, or on its own should know when the second bullet is about to go into the back of its skull.  In the meantime, the grift of the post office my landlords, retirement thrift rollover managers, and holdover benefits managers is gonna make Medicare fraud look tame my comparison.  

If you honestly never heard people use the far-geography stamp deal as an argument, so be it.  I heard it 100 times growing up.  I'll delete my posts and you can neg rep away while you jerk off into a book of forever stamps.

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

6 minutes ago, Lobo said:

I don't know your age and I don't give a fuck about it.  But you honestly don't remember those catch phrases and bumper stickers in the 80's:

"It'll be nice when the Military has to have a bake sale to buy a bomber, like our schools have to have one to buy pencils."  (or something to that effect)

There was one about the Post office being efficient and a good example of how public sector business models work well.  It was just something Democrats would quote (the letter/stamp deal).  happened all the time in my union-heavy neighborhood outside Chicago.  

I could give a fuck.  Honestly.  If you think the USPS has a future, I hope you're right...they pay me for real estate leases because they're fucking insane.  And I couldn't be happier to cash their checks.  Their real estate and their defined comp. plans are what is crushing them even after they've managed to drop off a few Sunday boxes for Amazon.  You like 'em?  Great.  Have at it.  Dying industries often take idiots down with them.  And I do miss my union/pro-big government friends in the Chicago stronghold of the D-party waxing about the wonderland of the U.S. Post Office just like the borderline mentally ill must walk into a modern day 4,000 square foot bank or radio shack and think "These are the days."  

A business, public, private, subsidized, or on its own should know when the second bullet is about to go into the back of its skull.  In the meantime, the grift of the post office my landlords, retirement thrift rollover managers, and holdover benefits managers is gonna make Medicare fraud look tame my comparison.  

If you honestly never heard people use the far-geography stamp deal as an argument, so be it.  I heard it 100 times growing up.  I'll delete my posts and you can neg rep away while you jerk off into a book of forever stamps.

Sunday Funday!!!

[Surly Bevo 24696]

When you control the mail, you control.......information!

[Guest Lobo]

All certified mail groupies are registered.  But not all registered mail groupies are necessarily certified.  

 

[Thetexashammer 1062]

Who controls the past now controls the future
Who controls the present now controls the past
Who controls the past now controls the future
Who controls the present now?

[elfenix 34171]

18 minutes ago, Lobo said:

If you honestly never heard people use the far-geography stamp deal as an argument, so be it.

i've heard people use it.  i don't think i've ever heard anyone say they do it that way because of efficiency.  and i have no idea what you think keynesian economics has to do with it.  it'd be a better argument if the post office got real subsidies.

 

19 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Their real estate and their defined comp. plans are what is crushing them

much of which is dictated by congress.  the post office has been trying to close offices around here and hasn't been able to because congresscritters get involved.  the pension plan was mandated by congresscritters who are trying to kill the post office. 

[TwiceHorn 31269]

I don't really have a problem with "local" mail subsidizing national mail.   That's not a bad idea/deal.  Vague delivery times for a cheap price.

But bulk mail and other buttfuckery from business (all these "smartpost" and last-mile deliveries) getting over on the USPS will not stand, man.

I have little doubt that their treatment of employees as government employees is problematic too.

[Biff Tannen 45492]

1 hour ago, Surly Bevo said:

When you control the mail, you control.......information!

[Biff Tannen 45492]

[F250 28682]

4 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

 

This scene killed me. Kramer using paint thinner to widen the highway lanes then those JFK golf clubs getting caught under Neuman's mail truck and sparking up the fire was awesomeness.

Peak Seinfeld.

[Biff Tannen 45492]

10 hours ago, F250 said:

This scene killed me. Kramer using paint thinner to widen the highway lanes then those JFK golf clubs getting caught under Neuman's mail truck and sparking up the fire was awesomeness.

Peak Seinfeld.

It was the sewing machine getting caught under the truck, but yes.  My goal was to derail this thread into Seinfeld musings and I'm glad it's working.

[Nivek 16857]

15 hours ago, elfenix said:

i've heard people use it.  i don't think i've ever heard anyone say they do it that way because of efficiency.  and i have no idea what you think keynesian economics has to do with it.  it'd be a better argument if the post office got real subsidies.

 

much of which is dictated by congress.  the post office has been trying to close offices around here and hasn't been able to because congresscritters get involved.  the pension plan was mandated by congresscritters who are trying to kill the post office. 

you might as well be talking to a cat.