brilliant move, usps!

[Danzig]

http://news.msn.com/us/us-postal-ser...dy-stamps-fate

The U.S. Postal Service is struggling financially, but was able to pay a marketing consultant more than half a million dollars to look at the future of stamps.
WASHINGTON — The financially strapped United States Postal Service is paying a futurist more than half a million dollars to assess the future of stamps as the agency struggles to raise revenues.

The Postal Service will pay Faith Popcorn's BrainReserve, which describes itself as a futurist marketing consultancy, $565,769 to provide "analysis and recommendation on the future of stamps," according to documents acquired by Federal Times, which provides news for federal managers.



The Postal Service, which does not receive taxpayer funds, is under pressure to raise revenues or risk requiring a taxpayer bailout of nearly $50 billion by 2017. It lost $740 million in its third quarter that ended June 30, and $16 billion last year.

[GenuineRisk]

I love how the USPS is under pressure to raise revenues and yet isn't allowed to raise rates or close underperforming post offices or anything without Congressional approval. They have all the pressure of private industry without any of the options.

Honestly, just bail them out. It's worth the tax money to me for us to continue to have the best postal system in the world (we do), and for there to be an employer that actively seeks to employ veterans- it's the largest civilian employer of them- almost 25 percent of the ranks are veterans.

If we can spend so much on gadgets for Defense, we can spend 50 billion to keep the mail going and veterans employed.

Or let the USPS raise rates to where they should be and close the rural post offices that don't pay their own way. And then listen to the screaming from the same right-wingers who complain about the USPS when they have to pay market rates for mail and when UPS and FedEx say, "Sorry; can't deliver to you; it's not profitable for us" (fun fact, UPS and FedEx both use USPS for the last leg of many deliveries because it's not worth it to them to deliver packages to rural areas. The USPS, of course, is required by law to deliver to everyone).

[dellinger63]

The USPS shouldn't go to congress, it should go to a Federal Bankruptcy Court and file a Chapter 11.

Severe changes including rates comparable to UPS and FedX (especially for some yahoo who wants a wedding cake flown onto a glacier in Alaska), pension obligations, closing facilities, and cutting staff ALL need to take place. A private company wouldn't go to congress if it were 'leaking' $1.3 billion a quarter (sans GM and heck of a lot of banks) and neither should the USPS.

Bailing them out w/o is equivalent to putting new tires on a car with a ceased engine.

[geeker2]

We are probably one generation away if having snail mail go the way of the $5 exacta at Santa Anita.

Maybe 1 day a week brings something with a piece of value ? The rest is direct to recycle.

[jms62]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

The USPS shouldn't go to congress, it should go to a Federal Bankruptcy Court and file a Chapter 11.

Severe changes including rates comparable to UPS and FedX (especially for some yahoo who wants a wedding cake flown onto a glacier in Alaska), pension obligations, closing facilities, and cutting staff ALL need to take place. A private company wouldn't go to congress if it were 'leaking' $1.3 billion a quarter (sans GM and heck of a lot of banks) and neither should the USPS.

Bailing them out w/o is equivalent to putting new tires on a care with a ceased engine.

They can't do anything to reduce the leak without going to congress to get approval yet you chastise them for going to congress.

[dellinger63]

Originally Posted by jms62

They can't do anything to reduce the leak without going to congress to get approval yet you chastise them for going to congress.

Kind of why I said they need to go to the court, not congress. They hear cases including BK cases w/o the seal of approval from congress.

The court also doesn't read Green Eggs and Ham on work time hence they probably have more time to assist with a business plan going foward.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

I love how the USPS is under pressure to raise revenues and yet isn't allowed to raise rates or close underperforming post offices or anything without Congressional approval. They have all the pressure of private industry without any of the options.

Honestly, just bail them out. It's worth the tax money to me for us to continue to have the best postal system in the world (we do), and for there to be an employer that actively seeks to employ veterans- it's the largest civilian employer of them- almost 25 percent of the ranks are veterans.

If we can spend so much on gadgets for Defense, we can spend 50 billion to keep the mail going and veterans employed.

Or let the USPS raise rates to where they should be and close the rural post offices that don't pay their own way. And then listen to the screaming from the same right-wingers who complain about the USPS when they have to pay market rates for mail and when UPS and FedEx say, "Sorry; can't deliver to you; it's not profitable for us" (fun fact, UPS and FedEx both use USPS for the last leg of many deliveries because it's not worth it to them to deliver packages to rural areas. The USPS, of course, is required by law to deliver to everyone).

i tire of bailing out dinosaurs. it's a good delivery system, but it's hemorraging badly. mail has changed, they have to change too. they're like detroit, population steadily dropping while the budget remains too high, and doesn't change with circumstances.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i tire of bailing out dinosaurs. it's a good delivery system, but it's hemorraging badly. mail has changed, they have to change too. they're like detroit, population steadily dropping while the budget remains too high, and doesn't change with circumstances.

They're not being allowed to change; that's the issue. Congress must approve increase in rates, closing of offices and cutbacks in delivery, none of which Congress is willing to do. But Congress won't let them change their business model at the same time as it won't give them any money.

And, of course, the bizarre pension funding rules passed a few years ago that ONLY apply to the USPS.

Maybe Congress could take some of the money it pays to dead farmers and give it to the USPS instead:

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-mone...g-millions-gao

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

The USPS shouldn't go to congress, it should go to a Federal Bankruptcy Court and file a Chapter 11.

Severe changes including rates comparable to UPS and FedX (especially for some yahoo who wants a wedding cake flown onto a glacier in Alaska), pension obligations, closing facilities, and cutting staff ALL need to take place. A private company wouldn't go to congress if it were 'leaking' $1.3 billion a quarter (sans GM and heck of a lot of banks) and neither should the USPS.

Bailing them out w/o is equivalent to putting new tires on a car with a ceased engine.

I am curious to see what the person who paid to fly a wedding cake onto a glacier in Alaska paid, as I think perhaps you are confusing letter rates with package rates.

UPS and FedEx don't WANT the USPS business, that's what people can't seem to wrap their heads around:

Here’s Lauren T. Andrews, writing in the William & Mary Business Law Review:
_
For example, the USPS is charged by governmental decree with providing universal service to all parts of the country, even in areas that may not be profitable. Private companies, on the other hand, can essentially ignore and avoid areas that may not be profitable, areas where they may otherwise be forced to serve if the postal monopolies were lifted and regulations put in place. Furthermore, companies such as UPS and FedEx would likely have no interest in the delivery of “letters,” primarily because it is not as profitable as larger parcel and package delivery. In fact, a UPS Spokesman, Norman Black, stated, “We believe that the government plays a role in terms of ensuring that every mailbox is reached every day …. That is not a responsibility that UPS would want.”
_
And, not only would they not want it, David Hendel says they couldn’t do it.
_
“Neither FedEx or UPS are even in the same league as the Postal Service, which goes to 100 million addresses every day," he tells me. "What they do, they do well. But they don’t do what the Postal Service does.”

http://www.minyanville.com/business-.../2012/id/42951

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

They're not being allowed to change; that's the issue. Congress must approve increase in rates, closing of offices and cutbacks in delivery, none of which Congress is willing to do. But Congress won't let them change their business model at the same time as it won't give them any money.

And, of course, the bizarre pension funding rules passed a few years ago that ONLY apply to the USPS.

Maybe Congress could take some of the money it pays to dead farmers and give it to the USPS instead:

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-mone...g-millions-gao

yeah, it seems congress anymore is synonomous with 'does nothing'. or useful as teats on a boar.
but hey, at least the house is up to 41 votes on obamacare, 0 votes on jobs, and cutting food stamps while keeping subsidies for corporations...and payments to long-dead farmers.

[Rudeboyelvis]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

I am curious to see what the person who paid to fly a wedding cake onto a glacier in Alaska paid, as I think perhaps you are confusing letter rates with package rates.

UPS and FedEx don't WANT the USPS business, that's what people can't seem to wrap their heads around:



http://www.minyanville.com/business-.../2012/id/42951

UPS and FedEx actively pursue 3 parties (including USPS) now to carry parcels the "last mile" in areas where they do not have a local collective bargaining agreement with the Teamsters to protect that work.

Very similar to the old telephone company days, an overwhelming capital expenditure was to maintain and service the infrastructure from the neighborhood Central Office to the individual home.

The differences in the cost to fly a cargo plane to a depot vs. the cost of running a local delivery fleet are exponential.

In Florida, which is Right to Work, All of my parcels from Amazon are "Delivered" by a company called LaserShip. they are a contracted 3rd party that do nothing more than pickup deliveries from the FedEx/UPS/DHL depots and bring them to the house. There are virtually no UPS trucks anymore.

FedEx will even show, on their package tracking, that packages are statused "Delivered" when they arrive at the post office for dispatch to the home.

[Rudeboyelvis]

The bulk mail lobby is enormous and the main reason Congress does nothing to address the short fall. They get paid on the front end through "campaign donations" from orgs like http://napl.org/ and then you get to pay for it on the back end through taxes.

Lose - Lose for everyone but the lobby's and Congress.

Considering that 95% of what is carried via USPS these days is junk mail, why not demand that they pay for the service they abuse and stick you with the bill?

Thought junk mail was annoying? I'll show you annoying - you get to pay for it too!!!!

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Rudeboyelvis

The bulk mail lobby is enormous and the main reason Congress does nothing to address the short fall. They get paid on the front end through "campaign donations" from orgs like http://napl.org/ and then you get to pay for it on the back end through taxes.

Lose - Lose for everyone but the lobby's and Congress.

Considering that 95% of what is carried via USPS these days is junk mail, why not demand that they pay for the service they abuse and stick you with the bill?

Thought junk mail was annoying? I'll show you annoying - you get to pay for it too!!!!

i went on a website and stopped the majority of that junk mail. of course, 'resident' still shows up. i get next to nothing now that i need out of the mail anymore.
honestly, if they stopped it tomorrow, i wouldn't miss it.