Saturday Mail Nixed
Sure, it's fun to check the mail on Saturdays, just as with any other day, but is cutting Saturday mail service really a big deal? According to former Arcata City Councilcritter, Connie Stewart it is:
"But for rural Americans, there's so many places even in our region of the world, that don't have broadband. Mail is their option, especially for more remote areas of this county, Trinity County and Del Norte County. There are many rural communities that are completely dependent on the postal service, and it is a vibrant part of their lives. They don't have the chance to email the bill.”
”It's going to hurt rural communities, it's going to hurt senior citizens and it's going to hurt veterans..."
She even goes on to suggest it will affect jobs locally. Could someone explain that one for me?
One less day of mail service is some sort of catastrophe? Puhleeze! Yes, people in rural areas may depend on mail a bit more than the rest of us, but living in the country you should be used to certain inconveniences.
It should be no big deal getting a certain piece of mail on Monday as opposed to Saturday. It could just as easily end up being delivered on Monday for other reasons.
My only concern is it will be one day less of the one to three Suddenlink mailers I seem to get every day. Now THAT'S a problem I'm not sure how I'll deal with.
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The reason for the cutbacks is because the Post Office has been in the red for years now. Post Office folk say that's only because they have to save much more towards their retirement funds than other agencies do. They say they could be in the black if they didn't have to set aside so much for pensions. I have to wonder about that? Maybe that's a good thing?We know that public pensions are breaking local and state governments. Many, if not most, of those pension funds are either underfunded or taking an ever increasing bite out of local and state budgets to pay pension obligations. I'd be interested in seeing a comparison between the Post Office's supposedly over funded pension program, and those of local and state governments.
Should local pension funds be doing things like the Post Office does, or is the Post Office setting aside too much? Maybe the Post Office shouldn't need to set aside so much.
It could be an apples vs. oranges thing as if we fully funded state and local pensions it would take even more out of local and state budgets. I don't know but I've never seen this issue brought up.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 11:01 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Ernie, please do some basic research. The Republican dominated Congress forced the Postal Service into its current fiscal mess by demanding the USPS fund all of its medical and retirement benefits immediately -- in 2006. It's on the record, it's not hard to find and it would add some facts to your fact-challenged post.
Also, why it may be fine for you to get junk mail on a Monday instead of a Saturday, ask the person whose medications are needed by Saturday and they've been forced to use a mail-order pharmacy to get their meds
Not Ernie here.
As far as the funding system, I don't care who is responsible for setting it up. I'm suggesting it needs to be looked at to see if they're setting aside too much or, if they to set aside less, how much less will bring us to the point that local and state pension funds are in.
As far as medications, yep, they might have to make different arrangements. If they live in the country, though, and absolutely have to receive something on a Saturday, they've got more serious problems than just mail service. They need to organize their life better.
Fred, Congress requiring the USPS to stockpile benefit payments for 75 years in advance, for employees not even born yet, isn't a good thing. It's patently absurd. No corporation sets aside benefits for such a period of time.
This is one move of many in an attempt to privatize the postal service (along with public education and any other public services). It's about the almighty dollar, and how to make more of it.
Just yesterday, CNN's front page was promoting front-and-center an opinion piece urging privatization, ignoring the fact that the USPS fiscal crisis was manufactured by Congress.
75 years does seem like a stretch and they should probably re- evaluate that policy.
As far as that being some tool to privatize the post office, I don't know. Seems a rather awkward way to go about it. If they wanted to work towards that end all they'd really need to do is get rid of the law that prohibits anyone other than the post office from delivering less than urgent mail.
That would be the first thing I'd do but I've never heard of anyone even discussing it.
"Henchman Of Justice" says,
Maybe, Congress is making an under-handed attempt to sabotage the USPS because Congress wants everything to go digital web and all; or, too pay the big bucks for UPS, Fed Ex, etc...which renders higher costs that equate to higher tax collections for the government, for which members of Congress get to decide how to appropriate the funds.
Once again, societal costs and higher valuations is where public officials are sticking their nose into. Afterall, paying the wages and benefits to public officials and employees costs the nation dearly.
Hey, here is an idea that is centuries old, "Nix the public officials" by not voting for any listed candidates, but choose solely "write-ins" and frack-up the election processes? Alas though, Americans don't have the "will power" to do that politically because too many folks care too much for their individual greeds and are blinded by the fact that those greeds disallow freedom and liberty (the real economic and social stimulus).
Face it, we are a dumb country politically and socially, and have been for a long time! It is odd because people are very prone to "nix" blog sites and media sites at the flip of a switch. Take, for example, Spank Sims' LOCO site. He is so hard-up, he must link other regions news feeds because his consumer base is dwindling rapidly. - HOJ
"Henchman Of Justice" says,
Just saw a news feed on how Political corruption in Detroit has been so bad, that the FBI had to import US Postal service workers to help aid the investigation. That the mayor is on trial for corruption, racketeering, etc... and the police "protect" sex clubs and oare involved in tax dollar launderings. Funny thing is that Americans are pre-disposed to think it is so much about the Feds being corrupt and racketeeringly naughty, but the real problems are from the bottom-up. This means local jurisdictions first, starting at the township/city level, then the counties, then the state and finally the feds. There exists a motive that is never understood by voters because the real criminals shield their abuses very well and are awesome at it. Must admit, those in poer absolutely are powerful enough to get away with deceptions. It is all about elected officials "buddying-up" with a few powerful private sector interests, and the list is very small on a per-populus percentage. So, how can the masses of idiot Americans "fix" the country's problems? Answer - quit voting for the two party system! - HOJ
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