Have FedEx or UPS ever expressed interest in taking over the USPS operations?
The USPS is a train wreck, just like everything that is involved with the US government. Someone like UPS would take over what the postal service is doing and make money doing it within a year, without raising rates.
I agree on two things: we could all live with less delivery days and the price for mailing junk mail really needs to go up.
I really dislike this mentality and it is becoming more and more popular. The federal government has many things it could do better, but it also provides a lot to the people and does quite a few things pretty well. How many people on this board have college degrees from (or are attending) a land grant university. How many people in the last 45 years have been able to legitimately purchase a house because of fannie mae. How much federal research has helped our lives (fax machines, computers, cel phones, the inernet, tang, etc). Establishing and upholding legal standards to ensure fairness in business and equity in voting and employment. Providing medical coverage for the old and poor who otherwise couldn't afford it. Providing a safetynet for the elderly to retire when they are unable to work any longer. Providing a secure place to live free of mass violence. The list of things the federal government provides to the people of this country is tremendous and personally I'm grateful to be a citizen of the USA and fully support our government.
Could the federal government do better, absolutely. Does Social Security need to be fixed, yes! Do we need to fix lobbying and insider deals at the federal level, yes! But that doesn't mean everything is a train wreak. I write a letter to my congressmen nearly every week and I volunteer in campaigns nearly every election cycle. I donate and ask my company to donate to campaigns. I propose changes that I think will help, but I also understand that not everything is going to be perfect and I have to take some bad with a lot of good. If you think the federal government is a train wreck, what are you doing about it? Hopefully you're doing more than posting on a sports message board.
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How many people on this board have college degrees from (or are attending) a land grant university.
And how many got into loans they shouldntve, thanks to the backing of fannie mae, hurting everyone else when their loans fell apart?How many people in the last 45 years have been able to legitimately purchase a house because of fannie mae.
How much federal research has helped our lives (fax machines, computers, cel phones, the inernet, tang, etc).
One of the few functions of government, that the federal govt is actually supposed to be involved in, but even then it doesnt do a great job at pulling it off. How many dead people are on voter rolls?Establishing and upholding legal standards to ensure fairness in business and equity in voting and employment.
where does the constitution guarantee this? why should this not be done at the state level instead, if the people in the state wish? what is your annual contribution to SSI really getting you, compared to an equal contribution to a retirement fund and disability\retirement insurance.Providing medical coverage for the old and poor who otherwise couldn't afford it.Providing a safetynet for the elderly to retire when they are unable to work any longer.
Southern border... secure? About that.Providing a secure place to live free of mass violence.
I really dislike this mentality and it is becoming more and more popular. The federal government has many things it could do better, but it also provides a lot to the people and does quite a few things pretty well. How many people on this board have college degrees from (or are attending) a land grant university. How many people in the last 45 years have been able to legitimately purchase a house because of fannie mae. How much federal research has helped our lives (fax machines, computers, cel phones, the inernet, tang, etc). Establishing and upholding legal standards to ensure fairness in business and equity in voting and employment. Providing medical coverage for the old and poor who otherwise couldn't afford it. Providing a safetynet for the elderly to retire when they are unable to work any longer. Providing a secure place to live free of mass violence. The list of things the federal government provides to the people of this country is tremendous and personally I'm grateful to be a citizen of the USA and fully support our government.
Could the federal government do better, absolutely. Does Social Security need to be fixed, yes! Do we need to fix lobbying and insider deals at the federal level, yes! But that doesn't mean everything is a train wreak. I write a letter to my congressmen nearly every week and I volunteer in campaigns nearly every election cycle. I donate and ask my company to donate to campaigns. I propose changes that I think will help, but I also understand that not everything is going to be perfect and I have to take some bad with a lot of good. If you think the federal government is a train wreck, what are you doing about it? Hopefully you're doing more than posting on a sports message board.
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Ummm...What are you talking about? It would not require any regulation whatsoever. It would mean the pharmacy choosing UPS or Fedex as the shipper, rather than USPS. Like millions of people do each day.Yes they "could" be picked up by private industry, but then instead of relying on the post office as a public service these companies would have public service obligations and the gov't would put regulatory requirements on them. If the gov't required that they deliver to every corner of the US at least every other day, I would bet that UPS and FedEx would say no thanks. I would bet that UPS and Fedex would even pay the USPS before they would agree to being regulated like the energy or utility industries. Just look at how hard AT&T lobbies and fights regulation when they are required to run new communication lines and high speed internet to rural areas, it costs them money and they are in the business to make money. UPS and Fedex would be no different, they would lobby congress and try to leave some/lots people (Again, no reference so not sure how valid this argument is) without a way to receive vital shipments without moving to a different location that did receive regular deliveries.
I do think that basic communication ability (the ability to call someone, the ability to send and receive a letter, and the ability to communicate electronically over the internet) are all basic human rights of a first world citizen. If we want to privitize these and regulate them, I'm fine with that. I'm also fine with the gov't providing these services themselves. As long as it's reasonably fair, and relatively equally priced for everyone.
Really, what kind of asshat thinks it's a good idea to leave a package in the hallway of an apartment building full of drunk college students?
Yeah, UPS does that to me all the time, but most packages I receive are small and the driver is smart enough to stick them inside my screen door.It's not just the mail either. UPS and FedEx sometimes will leave things in a public area and well, if they get stolen, that's just par for the course. This happened to me recently, but thankfully FedEx worked it out with the shipper and I got another shipment, this time left in a more secure location (which it should have been to in the first place).
I think cutting a delivery day or 2 would be best, but we'll see if it happens.
who has mail boxes big enough for that? I mean, if I forget the mail for a day, the box is a little full. Cutting it from 6 deliveries a week to two?