Is the US Post Office socialism?

[WildCat]

I don't know how to respond to that. They just wanted the transcript to be in their hands. They didn't care even if I personally took it to them and dropped it in their lap. This out of the blue teacher union thing . . . it's not on topic and doesn't make sense, I'll put it at that.

You could clear things up by revealing whether you send or receive transcripts and for what purpose. Then I wouldn't have to guess what you are talking about.

 

[leftysergeant]

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/1198473.html

Dying a slow painful death. Euthenize this sick puppy.

And replace it with what?

 

[leftysergeant]

Oh, I'll give you garbage collection as an example. Years ago when there were metal cans and you had to pick up the cans and dump them into the garbage truck it was a 2-person job. Now we have the plastic 90 gal. cans that have a bar on them an arm on the truck poicks up and dumps into the truck at the pull of a lever. But Chicago, instead of taking advantage of this, still has 3-man garbage crews per truck. A driver, who never gets his fat butt out of the truck, and 2 others who waddle along behind the truck rolling the bins to the truck and pulling the levers. It takes them about 3-4 hours to do their route and they call it a day. For this they make an average of $60,000/year plus benefits.

You're talking about Chicago, historicly a special sort of dystopia.

 

[Mitchell314]

You could clear things up by revealing whether you send or receive transcripts and for what purpose. Then I wouldn't have to guess what you are talking about.

The receiving school wants a transcript. It does not matter to them how they get it, as long as it is in their hands. There is no reason for them to specify. The default thing to do for the former school is to mail it, although it's been a while since I've seen the form. AFAIK, it varies a little by school. The HS just gave the envelope to the student to mail or possibly take it to wherever it is destined to go. The sending college just mails the transfer college IIRC. I volunteered a little bit with helping out the mail for other tasks; yes they used USPS, although it had nothing to do with being a government thing.

 

[WildCat]

The receiving school wants a transcript. It does not matter to them how they get it, as long as it is in their hands. There is no reason for them to specify. The default thing to do for the former school is to mail it, although it's been a while since I've seen the form. AFAIK, it varies a little by school. The HS just gave the envelope to the student to mail or possibly take it to wherever it is destined to go. The sending college just mails the transfer college IIRC. I volunteered a little bit with helping out the mail for other tasks; yes they used USPS, although it had nothing to do with being a government thing.

Schools are using volunteers to send transcripts to colleges?

 

[Mitchell314]

Schools are using volunteers to send transcripts to colleges?

No, we helped out with other tasks involving mail. And our school was unique. When you have to mail 200 letters, the normal stamp-and-envelope method is convenient, and cheap. If we tried more expensive alternatives, well, I'm sure somebody would be complaining how it's an inefficient waste of tax dollars. Ahem.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Difference is there's a need for public transportation.

The post office is rapidly becoming this century's buggy whip, irrelevant and unnecessary.

Sure and if that need is important it will be met by private industry. Run your own bus company, start your own railroad.

Private turnpikes worked for centuries, we don't need public roads.

 

[Dr Adequate]

Difference is there's a need for public transportation.

The post office is rapidly becoming this century's buggy whip, irrelevant and unnecessary.

Ever since the government invented the Internet ...

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

I'm not a big fan of the PO in some ways. I think they give crappy service and I think most of them are overpaid. I hear they are also losing money.

At the same time I find they are a necessity. Who else would deliver your letter across the country for .44 cents? Do they not collect enough taxes or charge enough for this federal service to deliver mail? Do they pay their workers too much? Why do they lose money?

Sould the PO be abolished and the mail go to UPS or FedEx or whatever other free enterprise that wants to step up? How much would they charge to send an X-Mass card? Is that outdated?

The letter carriers union is strong. That accounts for a lot of the cost.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

If anybody is getting paid too much, it is not the mail handlers.

There are too many of them. That's the problem. And they pretty much can't be fired without an act of Congress. (That last part is a bit of an exageration, but not much.)

Privatizing the mail would work as well as privatizing the Public Utillities Districts did.

Really? Then I say, Privatize ASAP!!!

 

[ponderingturtle]

Really? Then I say, Privatize ASAP!!!

Good so we start canceling unprofitable routes and offices. People need to learn that there are just places people can't live.

 

[technoextreme]

Couldn't possibly screw it up as bad as the post office. My FedEx, UPS, and DHL delivery people have never delivered my packages to the wrong address.

Ooo cut that crap. I once had a package stolen out of a UPS store before it ever left the place left it at. I've had thousands of dollars worth of equipment go missing because the delivery box was completely obliterated. DHL no longer delivers to the United States.

 

[GreyICE]

And over 70 years later the Rural Electrification Program still exists, what it's doing besides sucking up tax dolllars nobody knows.

Just to jump on the bandwagon of pointing out your bizarro world - they mostly offer grants to upgrade and maintain the network.

Obviously, like your package delivery, your power never fails.

 

[leftysergeant]

Really? Then I say, Privatize ASAP!!!

That's called ENRON. If you think that was a good idea, I do NOT want you ever to hold public office.

 

[applecorped]

I do NOT want you ever to hold public office.

Ditto.

 

[Darth Rotor]

That's called ENRON. If you think that was a good idea, I do NOT want you ever to hold public office.

He's not running.

Not every energy company that was privatized is or was ENRON. All ENRON is to you, it seems, is a symbol of "something bad" on that topic. A need for a demon is appeased by summoning ENRON into your rant. Don't forget the pentacle while you are at it.

Look up Dominion Resources.

I had stock in that company for years, because the public utility it bought out, Virginia Power, became defunct when the rules on utilities changed. (Also changing was tax exempt status of my dividends for investing in a public utility, thanks for nothing, Congressional ********* of the 80's. )

Dominion Resources shares I sold so my wife and I could buy a house. The company is alive and well, and is most certainly not ENRON. (Oh, wait, was it bought out by a private equity group a few years ago? Maybe it was. Has it been that long since I sold the stock? )

DR

 

[WildCat]

Sure and if that need is important it will be met by private industry. Run your own bus company, start your own railroad.

There's a lefitimate government interest in maintaining pubic transportation in congested areas. In rural areas, not so much. As for railroads I give you the basket case known as Amtrak.

Private turnpikes worked for centuries, we don't need public roads.

Funny, our mayor just sold our turnpike to a private company.

 

[WildCat]

Good so we start canceling unprofitable routes and offices. People need to learn that there are just places people can't live.

You have it exactly backwards. Private companies could do quite well on the profitable routes. It's the 2% of the population that lives in bufu Egypt that should be subsidized by the government.

 

[leftysergeant]

Dominion Resources shares I sold so my wife and I could buy a house. The company is alive and well, and is most certainly not ENRON. (Oh, wait, was it bought out by a private equity group a few years ago? Maybe it was. Has it been that long since I sold the stock? )

They still exist, trading at about $34 a share. Great investment, moderate risk.

Trouble is that, as a publicly-traded company, they can be forced to sell to the next ENRON if the money is right. "Fiduciary responsibility" is great for speculators, pure hell for consumers who want a choice.

We could have the same problem with a privatized post office, especially during times of right-wing Republican government.

 

[Tailgater]

Good so we start canceling unprofitable routes and offices. People need to learn that there are just places people can't live.

News flash. USPS does it already. Lots of offices ARE closing. I have a post office box because the government can't afford to deliver my mail already. It's been that way for 15 years here. I get all my packages UPS or FEDEX. I get my mail about once a week when I feel like going to get it.