US Postal Service Pays 44 Cents to Make a 45 Cent Stamp

[Publius1787]

US Postal Service Pays 44 Cents to Make a 45 Cent Stamp

I guess we all know how the Postal Service can manage to lose $25 Million a day! Of course, who would buy a 45 cent stamp when regular stamps are just 44 cents? Anyway, in a recent debate here I was told how excellent of an example the Postal Service is as a socialist model. Michelle Malkin proves otherwise here. Michelle Malkin » US Postal Service losses explained: Part XXXIV Or USA Today here. http://content.usatoday.com/communi...ource=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#.UDP0sKllS9E "Holy cow! USPS stuck with 682M unsold 'Simpsons' stamps "






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[Publius1787]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3wwVdlgkOg]US Postal Service Introduces Simpsons Stamps - YouTube[/ame]

 

[waltky]

Granny says it's a scam to jack up stamp prices...

Postal Service to default — again
9/26/12: The Postal Service announced Wednesday that it would not make a scheduled $5.6 billion payment to the Treasury Department by the end of the month, officially throwing in the towel on a second large payment in as many months.

The agency, which lost more than $5 billion in the most recently completed quarter, had been widely expected to default on the prepayment for future retiree benefits, and rushed on Wednesday to assure customers that business would continue as usual. “Customers can be confident in the continued regular operations of the Postal Service,” USPS said in a statement. “We will continue to deliver the mail and pay our employees and suppliers. Postal Service retirees and employees will also continue to receive their health benefits.”

The second default — USPS also failed to make a $5.5 billion prepayment due on Aug. 1 — comes as postal officials plead with Congress to reach a final agreement on a broad overhaul of postal operations. USPS has lost billions of dollars in recent years, both due to new technology and the downbeat economy. Postal unions and some on the left also chalk up many of the agency’s financial woes to what they call the unneeded prepayments for retiree healthcare. In all, the agency lost $5.1 billion in fiscal 2011, even without having to make a healthcare payment. The Aug. 1, 2012, default came only after Congress pushed back the due date on that particular payment, which was originally due at the end of September 2011.

Key lawmakers are now hoping to reach an agreement on a postal reform package in the post-election session of Congress, after the House failed to vote on their measure before skipping town last week.The Senate passed a postal bill in April, but House Republicans have acknowledged that they didn’t want to force members to take a tough vote on the issue before the election. Top lawmakers in both chambers have been trying to lay the groundwork for a lame-duck deal on the postal service, but there is some fear that the issue could spill over into the next Congress.

The Senate measure would give the Postal Service more relief from the prepayment than the current House proposal, but would also not let the agency move as quickly on scrapping Saturday delivery, another key USPS priority. On Wednesday, the Postal Service also said that it would continue to focus on the cost-cutting tools already at its disposal. But some Republicans have said USPS has not been aggressive as it could be on that front, including with some of its contracts with unions.

Source

 

[Big Black Dog]

Cost the government more than a penny to make the penny too...

 

[LoneLaugher]

It is hard to imagine a more asinine position to take than this one. The US post office funds itself and has been fucked by Congress.

Privatizing essential services is fucking stupid.

 

[Truthmatters]

Hey OP you do realise the founders wrote the post office right into the constitution and were willing to PAY for it.

 

[squeeze berry]

Hey OP you do realise the founders wrote the post office right into the constitution and were willing to PAY for it.

weren't you the one that called the founders racists?

 

[theDoctorisIn]

It's in the Constitution!

Isn't that what Conservatives say when anyone mentions cutting defense spending?

 

[Mr. H.]

Reminds me of the confused prostitute who enjoyed sucking stamps.

 

[freedombecki]

Hey OP you do realise the founders wrote the post office right into the constitution and were willing to PAY for it.

weren't you the one that called the founders racists?

Life is one great big sandpainting encased in glass, and TM swishes hers around frequently as suits her momentary whim.

 

[bobcollum]

Is that 44 cents figure really accurate?

Sounds too crazy to be true.

 

[candycorn]

US Postal Service Pays 44 Cents to Make a 45 Cent Stamp

I guess we all know how the Postal Service can manage to lose $25 Million a day! Of course, who would buy a 45 cent stamp when regular stamps are just 44 cents? Anyway, in a recent debate here I was told how excellent of an example the Postal Service is as a socialist model. Michelle Malkin proves otherwise here. Michelle Malkin » US Postal Service losses explained: Part XXXIV Or USA Today here. Holy cow! USPS stuck with 682M unsold 'Simpsons' stamps "Holy cow! USPS stuck with 682M unsold 'Simpsons' stamps "
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It needs to be privatized over the next 10-20 years.

Eventually it will dawn on whichver company(s) get the privatization contract that they can't do it for a price anywhere near the cost it will need to be kept at and it will again have to be subsidized. People will still need to be able to mail their bills and such.

The smart thing to do would be to shift the cost to the creditor/service provider who can supply SASEs through the BRM program. It won't happen but that is what needs to transpire.

 

[Mr. H.]

US Postal Service Introduces Simpsons Stamps - YouTube

Think of the royalties they paid for this bullshit.

They should print some more upside down airplanes.

 

[Conservative]

That's nothing...

Guess How Much It Costs The Government To Produce A Nickel - Business Insider

The Mint's primary cost driver is the price of metal, a factor over which it has no control. Daily spot prices of copper and zinc, the Mint's two main metallic materials, have fluctuated in excess of 400 percent, and the price of nickel by 500 percent over the past 10 years. This contributes to volatile and negative margins on both the penny and nickel: recently, the penny has cost approximately 2.4 cents, and the nickel approximately 11.2 cents to produce.

 

[Politico]

Congrats America. You built it. Shame I doubt anyone is smart enough to figure it out. Stare in the mirror real hard for a minute.

 

[bripat9643]

It needs to be privatized over the next 10-20 years.

Eventually it will dawn on whichver company(s) get the privatization contract that they can't do it for a price anywhere near the cost it will need to be kept at and it will again have to be subsidized. People will still need to be able to mail their bills and such.

The smart thing to do would be to shift the cost to the creditor/service provider who can supply SASEs through the BRM program. It won't happen but that is what needs to transpire.

"Privatizing" it wouldn't involve handing a monopoly to a private company. That would be the stupid liberal solution to the problem. The liberal conception of the market bears no relation to reality.

 

[OKTexas]

Hey OP you do realise the founders wrote the post office right into the constitution and were willing to PAY for it.

The Constitution says to establish post offices and post roads, there is nothing about delivery to your door or enduring gross mismanagement of the postal system. It's time we bring a venture capital firm to streighten their asses out.

Oh wait! Some folks think venture capitol firms that fixes mismanaged organizations are evil, so I guess we're screwed, we'll have to keep sending that money to Washington to let them waste it.

 

[OKTexas]

It is hard to imagine a more asinine position to take than this one. The US post office funds itself and has been fucked by Congress.

Privatizing essential services is fucking stupid.

Can you please elaborate on your position?

 

[JamesInFlorida]

Hey OP you do realise the founders wrote the post office right into the constitution and were willing to PAY for it.

The Constitution says to establish post offices and post roads, there is nothing about delivery to your door or enduring gross mismanagement of the postal system. It's time we bring a venture capital firm to streighten their asses out.

Oh wait! Some folks think venture capitol firms that fixes mismanaged organizations are evil, so I guess we're screwed, we'll have to keep sending that money to Washington to let them waste it.

The post office is feeling the effects of the internet. Nobody writes letters anymore. Many don't even pay their bills through the mail. Sure there are tons of people who sell on Ebay/Amazon that the post offices caters to (you get discounts, and free delivery confirmation), but then the rise of craigslist even stifled that growth. Just do a simple search on craigslist in the sales section of wherever you live-and think about all of the potential business that the post office is losing from people who would put their items on ebay/amazon.

Ultimately the post office needs to change with the times. Not delivering mail on Saturdays would be a good start. Maybe rolling back the hours of some post offices, or getting more efficient routes.

I recently sent a package from Tampa to Miami, and tracked it. Where do you think the first stop was? JACKSONVILLE. Look at a map-it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that something's wrong with that picture.

You don't need a venture capitalist to sort out the post office. USPS is 100% constitutional, and really is a service that the government runs the best. They just need to cut out all of the stupid s*** that they do.

 

[LoneLaugher]

It is hard to imagine a more asinine position to take than this one. The US post office funds itself and has been fucked by Congress.

Privatizing essential services is fucking stupid.

Can you please elaborate on your position?

Sure.

The U.S. Postal Service | Need to Know | PBS