In many ways USPS is a real bargain and works pretty well. But it needs to be reformed from within, without the bastard politicians having a say in how it is done. The pension system needs to be reformed as well, but that goes for the entire government sector - period!

Actually, the best day to cut would be Tuesday. It's the lowest volume mail day.

I think the best day would be Monday. Don't ever get anything but bills on Monday.

But then we would receive all the bills on Tuesday and would have to cut that day.

Then Wednesday...... :)

Cutting Saturday is the worst thing to do. That is the only day those of us who work during the week are home to accept deliveries. Cut Saturday, and they will lose more business and more money.

Not to mention there is already no mail on Sunday, so that would make two days in a row with no service. Add in all the Monday holidays, and that's a Friday-Tuesday stretch for "one day" delivery. Businesses and individuals need better service than that. Customers will look elsewhere before paying a premium for this, and the post office will be in even worse shape than before.

If a day is cut, the best would be a day in the middle of the week. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the lowest volume days. And cutting Wednesday or Thursday would also mean there would only ever be a one day span with no service (or two day, Sunday-Monday in the case of a holiday).

If Saturdays are cut, I and millions of postal customers like me will be forced to take all of our business elsewhere alltogether.

Actually, the best day to cut would be Tuesday. It's the lowest volume mail day.

Thank you. If you're going to cut out a day of deliveries, why not do it on a day that results in the smallest disruption to customers? Cutting Saturday will increase the maximum delivery delay.

Even cutting both Tuesday and Thursday deliveries would result in single-day maximum delivery delays... and would surely save more money than cutting Saturday. Why is this apparently not being considered?

doyle whos an idiot.' you dont know her, she works harder than you'. you must know moore really good. and on your entitlements after working 30 yrs, work 50 yrs+ let the gov borrow it at the tune of 6 trillion then say you are hurting the country for trying to collect your part. you may not get paid this month, we're going to cut your benefits, no cost of living raise, higher cost of premiums due to higher costs and on and on. no doubt the postal service will be bailed out by ss at the cost of us lazy retirees

Cameron,

I don't disagree that there might be a better choice than Saturday and you make some valid points. Got to say though... 90% of the mail we get is junk or credit card offers. I could go to one day a week delivery and not miss it much.

Maybe Saturday is a good day for a Post Office to be open, I use it often on that day, but they could easily cut the delivery by at least 2 days a week.

If the USPS cut Saturday delivery, then anyone who requested mailing through USPS for a purchase on line, (if they offer free shipping it is quite often through USPS because it is cheaper) if it required a signature you would need to go to the post office to pick the package up Monday thru Friday before 4:30pm (if your office closes that late). My husband works for USPS as a substitute carrier and has been for 4 years. No benefits and only working when they need him. This could mean one day a week or six days. You can't schedule anything on the weekends, and most full time carriers have to work Saturdays also. The way that the pay is worked out (for Rural Carriers Only) is: amount of mail over a 2 week period divided by the number of boxes or customers delivered to divided by 30 seconds per each box. Dismounts, the carrier actually coming to your door, whether for a signature or because you can't come to the door or to businesses that get so much mail they can't use a regular mail box. They get one minute for each of these, but only the amount that happens during the count divided by the number of days and under a formula that no one seems to understand or explain. Then any vacant houses or businesses get deducted. The regular mail is supposed to be presorted by a machine at the plants. Approximately 10 mistakes are in each tray. The carrier can receive between 5 and 20 trays of mail each day. Not only that but if you have an address that is not properly displayed or has a letter either before or after your street address number the sorting system cannot always figure it out and so goes the the PO as a "RAW" piece of mail that then needs to be hand sorted. My husbands office receives between 8 and 20 trays of raw mail each day. Then the magazines or ads "Flats" need to be sorted. These come in buckets, each bucket is considered 2 feet. If you stack your junk mail and magazines together, imagine that 2 feet tall and then you have an idea of how many pieces that might be. Okay, now that the mail has been sorted, it's time to deliver. For rural carriers that could be 2 miles or 100 miles depending on the route. If you get a lot of mail and don't empty your mailbox daily it takes the carrier additional time to deliver your mail as they need to squeeze it into your box. If you get a registered or certified or signature confirmation piece of mail or a package the carrier is supposed to come to your door, ring the bell and wait 30 seconds to one minute and then knock on the door and wait again. If you are not at home the carrier then leaves you a form in your mailbox with your mail that says you have something that requires a signature or that you have a package that won't fit in your box. OK now that that's done, the carrier can pick up any outgoing mail or a priority package pick up. As I'm sure you are aware by now the USPS has priority packages. These are good for as much as the box will accept without busting out the seams or up to 70 pounds which ever comes first. These flat rate boxes are free, you can even have them delivered to your home. There are so many services that you can order on line and in person. If you want stamps but can't get to the office, no problem. Order them online or catch your carrier or go to the office. They can be delivered directly to your home with any change that you have coming.

If you move or someone moves out of your home, you can have your mail forwarded for up to 18 months, and a lot of times the carrier will remember you've gone. But don't blame the post office if you didn't inform them of this move or if someone moves into your home that the PO doesn't know about. You need to be responsible for your mail. If you can't be bothered to inform the USPS of any changes, don't blame them if you get mail for people that don't live there or don't get mail for someone that does.

Before you get mad at your carrier for delivering mail that doesn't belong to you, check to see if the words "Or Current Resident" is on the mail. If it is, then just chuck it away. This means that the company sending this out isn't sure who lives there, and they don't care. If you're getting junk mail that you don't want, if the piece is addressed to you at your address you can usually call the company and have your address removed from their mailing list. If the mail says only Postal Patron then the carrier is required by law to deliver it to you.

Go ahead and bit** all you want, but this is the only service that will ship your mail or packages and if you have moved forward it to you without a service fee. I agree, and so does my husband, that something needs to be done, but don't get onto the USPS carriers. UPS and Fedex drivers make more than the USPS carriers their benefits are better and they are a For Profit organization. The USPS is not because the government decreed that they could'nt be.

There's no need to accuse all postal workers, it's just a bad, inefficient system.

Here's an example of one bad apple and a system gone horribly wrong:

Two weeks ago it was discovered that the outgoing mail box at an apartment complex was stuffed full of mail. This mailbox was acknowledged to be in full compliance with Postal Service regs. It turns out the postal worker on that route was too short to reach it.

Did she grab a chair or ladder to reach the mail???...No!

Did she inform her supervisor there was a problem building up at that mailbox???...No!

Meanwhile, peoples bill went unpaid and overdue because their mail never got delivered. The supervisor acknolwedged the mail box was installed correctly, but says the postal employee did nothing wrong. The local postal manager takes the same position. I'd get fired if I did that, and so would my boss if he defended me.

This is a poorly run organization. Sorry, but keeping the doors open just to keep people working here is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

FedEx and UPS don't want to deliver regular mail. It's not cost-efficient for them - USPS first-class mail rates are subsidized by third-class ("junk") mail. Has been for well over 40 years. The problem is that third-class mail has been declining in volume.

If FedEx or UPS had to do it, you'd be paying at least 10 times what you pay now to send a first-class letter. Maybe you could do that, but I know a lot of business that would be crippled by that kind of price jump (not every business transaction can be performed via e-mail, you know).

Spotts -

If FedEx or UPS had to do it, you'd be paying at least 10 times what you pay now to send a first-class letter. Maybe you could do that, but I know a lot of business that would be crippled by that kind of price jump (not every business transaction can be performed via e-mail, you know).

You are absolutely correct.

This is another example of GOP/TP logic FAIL!

The GOP/TP supporters will now call to shut down the USPS to "cut spending" . . . but this will increase the cost to do business.

So the GOP/TP wants to be "private business friendly" by increasing their cost to do business. *golf clap* Good job, guys.

Someone said that all Postal Worker are LAZY BUMS after working 33 years with them and retiring I would have like you to have work just one (1) day with me during a regular shift I would be surprised if you would return for another DAY of work that you could not handle

Absolutely a lot of expense was covered by the junk mail. But now a lot of junk mail, monthly bills, and the like have gone away. Internet took over a lot of that, plus a lot of printed advertising material was reduced simply because of bad economy.

USPS workers have been extremely well paid, and very few people out here in the private sector can come anywhere near those benes for life. Never mind how many postal workers over the years have double-dipped by having the necessary years of private sector so they can also hit SS.

Still waiting for Saturday mail deliveries to end, and still waiting to see which offices can merge or close.

44 cents still ain't too shabby and neither is the reasonable cost of Priority Mail. BUT, if they are going to be a huge financial drain, then time to make some changes.

J Moore... you are an idiot!!! and ANYONE else that thinks that firing ALL the workers is the solution. My WIFE has worked for the USPS for 15 years...and considering your lack of knowledge on the subject...I GUARANTEE she works a hell of a lot harder than you do..no matter what you do. There are thousands of postal workers that give up sleep, family, vacations, days off, better paying jobs. They endure pain, injury's, lousy working conditions, hot, cold, rain, sleet or snow all for a 44 cent stamp. Also...remember when you wanted to work for an employer that had a retirement plan?? You were willing to take lower pay for the sake of your future? and now after people have worked 20, 25 or 30 years for the USPS you want to eliminate their retirement? you want to fire everyone?? REALLY?? You and all others that think like you are idiots!! period. You have no clue how much damage that would cause to millions of people, families and the pressure it would additionally add to the recession/economy fix we are in!!! REMEMBER all for 44 cents a letter.....

Postal workers are not lazy bums. They are family, friends and neighbors. They are not anonymous faceless drones. They are just like you and me. There are just too many of them right now. The postal service operates very much like it did in 1960. It was privatized in the 1970's and operates as a regulated monopoly. Meaning it gets no federal funds, makes or, in this case, ,loses its own money. The difference is, the Post Office needs permission from Congress to raise postal rates, fire half its workforce, and close Post Offices that have no reason to exist. It is a dinosaur. The reason Congress has power over the way the Post Office functions is exactly because it is a sanctioned monopoly. Fed Ex and UPS have 401k which are funded by the employees. They hire and fire at will and charge what they need to profit. The Post Office was forced to keep in place a very generous Government Pension and all its costs are fixed by our government. Which can run nothing well. The actual solution to this problem is allow the PO to offer an exit package to all retiremnet qualified workers, eliminate about one third of the remaining employees, continue to automate, cut Saturdays and raise the price of a stamp to a dollar. It would still be the cheapest way to send a letter or package and would immediately solve the bulk of the finacial problem facing the Post Office. Raising the price of a stamp .03 will cause them to lose $4 billion instead of $5.3 billion.

Cali,

I don't recall anything in the article that would warrant you blaming this (as you blame everything) on the republicans. This is about the postal service asking for changes to better manage its operations. Not every problem we have can be laid at the feet of either political party so get off the Merry-go-round and chill. Isn't that what you "Cali" people do anyway?

Hey Doug there are a lot less of us postal employees now than there used to be my office alone is down 75 to 80 percent because they found better ways to sort mail using centralized locations. and the carriers are down by 40 percent in the same time.

Thought from Cali...Yeah, that's what we need, ideas from California. A state we're all going to have to bail out here real soon. A state that is billions in debt but still wants to be all things to all people at no cost. Just what do you propose there Cali? Let the USPS continue to operate in the red? The federal government can't do a damn thing without going broke. Raise first class postage to $1 and a year from now they'll be right back telling us they're "bleeding" again. If these clowns can't do the job efficiently without losing money every year, find someone who can. Or, have the feds get their heads out of their butts and start running things for a profit instead of trying to be just one more federal agency that does things for "free".

You don't agree with somebody else's opinion, fine. But calling somebody an idiot, moron, what have you over a difference of opinion? Since I doubt you would speak like that face to face, I am left to assume you are just a couple of punks.

Why does anybody really need USPS? I get by just fine with e-mail and ACH transfer of payments. Even the IRS is doing it. So can SSN, medicaid, etc.

I prefer magazines in printed format, but I am willing to dowload them in PDF where they at least won't end up mangled. For everything else, there's DHL, FedEx, and UPS. Sorry if that offends you.

Spotts, unless you happen to work for UPS or FedEx in their upper management I would say you have no idea whether they want to deliver regular mail or not. There is a good reason why they don't, they are not legally allowed to. As mentioned above the postal service is a government controlled and authorized monopoly on mail delivery. They legally cannot deliver letters, hence if you need to use fedex to mail a letter you need to put it in an oversized and overpriced mailer to qualify. It has nothing to do with them wanting or not wanting to deliver mail.

I know because FedEx and UPS doesn't deliver right now to rural areas. They use...the United States Postal Service as their endpoint delivery. Do you really think that if they had to deliver first-class mail to areas they already don't deliver to, they'd do it? And for a price that won't make a small business owner in that area turn white with shock?

If so, you are suffering from some heavy-duty "magical thinking".

Besides closing 3,700 offices they need to raise the price of first class mail. Stop selling "forever" stamps. Reduce starting pay. They start with about 25/hr.

Starting pay is no where near $25 an hour. Get your facts straight.

i see you are not to smart..fed x and ups charge more then 5 times as much then the usps..you just dont like it because it is run by the government get a live neo con a 100% disable combat veteran

Three Day Work week NOT a good idea as the Credit card companies would love this as they can then CHARGE You MORE LATE FEES when they don't get the mail every day as your payment may show up on an Off Day for the Post Office. I say they need to BETTER USE there employees. Why do you need to pay an employee who walk the waiting line to ask you is it first class, or delivery confirmation and then place a little yellow sticker on the package so when you get to the counter the cashier knows it's going 1st class VS Priority mail. The cashier asks anyway. Lay Off That "Line Walker" (which is a WASTE OF MANPOWER and SALARY and save that $25.00 or more an hour!

If FedEx or UPS could actually deliver anything when they say they will, you might have a point.

Case in point: I live 3 miles from the local FedEx delivery hub (where the local drivers pick up and go out from). A package was overnight-ed from across town (they refused to let me pick up) on Monday morning. A week later it was delivered. FedEx told me "Oh well, so sorry".

Tired

Absolutely...their business landscape changed, and they were either too slow or failed to adapt altogether (see Blockbuster)....so lets bail them out too for their incompetence.

Just an anecdote:

I once visited a post office to buy a money order, and there was only two postal employees helping customers, and the line was almost out the door. However, there was another postal employee helping customers buy stamps from a vending machine.

I spoke to the postal employee that was helping the customers at the vending machine and suggested that USPS should consider upgrading their vending machines so that customers could purchase money orders. However, she became irate and stated, "no way, a machine like that would cost three employees their jobs for every machine." So I left and purchased my money order from 7-11.

The morale of the story is that the USPS is like most government agencies in that they could care less about efficiency, for their number one priority is protecting their jobs.

Or Codeman you could consider paying your credit card bill online. You do apparently have access to a computer.

I'd like to pay my bills online, but my car insurance company charges a $3.50 processing fee for me to pay it online. Or I can pay $0.44 for a stamp and send a check.

You better believe I still send that payment through the mail.

I am 78 and over the years I have recieved better service from the post office than any large organization. For a short time I was in the direct mail business and it's amazing the service they give for the price. I wish I could say thak you to the many couterous and helpful members of our postal service that have been so good to deal with.

For all those who think corporate profits are more important than standard of life I say: Rejoice, for you are getting your way and greed is destroying our country.

Simms you can check with your bank if they have no fee bill pay. The bank I have my checking account with do not charge a fee. I submitt all bills electronically.

Unforgiven You really think we should be able to get a money order from a machine?

You do understand what a money order is? It is a certified check from the post office or other place. It means the Post office is certifying, that check is real and reliable. If someone could steal a money order from the machine the post office would be liable from what the check was made for. In effect, a money order can be worth millions of dollars or just a few hundred.

So allowing someone to get a money order from a machine is crap. No bank in their right mind would do it, so don't think the post office should. Placing an unlimited check in a vulnerable place is stupid business.

Actually, the politicians had nothing to do with this situation. The Unions that represent the employees negotiated to benefits for the employees receive. The management of the USPS is totally separate from any other Government Body. The rules for the USPS were created in the 1930' and 1940's and the USPS refused to modernize and use computer assisted sorting, The person that puts the mail in the home mailbox is the smallest but most important part of delivery. Some areas still sort all the mail by hand, and that takes a lot of people. You could cut your "sorting Staff" by way more than 70% by using computers, the USPS refused. They have a Bloated workforce with too many Supervisors.

The USPS started using computerized sorting machines for Packages years ago, the letter mail start using computerized sorting machines about 3 years ago at a cost of $2 billion.

The problem with the post office is that it has WAY too many employees and like every other union & municipality in the US; they're being suffocated under the weight of retiree benefits and the salaries and benefits of their current employees.

You can't just throw money at the problem by increasing rates 'dramatically' b/c the problem is that there isn't enough mail going through the system anymore to warrant the current work force or amount of service that's provided. It's only going to get worse for them as more and more people use electronic delivery to do things like pay bills and write various forms of correspondence.

Why would anyone with half a brain need to send a letter across town in one day? With all the electronic options open to all of us (most of them free), what can't wait one more day to be delivered. If it's that important, it's worth ten dollars, if its not important it can wait one day.

here we go again, noone tells any of you that te workforce is no where near the size it used to be, many offices have lost at least 30 percent of there workforce and the losses are continuing.

Charge more for junk mail! That ought to solve the problem!

The USPS has refused efforts to modernized in prior years and they have always had a "Bloated" workforce. Although their delivery on letters is amazing, I can't say the same for their package deliveries. I never use the USPS to mail packages, they never arrive within the time limits for which the customer pays. I have tried several times for 3 day deliveries only to have the package take 7-10 days or more to arrive. When I ask questions, there is never a reply only that that is the USPS and forget about any refunds. They have to modernize and cut its bloated and outdated workforce.

I just paid the USPS $4 to send a 6 oz envelope of papers across town. I could have driven it myself or faxed them on my computer and had the satisfaction of knowing they was actually delivered. My has been waiting for two weeks for the birthday card I sent her with a check inside. I just paid the bank a $20 fee for a stop payment order on the check. The USPS has seen the last of my money. If I can"t deliver it myself, fax it on my computer or send it Fedex it won"t be going.

JoeB, their package services are aweful. My wife purchased something online, waited a couple weeks without recieving it, and saw that the tracking number never left philidelphia (we don't live anywhere near philidelphia). She called to see if anything could be done, and was told she needed to work out the issue with our local branch over 1000 miles from philidelphia and obviously in no position to find her package. After getting no where with the postal service for over a week she gave up and the package was just lost.

For me personally, they could raise the basic rate to anything they want. I no longer send letters via snail-mail.

One needs to ask the question, is rural Internet insufficient?

Magnets, I just got an idea. Why don't we spend some of those billions of dollars the PO is hemoragging, and improve internet to rural areas. If we are going to spend that kind of money should we be using it to improve America's infastructure, not prop up a broken system for the sake of a few people who still live in a disconnected world.

How about they close the post office and replace them with a vending machine that sells stamps and a drop box for letters and packages? Do we need a fully staffed post office in the middle of nowhere?

And fuel costs would not be affected by closing them. It would actually take less fuel because instead of going from Regional center->Local office->out for delivery it would just go Regional center->out for delivery. That's one less stop on the route.

And if a package is too big to be placed in the customer's mailbox, or needs a signature (like if it's a registered letter or certified mail with a return receipt), or if the customer is mailing something that needs to be weighed, insured, or signed for, the customer should drive to the Regional center? For some areas, that's 100 miles round-trip.

I agree with MRRinSterlingVA as we have Many Post offices in VB,VA as well and if they closed 1/3 of them well yes the other 2/3 may be busier but they are all within easy driving distance for those in uban areas. If you live in Podunk, ND and get a piece of mail or package you have to sign for, then that Podunk resident may have to drive 30 or 50 miles OR MORE one way to pickup a registered package OR to mail out a package that needs Delivery Confirmation, or needs to be weighed etc as the postal carrier doesn't carry that equipment with them. Maybe Rural Post Offices areas only be open from 9-12 on Mon. Wed. and Fri. and have that worker travel to and open another post office in another rural town say 30 miles away and open that from 11-5, Mon. Wed. and Fri. so have that postmaster or postal worker be in charge of 2 post offices in that rural area and heck expand that as well to them dealing with 2 other post offices on Tues and Thur. That way that postal worker is STILL FULL time but operating up to 5 SMALL post offices and yes many area have 5 small podunk towns within traveling distance of one Postal Service employee.

For the under-utilized offices, ask the community if they really want to keep it open. Pass the hat, and if they can come up with the funds needed to maintain counter service for a few hours per day, keep it open. The hours can be set to whatever the community is willing to support - if not with postal business, then with donations.

If they just need a place with a flagpole, where people can ask directions and chat with neighbors, they can set up a storefront staffed by volunteers. A Community Center can maintain the spirit of the place just as well as a Post Office or General Store or Diner.

I have two post offices within 2 miles of where I live in Denver. One in "Glendale" and the other around the corner in Denver proper. They could fully staff the retail side of urban post offices on alternating days by pairing neighboring urban POs and sharing the staff. As it is my odd hours have me using the Automated Post Office kiosks all the time. Rural post offices, besides the delivery guys, have what, a staff of 2? Maybe? The small town I lived in had 1.

Most rural post offices don't even use regular USPS carriers - they use contract employees that work for lower wages, no benefits, and use their own vehicle (or a surplussed USPS truck).

Yup, Spotts. My mail carrier drives her own Jeep as does ever single other mail carrier in our rural area. The only USPS employee is the ONE behind the counter in our Post Office/Community Center.

Well hear we are again, another article about the USPS and the current state that is a product of the know nothing do nothing a$$ clowns in DC. "Hey we have a problem that needs fixed". "Ok, well then figure out a solution that gets me the most votes possible and then if that doesn't work, or in addition to that, see how we can kick that can down the road and just worry about it later". Don't know about you but I'm so tired of these dip$h!ts I just want to scream!! Anyways enough of that. Sorry for losing some composure there too.

MRR you are right some of these small towns have no other reliable means and do need their PO's. Here are some thoughts I have on this per the last article that came out about the USPS's issues.

Saturday delivery, gone see ya later, no more. PO itself could be open no more than half day if area was profitable to do so.

Yes some PO's need to close, some rural areas, but very much so in urban areas that have too many and also have a wide range of other retail outlets that could provide the basic PO services - needs to be a operating radius for PO's - I say no more than one per a 10-15 mile radius minimum.

Raise stamps to at least $.50 and increase rate on bulk mail.

Review all upper management, union pension, and annual pay raises.

Look for other services to offer, continue with more kiosks or retail locations that can offer basic services (probably some things you still need to go to actual PO for unless is was a real USPS kiosk inside a store, I guess) as well as long term equipment and building upgrades that would save money. Mobile PO's for the rural areas??

There are probably some other things but the final solution, and one I think (while not super easy but not super complicated) helps solve a lot of these issues, is to have every PO go to a volume based schedule. Other words your PO has x number pieces of mail then 5 days a week delivery, then x number equals 4 days, and so on. This could be applied to the behind the scenes operation in similar fashion as well. Its not perfect but this is not a one size fits all problem either. Hope others agree and interested in their thoughts on this.

It is time the USPS gets fixed. There is a need for the USPS yes, but that need has got to be updated to reflect the times as they are now, now 20, 30, 50 years ago. FedEx and UPS are not setup to do what the USPS does nor would they do it for a reasonalbe price, stop comparing - large packages yes, letters no - apples and oranges people. Congress stop being jack a$$es and let the USPS do what is needed, that is one of the solutions that I didn't list but should've. I for one am tired of Congress and their BS but even more tired of the fact we bleed money when there is no need to or can least afford it.

RURAL CONTRACTORS THAT DELIVER MAIL FOR THE POST OFFICE DO NOT PAY FOR THEIR DELIVERY VEHICLES!!! When they sign their contract they get an amount for a vehicle plus are reimbursed for mileage at the Federal Rate of .53 cents per mile. If they choose to pocket that money and use their own vehicle that is their choice. If their vehicle gets 25 mpg., they get $13.25 for traveling 25 miles. So they either buy a vehicle for delivery with their vehicle allowance (an still get the mileage pay) or pocket the money for the vehicle and use their own vehicle and get the mileage pay. That's the decision they make when they sign their contract.

Regardless of their financial straits or what put them there, they should not close isolated rural post offices. These post offices serve people who have no other reasonable access.

No people should join the rest of us in civilization and realize if they move in the middle of nowhere that they are not going to have access to services. Sorry, those offices probably cost way too much and make nothing on the handful of people they serve.

Yes, because God forbid a miner works where there's actually stuff to mine. Or a farmer grows crops where the soil is the best, even if it's in the "middle of nowhere". I suppose they shouldn't get utilities, schools, police, fire, or medical services either, since they choose to live out there and all...

There is plenty of farm land thats closer to civilization. I live in an area that produces most of the crops for the western half of the US and its in civilization

And I live somewhere where it's not, so your point is moot.

You are not the world, and neither am I.

No it's really not. You suggested closing down post offices in the suburbs where they might actually be profitable and leaving open the ones that handle 10 people. Doesn't even make sense.

I am not the world, but the fact of the matter is it's easier to close the 10 customer shop than the 10,000 customer shop. It's really just simple math.

Your not paying attention...we have not been funded by taxes for 27 years. The Govt has 50 to 70 billion of our money that was overpaid into our retirement funds. We are not asking for a bailout, just "our" money back.

well get in line with the rest of us! just don't complain if the government changes the rules along the way. They have a way of doing that.

You're not using your "tax dollars" to pay for spam. The USPS hasn't been a governmental agency since the Nixon Administration. It's a "quasi-governmental" entity that is managed like a business and receives no governmental support.

Unlike a business, however, the Postal Service is not permitted to run a profit. If they end a year "in the black", the money must be spent.

I stand corrected.

I was in the Post Office for 30 years and I was in the voluntary Union. I worked very hard. When I retired (four years ago) I was making less than 37K a year and I the entire time worked day-in/day-out 4:00am to 1:00pm on my feet. I got two weeks vacation and a week PTO.

Don't you dare pretend you have any clue what you are talking about.

The management of the USPS are former mail carriers. How does this affect their judgement?

Politicians decisions revolve around their number one priority - being reelected. That requires votes and money so don't look to them to make the tough decisions. Their favorite maneuver is "to kick these decisions down the road".

Elect more tea party candidates and you will get these "unpopular" decisions made.

Please be careful if you fire or layoff any Postal Employees, My postman looks like Colonel Braddock and our neighbors do not want to end up missing in action.

Be careful what you ask for. I don't want to pay $5 to $10 to have a letter delivered when all we pay now is .44. You're right, cut out Saturday delivery and implement a 3 day per week mail service.

BTW, Federal Express wants to buy out UPS. The new business name will be Fed-UP.

Why does everyone pick on Saturday delivery? Am I the only one who would rather lose delivery on a weekday than on a day I am actually home to sign for a package?

LOL, isn't that the stupidist idea to advertise USPS? What revenue does the advertisements raise? Someone should stop that nonsense immediately.

We have a local natural gas service that is publically owned, and it advertises during the state university football games. All it does is give the executives free passes, box seating, and access to the insiders within the program. It's the only gas company in town, and it doesn't need to advertise it.

then how would the rich survive w/o the sponsorship?

Run for office. I'll vote for you.

Cut the heaviest mailing day Monday. Brilliant !! Increase the amount to healthcare. Hmm. The USPS is PREPAYING retiree health costs to the point of 5.5 billion a year. You want to increase that? I got a better idea. Repay the overpayments to the retiree health costs that amount to close to 80 billion and we can talk. Oh wait, that means taxpayer $$ because the overpayment was caused by your elected officials. Sorry Jim, this guy is running for office, can you say 17 trillion debt ceiling.

The post office is a quasi-private enterprise! They do not get tax dollars! There are companies that offer pensions for very specific reasons (it reduces turn-over, it ensures promotion from within, and ensure low wages)! More companies used to offer pension programs before the Repubs strated this paradigm shift towards freemarket 401Ks -- and guess what -- more people (statistically on average than before 1990) must rely on Social Security, Medicare and Medicade instead of having any savings!

I worked in the Post Office for 30 years and I was in the voluntary Union. I worked very hard. When I retired (four years ago) I was making less than 37K a year and I the entire time worked day-in/day-out 4:00am to 1:00pm on my feet. I got very few luxuries.

My pension is modest but I very rarely took a pay increase in order to negotiate the retention of my pension! I have to supplement my income until the day I die -- but I do not need to work fulltime because of my pension. In addition, because my pension includes payment into a health plan, I do not need Medicare or Medicade.

How dare you just say "stop paying pensions"... Jacka$$.

Thats one of the problems they have. Send a birthday card to a friend across the street from where you live in the mail and send a birthday card to another friend across the country...cost the same!

Postage should go by some type of distance. Should be like a phone call cost..local, regional and long distance.

If you're still paying long-distance rates to make a call, you need to talk to your phone company. Most landline companies stopped charging for long-distance years ago to compete with cellular phones.

John Williams, your idea seems reasonable. The USPS could use zip codes as a way to arrive at variable rates.

Thats new to me...my landline cost a bundle to make a long distance call..so I split it with Verizon regional calls and AT&T long distance.

Yes..something like that Kurtis.

The problem with variable costs dependent on location is, if you have a cell phone bill that gets sent to Arizona and a credit card bill that goes to Delaware and a cable bill that goes to somwhere in the midwest, they are all going to different costs. People won't be able to just stick a stamp on an envelope and drop it in a mail slot. They will have to go to the post office and get the cost for each one. And then each envelope will have to be examined on delivery to ensure the correct postage for its location was put on. This will decrease efficiency and require MORE postal employees, which would be counter-productive.

Cameron in a way your correct. But change is part of life people have to adjust.

Same as our money system all different denominations..if it changes people have to adjust.

Postage cost should have three rates to mail a 1st class letter using this class as an example only..local, regional or long distance. All will have to receive info and learn the areas where one ends and another begins.... just like a phone call that most people had to learn about. So when they buy stamps they should know what they need from mailing habits...or buy a book of all three rates for 1st class stamps. Right now I got stamps at 34 cent to 47 cent plus forever stamps its just as bad this way due to never ending 2 or 3 cent increases..so why not the three rate way.

As for more postal employees needed..doubt that..think computers.

Define "regional". Define "long-distance". If I live in Alaska or Hawaii, is everything long-distance? What about businesses that use automated postage machines or buy in bulk?

Your plan is idiocy - and I have no qualms telling you that its idiocy.

As for the forever stamps they will have to honor them still..but they will not print anymore forever stamps..easy to end.

I worked in the post office after I got out of Nam ( yes called post office back then-Pony Express)..even then they had computers in a way to speed the mail up..think they were called LSM's for letter sorting machines...been awhile ago and getting old now can't recall.

Spotts..take a look in your phone book for the answers you asked..I said throughout all my comments its like comparing it with a phone call..You 're not to smart I see.

Its just a idea what they can do..I never said they will do..geez!

I'm smart enough to spot a dumb idea. What the phone company does and what your proposal does is not comprable - there's a big difference between transmitting something over a line and having a person physically moving something from Point A to Point B.

Whatever..have a good life!

You are absolutely right. I worked at FedEx for 4 years and the division that is doing the best in this down economy is the SmartPost division. If you are unfamiliar with SmartPost, FedEx makes the initial pickup from businesses and then the USPS makes the final delivery. This keeps costs down for businesses and customers who are buying the products (the majority of the market is ecommerce). UPS has a similar program and DHL used to as well (it went under due to competition). Without the USPS, all the private delivery companies would certainly suffer as well.

@married to a postal worker I agree

But it seems the bulk of the money will go to a lump sum retirement payment for all the retired postal workers who work like a dogs for years. Now they don't want to pay that. Run up the bill then when it is time to pay what comes out of there mouth we can't afford it.

Sounds like a goddam Republican

You pay social security and medicare for 45 years they take that money give themselves a big tax cut and tell you sorry we can't afford to pay you your own money. I say Lawyer up all 53 million senior citizens who worked all their life and just want to live out their life with some grace.

cyd...someone should have told you to save your money when you were younger. The country is broke, my friend. The gravy train went off the cliff. The Ponzi scheme collapsed. Spending every damn dime you earned over the years while waiting for your golden retirement plan to come and grant you some "grace" has been splintered when reality set in. Did you really believe "big daddy" government was going to come riding in on a white horse and make up for your lack of planning and personal accountability? Sorry, bud. You sound like a social democrat...you know, the kind that is rioting in the streets in Greece.