The U.S. Postal Service Is Dying. Here Is How We Can Save It.

[KenH]

"Mail volumes are falling and the U.S. Postal Service is losing billions of dollars a year while accumulating large liabilities.

...

What’s the solution? I testified to Congress that the USPS should be privatized and postal markets opened to competition. Those reforms would give the USPS the flexibility it needs to cut costs, diversify, and innovate, while creating equal tax and regulatory treatment of businesses across postal and package markets."

The U.S. Postal Service Is Dying. Here Is How We Can Save It.

 

[InTheLight]

"The USPS should be privatized"

I have no problem with this idea, however, the problem comes with the execution. I don't think a venture capital firm would buy the post office buildings, all the mail sorting equipment, the fleet of jeeps and trucks, etc.Do you "sell" the zip code directory and zip code system? It's probably the world's most valuable numbering scheme. Certainly the USPS "owns" it, right?

I'm having trouble visualizing how this would happen. How would the USPS be privatized?

 

[InTheLight]

A couple of other thoughts. Probably 90% of the mail received at my home mail box is junk mail. The other 9% is bills. The remaining 1% is actual correspondence from friends and family members, usually in the form of greeting cards or invitations to weddings, graduations, etc. Basically, there is nothing of value in what the USPS is delivering. They have this fleet of vehicles and personnel essentially delivering crap that no one wants. So who would want to buy that service and privatize it?

Also, it won't be long before Amazon has their own package delivery system and does not rely on the USPS. I am guessing but I would say that a large majority of USPS revenues is from Amazon and Ebay sellers using the USPS large padded envelope first class mail service. If Amazon decides to provide this mail service themselves, you can say goodbye to the USPS.

Furthermore, I see an opening for Uber or Lyft to multitask their drivers. Why not have these Uber drivers start delivering snail mail? They could pick up and deliver riders and on the side they could simultaneously be delivering mail.

 

[KenH]

Several European countries have privatized their mail services. Perhaps we can examine how they did it and do something similar.

"The Netherlands privatized its postal company in the 1990s and then opened postal markets to competition in 2009. Britain opened postal markets to competition in 2006 and privatized the Royal Mail with share offerings in 2013 and 2015. Some countries, such as Austria and Italy, have sold shares in portions of their national postal companies.

Germany began privatizing Deutsche Post with a stock offering in 2000 and opened its postal markets to competition in 2008."

Restructuring the U.S. Postal Service

 

[just-want-peace]

Interesting c

Several European countries have privatized their mail services. Perhaps we can examine how they did it and do something similar.

"The Netherlands privatized its postal company in the 1990s and then opened postal markets to competition in 2009. Britain opened postal markets to competition in 2006 and privatized the Royal Mail with share offerings in 2013 and 2015. Some countries, such as Austria and Italy, have sold shares in portions of their national postal companies.

Germany began privatizing Deutsche Post with a stock offering in 2000 and opened its postal markets to competition in 2008."

Restructuring the U.S. Postal Service

Interesting concept, but out of curiosity how can you compare the SIZE of these country's postal service with that of the US?
I would think that just the scope of the USPS would create problems that are non-existent in these much smaller countries -- yes,-- no?

 

[InTheLight]

Several European countries have privatized their mail services. Perhaps we can examine how they did it and do something similar.

"The Netherlands privatized its postal company in the 1990s and then opened postal markets to competition in 2009. Britain opened postal markets to competition in 2006 and privatized the Royal Mail with share offerings in 2013 and 2015. Some countries, such as Austria and Italy, have sold shares in portions of their national postal companies.

Germany began privatizing Deutsche Post with a stock offering in 2000 and opened its postal markets to competition in 2008."

Restructuring the U.S. Postal Service

How?

How was it done?

Did the postal service sell assets to a private company?

If you are going to privatize something, someone has to take ownership of it. That means assets need to be sold and bought. Typically this is a private company. I want some nitty-gritty details on how this would be accomplished, not a simple, "privatize the postal service."

A problem I see is that no one would want to own the USPS.

 

[Revmitchell]

I have a church member who recently retired from the post office. He said one of the primary reasons the post office is struggling is they are required to have 75 years of retirement benefits already set aside and to be used for nothing else. This need to keep this surplus in advance depletes the post office.

 

[InTheLight]

I have a church member who recently retired from the post office. He said one of the primary reasons the post office is struggling is they are required to have 75 years of retirement benefits already set aside and to be used for nothing else. This need to keep this surplus in advance depletes the post office.

Precisely right. And who wants to purchase the failing pension plan of a government entity?

 

[Adonia]

"Mail volumes are falling and the U.S. Postal Service is losing billions of dollars a year while accumulating large liabilities.

...

What’s the solution? I testified to Congress that the USPS should be privatized and postal markets opened to competition. Those reforms would give the USPS the flexibility it needs to cut costs, diversify, and innovate, while creating equal tax and regulatory treatment of businesses across postal and package markets."

The U.S. Postal Service Is Dying. Here Is How We Can Save It.

We should not save it, we should get rid of it! Only a quasi - government operation could operate like this, constantly in the red and continually requesting increases. Put a fork in it - it's done!

 

[church mouse guy]

Interesting c

Interesting concept, but out of curiosity how can you compare the SIZE of these country's postal service with that of the US?
I would think that just the scope of the USPS would create problems that are non-existent in these much smaller countries -- yes,-- no?

That's the problem! The cost of delivering to isolated rural areas

If I ordered something from Amazon, it would be stolen.

I am sick of junk mail. It goes directly in the garbage. The Post Office should raise prices on junk mail. Is there no way to get off the junk mail list?

 

[just-want-peace]

That's the problem! The cost of delivering to isolated rural areas

If I ordered something from Amazon, it would be stolen.

I am sick of junk mail. It goes directly in the garbage. The Post Office should raise prices on junk mail. Is there no way to get off the junk mail list?

Agree totally!
Junk mail is the printed equivalent of digital robo phone calls!