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green73
02-06-2013, 07:57 AM
The U.S. Postal Service will stop delivering mail on Saturdays but continue to deliver packages six days a week under a plan aimed at saving about $2 billion annually, the financially struggling agency says.

In an announcement scheduled for later Wednesday, the service is expected to say the Saturday mail cutback would begin in August.

The move accentuates one of the agency's strong points — package delivery has increased by 14 percent since 2010, officials say, while the delivery of letters and other mail has declined with the increasing use of email and other Internet services.

Under the new plan, mail would be delivered to homes and businesses only from Monday through Friday, but would still be delivered to post office boxes on Saturdays. Post offices now open on Saturdays would remain open on Saturdays.

cont
http://news.yahoo.com/postal-cut-saturday-mail-trim-costs-121746412.html;_ylt=A2KJ3Cd6VxJRwmwAmErQtDMD

otherone
02-06-2013, 08:01 AM
Now it's Spooner's time to shine!

BAllen
02-06-2013, 08:16 AM
I know it's in the Constitution, but mail service really sux.

kathy88
02-06-2013, 08:17 AM
I know it's in the Constitution, but mail service really sux.

I know it's in the Constitution, but due process really sux.

Bruehound
02-06-2013, 08:25 AM
They could cut residential delivery to 2 days a week and I wouldn't notice and people would adjust accordingly. Legalizing competition in residential delivery would fill the void. Good riddance to the USPS

V3n
02-06-2013, 08:27 AM
If I could 'unsubscribe' from mail, I would.

kathy88
02-06-2013, 08:29 AM
I'm gonna go on the other side of this argument. I am no fan of the USPS, but it is one of the few things the Federal Government is supposed to be involved in. I think this is a good talking point. They have to cut postal delivery which is authorized by the Constitution, in order to pay for all the programs that are NOT.

XNavyNuke
02-06-2013, 09:09 AM
There was a time (before Ben Franklin) when the colonies had private subscription mail service that operated outside that of the official British Crown postal service. The Sons of Liberty didn't care for the idea of having their correspondence potentially intercepted and read by agents of His Majesty.

Mr. Goddard' s Proposal for establishing an American Post Office (http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/amarch/getdoc.pl?/var/lib/philologic/databases/amarch/.562)

Its quite ironic that the 2nd Continental Congress put us back on the path of government monopoly post when they specifically knew the dangers of a tyrannical government controlling the flow of information.

XNN

Henry Rogue
02-06-2013, 09:26 AM
I'm gonna go on the other side of this argument. I am no fan of the USPS, but it is one of the few things the Federal Government is supposed to be involved in. I think this is a good talking point. They have to cut postal delivery which is authorized by the Constitution, in order to pay for all the programs that are NOT.
The USPS employees I've encountered were friendly and courteous. As long as they don't start invading peoples homes, shooting and arresting people, I am a fan. Having said that, I think it's possible to have a Constitutional mandate yet allow for competition. I read some where once, that originally the USPS did not deliver mail to people's residence. Instead people picked up their mail at the Post Office. Some enterprising person created a business picking up mail from the Post Office and delivered it to people's homes for a fee. People in power did not like this so they made it illegal and the USPS started delivering mail to people's homes. Although I think it should be allowed to fail and shrink into insignificance if that is what the market demands. Why prop up a failed business?

I guess it depends on whether the Postal service is veiwed as a government agency funded by taxpayer dollars or a government operated business that earn a profit through user fees (stamps).

Michael Landon
02-06-2013, 09:52 AM
I don't have time to address this right now, but as a letter carrier with the USPS I plan on replying to this later with my perspective. The media and the upper management of the Postal Service don't always tell the public everything. This is a bandaid on a bullet hole.

- ML

Matt Collins
02-06-2013, 10:30 AM
I know it's in the Constitution, but mail service really sux.
There are a few problems -

Yes it's Constitutional, but it's not liberty oriented. Why should the government be in business or sanction any business?

That being said, I wouldn't be so annoyed with it IF they were not granted a monopoly on first class mail :mad: As Ron says "legalize competition" and you'll see the USPS shape up in a hurry.

There are other internal problems too. Congress has mandated that the USPS is not allowed to charge distance for their delivery of letters. That means mailing a letter across the street pays as much as mailing a letter to Barrow, Alaska.

And of course then there is the unions who put a stranglehold on a lot of what the USPS does.