Quote:
Originally Posted by chenvt
I'll still use them because they're the most cost effective.. However, they need to treat it more like a private corporation than a government entity. For example, stop making it free for federal use. Federal agencies get budgets, make them pay for their use of the postal service. Non profits too.
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The USPS is a private corporation. Actually, it's a public corporation. Or neither. It's the only entity that operates the way they are forced to operate (that I know of), and it's way screwed up. But it works.
The goverment does not own them, but they are forced to operate by guidelines that are set by the government.
They take those guidelines and do the best they can to not turn a profit. For many, many years they operated in the black, mainly because of their volume. That surplus kept rate hikes from happening. With the advent of email, they've taken huge shortages in volume and have really wrestled to stay solvent. The rise in fuel costs put a beating on them, too.
Problem is, when they need a rate hike, they have to go to Congress to get it approved. Usually it's too late, because they have to operate to a non-profit budget, and they're always heavily in the red before they can get a rate increase passed. Then they need another rate increase by the time the last one passes.
The good thing about this structure is that the same congress who dictates the crappy rules to which they operate
also happen to be the ones who decide if there's mail on Saturdays.
Right there is your answer as to whether it'll ever happen. I can't imagine there's a congress member who's willing to vote that they don't get mail on Saturday.
I'll put ten bucks on Saturday mail staying just the way it is.
