USPS wants to hike stamp prices in July. It's just the beginning of a plan to raise prices at 'an un

[In It to Win It]

I read this article earlier today. When I read articles about the financial struggles of the postal service and the goal of making the postal service self-sufficient, it grinds my gears and it riles me up. The postal service SHOULD NOT be on a financial island of its own. It is a public service provided by the government. We don't require public services to be profitable, and self sufficient, and be by their lonesome. The postal service is a low cost service that everyone is entitled to. It is not a for-profit business. The postal service should not have to completely fund itself. There should never be complaints about how unprofitable the postal service is because it should be the government's job to ensure it is adequately funded in any scenario. Sure, the postal service can be ran more efficiently. However, there are certain aspects of the postal service that will be inherently inefficient and there is no possible way to make those aspects more efficient because EVERYONE is entitled to the service it provides. It has to serve everyone. It should be subsidized by us, the public, whenever necessary because it is for our benefit.

Link to tweet

The U.S. Postal Service is expected to increase prices in July, raising the cost of a Forever stamp from 58 cents to 60 cents. And that may not be the only price hike in the near future.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said May 5 he expected the Postal Service to continue to raise prices "at an uncomfortable rate" until the agency becomes self-sufficient.

The USPS proposed the rate increase a month ago, on April 6, the same day President Biden signed the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, legislation meant to bolster the agency, which has faced financial challenges as well as stiff competition from shippers such FedEx and UPS.

[AlexSFCA]

1. they should, inflation is high, stamps maybe the only thing you can buy for less than a dollar

[In It to Win It]

3. I have no opinion on whether should raise the price of stamps. My beef is the

“self sufficient” part. Self sufficiency (which I interpret as “profitability”) for the post office should not be the goal.

[CurtEastPoint]

2. they should raise prices on JUNK MAIL.

[nini]

6. That's where they make a lot of money

Junk mail is presorted and doesn’t require as much work to get delivered - even if it is annoying.

[In It to Win It]

7. Yes, and if I recall correctly, packages are profitable as well

What’s unprofitable is that USPS is obligated to deliver to everyone, including the remote and rural areas that are not profitable to deliver mail to. That will always be a massively unprofitable aspect of the USPS. That aspect can’t ever be self sufficient. That’s why the big logistics companies usually avoid those areas.

[nini]

10. Agreed

It’s a tough situation

[PoliticAverse]

22. The USPS has a legal monopoly in first-class mail. It was challenged in court and upheld. n/t

[Thomas Hurt]

9. This! Worst that could happen is, I have less of that crap in my mailbox.

[PSPS]

13. Bulk mail subsidized regular mail.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

15. Especially non-profit rates.

I worked in Bulk Mail in the past and I can tell you non-profit rates are dirt-cheap compared to first class. And one mailer that mails non-profit in the millions of pieces nationally is Hillsdale College. I am sure other progressives are familiar with their junk mail. One look at its contents will reveal instantly it is a bunch of right-wing horseshit.

[DET]

19. Make It Stop

I get daily emails from Hillsdale College. I have no idea why. Didn’t even know who they were until I started getting these emails. I unsubscribed, but they just keep coming. It’s really offensive.

[VarryOn]

4. If you put a gun to my head, I couldn't tell you the price...

Of a stamp. We used to buy a book of stamps every few weeks. Now, it's like once year. Hell, we go 2-3 days without going to the mailbox. I do think my wife is a top customer of UPS and FedEx, though. Our next house will have a loading dock!

[In It to Win It]

5. I couldn't tell you the price of a stamp either. I don't send letters and the few times I send

packages through the post office, unless the recipient is paying for it and they want to use UPS or FedEx, because it’s the cheapest option and they get the job done.

[VarryOn]

11. I send a few packages and nearly always use FedEx...

Their stores are much more convenient around here.

[keithbvadu2]

8. DeJoy's new plan for USPS: Slower mail and higher prices, sources say ... Feb 2021

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142694437 ... Feb 2021

DeJoy's new plan for USPS: Slower mail and higher prices, sources say

Self-serving sycophant of Trump with a goal of sabotaging the PO for two reasons: his own gain and loyalty to Trump.

Destroying mail sorting machines and going back to manual labor.

Surely there must be a cost-benefit analysis to make such a business decision. Let's see it.

[PSPS]

14. Drop an envelope and have it delivered to any address in the country for 60 cents is a bargain

[PoliticAverse]

16. So in other words, you want the government to subsidize Amazon.com's deliveries?

And if you think mailing a letter costs a lot in the US, just check the price to mail a letter in other countries.

[In It to Win It]

18. Correct me if I'm wrong but Amazon pays USPS for deliveries and that deal was also profitable

for the USPS. Regardless of that, USPS is a government entity that provides a public service, a cheap (to users) and universal public service. In many rural and remote areas, it would be the only way for people to get Amazon packages, assuming they used Amazon of course.

My point has nothing to do with Amazon. My focus is on people, regular everyday people. People still use the mail, obviously, not as much as they did before the information age. Millions of people still rely on the postal service. Many government agencies, including state government entities, still rely on the postal service. When the goal becomes profitability, the goal of providing a public service to people comes second to profitability.

[PoliticAverse]

20. The USPS is not looking for profitability, it is looking to stop losing money.

If you think even the raised USPS rates are expensive, look at postal rates all over the rest of the world (all run by governments).

[In It to Win It]

23. Stop losing money equals breaking even or being profitable

That goal should come second to providing a public service. That's all I'm saying.

I didn't touch on whether I think rates are expensive. I have no opinion of that.

[roamer65]

17. My cost is around 30-35 cents.

A lot of coin and stamp shops sell the uncancelled post-WW2 stamps for 50-60 cents on the dollar. The bottom has mostly fallen out of stamp collecting.

Letters from me are a colorful affair.

[PoliticAverse]

21. And people thought they'd always be worth at least the amount of postage...

thank goodness there's still Beanie Babies to collect.

[roamer65]

24. LOL.

True.