Why I hate the post office

On February 11, 2009, someone posted a rant about the Post Office to a message board.

Someone else wrote:

While I miss the vending machines, the reasons for their removal are quite rational. Much pressure has been put on the USPS to contain costs. The vending machines were identified as a major cost loser, due to malfunctions, servicing, etc. So they went.

The USPS went through a major reorganization 2 years ago concerning how to recover costs and make the USPS pay for itself. Now annual increases are built in. In the free market, a business that raises fees and cuts services would be out of business in short order. But the USPS monopoly is protected by the Feds. They've lost most of their package business. It's a badly run organization. And, BTW, Obama wants to cut out Saturday mail deliveries, even though they get Federal holidays. It's crazy.

But, what alternatives are there? I want to send something to my sister, or my cousin in Singapore. How do I do it?

On the 13th I responded with this:

I think you made some good points, but I wanted to comment on this line. It wasn't Obama's idea, but why do you want to keep Saturday delivery?

I don't have much experience with shipping, but the USPS claims to have the lowest prices.

Would a private company be capable of delivering letters to every household?

Here is an article talking about some of the problems the USPS is facing:

The link to Iron Mountain Daily News is no longer active.  On the 22nd I wrote another comment:

My uncle is a mailman and I was talking to him today about the financial situation of the Post Office. He doesn't think the 5-day policy will be implemented and if it does the day off will not be Saturday. He said the real problem has to do with pre-funding healthcare benefits for future retirees. He said in 2006 a bill was passed that the fund had to be full within 8 years. He said the USPS is the only place that is required to pre-fund and he said the private companies that do it usually spread the cost over 30, 40 or 50 years. He said if the USPS was allowed to wait that long it would cut their costs by a few billion each year. He thinks the 5-day workweek is a smokescreen and this other plan is what the Post Office is really hoping for.