Japan Privatizes Post Office

[zynner]

Japan has just privatized its government postal service.

My prediction: Within 5 years, Japan will have the most efficient postal system in the world.

Also: If the Japanese government continues these kinds of reforms, their economy will finally get out of its 15-year decline and become a world leader again. Maybe that's why their stock market has been going up lately while ours has been flat and appears headed lower.

The USA should follow Japan's footsteps on this one.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051014/..._postal_reform

[bishop]

what's so inefficient about our postal service?

someone mailed me a package from california on the 11th and i received it on the 12th (i'm in boston)... i know when i got the package, i was definitely cursing about how inefficient that damn national postal service is..

[tman_ndsu08]

what's so inefficient about our postal service?

someone mailed me a package from california on the 11th and i received it on the 12th (i'm in boston)... i know when i got the package, i was definitely cursing about how inefficient that damn national postal service is..

Uhhh...yeah I could get you a package that fast if you gave me enough money.


IE, the USPS works fine...but at far too great a price.

[bishop]

how about cutting the billions in wasteful pork spending before privatizing an essential service? maybe then, we won't have to allocate some 15% of our budget towards servicing our massive national debt.

federal spending is about 20% of gdp.. spending on the postal service is about 0.75% of gdp...

privatize the postal service and federal spending will be 19.25% of gdp.. what a huge improvement indeed.

[tman_ndsu08]

how about cutting the billions in wasteful pork spending before privatizing an essential service? maybe then, we won't have to allocate some 15% of our budget towards servicing our massive national debt.

federal spending is about 20% of gdp.. spending on the postal service is about 0.75% of gdp...

privatize the postal service and federal spending will be 19.25% of gdp.. what a huge improvement indeed.

Obviously the USPS is not an essential service.

Email and FedEx/UPS already run the show. The USPS is a legacy fossil that can't die soon enough.

[bishop]

Obviously the USPS is not an essential service.

how do you deduce this exactly?

do you send granny her birthday card via fedex? paying over $3 in postage?? do you mail any letters using either fedex or ups - or do you stick a $0.35 stamp on it and stick it in the mailbox??

ridiculous...

i have to use it to pay my rent.. pretty important to be able to pay my rent.. paying $0.35 in postage sure as hell beats $3+ for fedex/ups..

[tman_ndsu08]

how do you deduce this exactly?

Because email and Fed Ex/UPS run the show.

do you send granny her birthday card via fedex? paying over $3 in postage?? do you mail any letters using either fedex or ups - or do you stick a $0.35 stamp on it and stick it in the mailbox??

ridiculous...

i have to use it to pay my rent.. pretty important to be able to pay my rent.. paying $0.35 in postage sure as hell beats $3+ for fedex/ups..

The fact that you spend $3 on a card when she would more than likely appriciate a call from you (you know, so she can actually hear your voice) more than a material item is what's ridiculus.

But you're probably way too busy to actually call her, of course. And god forbid if she ever got you on the phone, you wouldn't know what to say.


Taking billions from the tax payers and wasting it on the USPS so people can send birthday cards is NOT an essential service.

[bishop]

actually professor, i do BOTH...

being able to pay my rent, without having to spend over $3 for fedex/ups is a pretty big deal.. especially for everyone who does have to mail their rent check somewhere.

[tman_ndsu08]

actually professor, i do BOTH...

being able to pay my rent, without having to spend over $3 for fedex/ups is a pretty big deal.. especially for everyone who does have to mail their rent check somewhere.

If you're so worried about paying the rent then you need to stop buying $3 cards and sign up for online bill paying!

Then there would be no need for me to subsidize your card sending ways.

[bishop]

heh.. this coming from someone who can't even read/comprehend.. do me a favor and show me where i said that this hypothetical card cost $3... please, show me.

the POSTAGE would cost $3 if i had to use another service other than usps...

i'm not sure about anyone else here who rents, but online bill payments (FOR RENTAL FEES - emphasized lest your inability to read/comprehend snag you a second time) aren't available.. there's no other option than sending the check via mail.


heh.. all this complaining for a valuable service whose spending pales in comparison to all the other wasteful (and useless) federal spending.

[zynner]

bishop,

Do you realize that Congress has passed laws making it illegal to compete directly with the USPS except for what FedEx and others do? A letter sent across town can only be delivered by the USPS -- by law.

So, you really have no idea what price it could be or what the service could be like. Maybe it would only cost 10 cents. Hell, maybe some innovative company would put advertising on your letter and deliver it for free. Are you saying you don't want poor people to have free mail?

The real question is: When you absolutely, positively, must get a package somewhere overnight, do you use FedEx or USPS? Now that is something where you are comparing apples to apples because there is competition, unlike regular mail. Try going to a Mail Box Etc. type place sometime and tell them you need to get a package overnight. Do they suggest the USPS as the best alternative? They will laugh in your face.

Without any competition for "regular" mail, you have no way of knowing what it would actually be like. Maybe the mail could be delivered twice a day to businesses, or to residences on Sundays and holidays. Maybe you could walk in to send a package and not have to wait 20 minutes in line. You just don't know because there is no free market.

Plus, there are all sorts of hidden costs in that USPS stamp. Government workers get paid government pensions and that is not factored into that stamp. Any time the USPS has any sort of financial trouble, it gets more cash like magic. *Poof* That is not factored into the price of that stamp. So, it actually costs more than you think and you have no idea what it could actually be like.

~ zynner

[bishop]

bishop,

Do you realize that Congress has passed laws making it illegal to compete directly with the USPS except for what FedEx and others do? A letter sent across town can only be delivered by the USPS -- by law.

So, you really have no idea what price it could be or what the service could be like. Maybe it would only cost 10 cents. Hell, maybe some innovative company would put advertising on your letter and deliver it for free. Are you saying you don't want poor people to have free mail?

The real question is: When you absolutely, positively, must get a package somewhere overnight, do you use FedEx or USPS? Now that is something where you are comparing apples to apples because there is competition, unlike regular mail. Try going to a Mail Box Etc. type place sometime and tell them you need to get a package overnight. Do they suggest the USPS as the best alternative? They will laugh in your face.

Without any competition for "regular" mail, you have no way of knowing what it would actually be like. Maybe the mail could be delivered twice a day to businesses, or to residences on Sundays and holidays. Maybe you could walk in to send a package and not have to wait 20 minutes in line. You just don't know because there is no free market.

Plus, there are all sorts of hidden costs in that USPS stamp. Government workers get paid government pensions and that is not factored into that stamp. Any time the USPS has any sort of financial trouble, it gets more cash like magic. *Poof* That is not factored into the price of that stamp. So, it actually costs more than you think and you have no idea what it could actually be like.

~ zynner

i don't disagree that there is A LOT that can be improved at the usps.. but, it's national network works to ensure that mail can be delivered efficiently. yes, there are instances where mail gets lost, long lines, etc. - what place doesn't have such problems??? overall, the service works extremely well. lots of businesses also depend on this system - all the private ebay and small online retailers for example.