Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan In this recession, everything is taking a hit ... >>Massive deficits could force the post office to cut out one day of mail delivery, the postmaster general told Congress on Wednesday, in asking lawmakers to lift the requirement that the agency deliver mail six days a week. If the change happens, that doesn't necessarily mean an end to Saturday mail delivery. Previous post office studies have looked at the possibility of skipping some other day when mail flow is light, such as Tuesday.<< <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090128/ap_on_go_ot/meltdown_post_office" target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200...t_office</a>
Originally Posted By mawnck Wow ... a government official who's telling it like it is. Let's see how loud the squealing gets.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Five day a week delivery would be fine with me. 90% of what we get in the mail is junk-mail anyway. Almost all of our personal communication is via e-mail and we pay all of our bills online. That cut in service would be very painless.
Originally Posted By alexbook I wonder how this will affect businesses that use the mail? The postal service has been losing the battle for business mail to UPS and FedEx for years. Seems like this would send the signal that they're giving up the fight entirely.
Originally Posted By Mr X Is the mail even relevant anymore? Why do we have a government office for it? Japan recently privatized. America should do the same.
Originally Posted By alexbook It's not exactly a government office. It's a private corporation wholly owned by the government. Weird, huh? And yes, it's still relevant. I don't know what the current statistics are, but there's still a lot of business conducted on paper. Yes, the on-line world is taking over, but it hasn't entirely taken over yet.
Originally Posted By mele Everytime I go to the local post office, I stand in line for at least 15 minutes. It's always busy.
Originally Posted By Sara Tonin And no one on the other side of the counter seems to be in much of a rush.
Originally Posted By alexbook I dunno. At my post office, the clerks seem to be doing as well as they can, considering they're heavily outnumbered.
Originally Posted By markymouse Tell me the library will close one day a week and I'' grudgingly accept it. Tell me our national parks will only be open Friday through Sunday and I'll complain. Tell me the school year will end a month early and I'll try to do something about it. But having to wait till Wednesday to recycle my junk mail. Go for it. Here are a few suggestions I have for better ways the government can tighten the belt in these tough times: Install a meter on Yosemite Falls. Insert $5 to turn on the falls for 2 minutes. Police to work only six days a week. Bad guys on the honor system the other day. Replace medicare with a 800 number recording of a junior high gym teacher telling you to walk it off. George W. Bush Library to feature a dunking booth. Dunk Condoleeza for $2, but Carl Rove or Don Rumsfeld will cost you $10. Air Force One to be sold on eBay. Oh, wait, I think someone already tried something like that. Replace costly War on Terror with an invitation to Al Qaeda to go quail hunting with Dick Cheney. Replace expensive nuclear nonproliferation agencies with a single modest per diem - "I can see Russia's missiles from my house." Embrace the Clinton-era single payer health plan. Choose someone in another country to be the single payer. Ease up on demands that schools make expensive improvements by making "No Child Left Behind" into more attainable "Lots of Children Left Behind But Just This Once". To streamline the economic bailout, replace inefficient Congressional approval process with a phone call to the "Can I Afford It?" segment of the Suze Orman Show. And for those of us in California, Open a new revenue stream by requiring the Governor to do birthday parties - "I'll be back ... after Little Timmy blows out the candles!" Enforce intellectual property rights on the California Dream. Charge every Californian $2.99 per dream - $1.99 per aspiration, 99 cents per vague yearning. To reverse the stream of workers leaving California, require Silicon Valley companies to replace casual Fridays with wet tee shirt Fridays. and finally Boost tourism revenue by replacing California's boring state motto "Eureka" with the more enticing "2 Dollar Domestic Draft Every Tuesday".
Originally Posted By avromark <- Has had 5 day a week (No Weekends) mail service for my entire life. I'm gonna guess we'll cut down to 4-day service.
Originally Posted By mele <,Ease up on demands that schools make expensive improvements by making "No Child Left Behind" into more attainable "Lots of Children Left Behind But Just This Once".>> Ha!
Originally Posted By retlawfan I would not have a problem with no Saturday delivery. As a business owner, not having Tuesday delivery, would mean a day that I would not get be able to receive payment from my customers. I think this would be bad for business. If we do go to no Saturday mail delivery, I wonder if the banking industry will go the same way to save money?
Originally Posted By Mr X ***I would not have a problem with no Saturday delivery. As a business owner, not having Tuesday delivery, would mean a day that I would not get be able to receive payment from my customers.*** Do you really rely on a large percentage of customers sending checks through the mail? I'm surprised (not at you personally, but I would think most people would have updated their methods by now...checks aren't even necessary in this day and age!).
Originally Posted By avromark Next thing you know you'll tell me to bank online and use ATM's and debit. BTW do they really think calling your credit card Platinum they're making it sound like it's some great privilege? 50k min income. Yeah huge exclusivity there. Then again I guess McDonalds is 5 star dining. Not all countries are lucky enough to only have 1 day a week no mail service. No all cities are lucky enough to have weekly garbage removal either now.
Originally Posted By alexbook >>***I would not have a problem with no Saturday delivery. As a business owner, not having Tuesday delivery, would mean a day that I would not get be able to receive payment from my customers.*** Do you really rely on a large percentage of customers sending checks through the mail? I'm surprised (not at you personally, but I would think most people would have updated their methods by now...checks aren't even necessary in this day and age!).<< Millions of Americans can't get checking accounts. (One article I read said 90 million Americans are "bankless.") Large numbers of them pay their bills by purchasing money orders and sending them through the mail.
