The Post Office ever did well?? Ever since I can remember they’ve been crying “broke” and raising postage, and since I’m in my mid-fifties that’s quite a bit of time to remember them being broke.
We’d better stop while we’re ahead here or this will turn into a rant about the mail system and we’ll forget this is a cartoon.
I think besides the economy the biggest problem the mail system has now is the internet, same as for newspapers. People don’t write letters when they can email, they send e-cards rather than paper cards, and you can pay your bills online.
If you think the postal system here is bad, take a look at how “efficiently” the mail is delievered in some other countries. Italy and Mexico come to mind…in Rome it’s generally acknowledged that if you want to be certain that a letter or package will reach the U.S., be sure to mail it from the Vatican City post office, as it’s outside of the Italian postal system.
not to mention the fact that 44 cents is still , by far , the lowest 1st class letter postage than in most industrialize countries in the world..
and when it was 3 cents to send a letter, it was stabilized for a long time because until 1971, the post office dept. was subsidized by taxes……since then , its all from postage rate revenue
I’m not saying 44 cents is a bad deal. But volume of stamped mail in the system is down to 1964 levels for many reasons, as Macushlalondra said– email and texting have joined with long-time competitor (but now cheaper than before) the telephone to knock down personal correspondence. Even e-cards have an effect. But it’s billing and bill-paying by mail– with growing e-pay competition– and mail advertising especially that are sliding. UPS and FedEx have both eroded the POs share of package delivery for years.
Meanwhile USPS is currently cutting staff, offering early retirement to about 150,000 workers, and cutting another 3,000 jobs, and looking to cut outlying locations altogether. Longer lines are expected even as business drops. A five day delivery schedule is mentioned. It’s all better than it could be and better than elsewhere, but I still think working for the US Postal System is not the plum job it was. I’m not presenting this as a rant– I’ll reserve that for another time and subject– just as another sign of changing times. Personally, I love getting mail.
I am in my 60s. I think the US Postal Service is one of the most efficient and necessary government institutions we have. Actually, it is not, and for many years has not been, exactly a government institution. It no longer receives federal subsidies as it did for most of its existence. Yet we still expect it to do exactly what it did when Congress supported it with subsidies. We need to get real. You think UPS or FedEx would send a letter from Maine to Hawaii, or to military AP addresses, for 44 cents? They would not. And they certainly would not deliver it on Saturday. And as soon as a route got unprofitable, they would drop it and you no longer could get the baby pics, etc., to your Internet-challenged grandma in Hootenholler, Tennessee.
I have never worked for the Postal Service nor have any of my immediate relatives.
The internet is a boon to package delivery service - people order stuff online. USPS does have competitive package rates for individuals, but UPS, FedEx, etc, negotiate deals with big online stores. I’ve never seen an online store that delivered via USPS.
axe-grinder over 15 years ago
The Post Office is another institution, like the local newspaper and General Motors, that isn’t doing as well as it once did.
mjmsprt40 over 15 years ago
The Post Office ever did well?? Ever since I can remember they’ve been crying “broke” and raising postage, and since I’m in my mid-fifties that’s quite a bit of time to remember them being broke.
We’d better stop while we’re ahead here or this will turn into a rant about the mail system and we’ll forget this is a cartoon.
alondra over 15 years ago
I think besides the economy the biggest problem the mail system has now is the internet, same as for newspapers. People don’t write letters when they can email, they send e-cards rather than paper cards, and you can pay your bills online.
stringmusicianer over 15 years ago
The question at the post office hits home. You get it no matter where you are, even if you are in a fictional post office!
BigGrouch over 15 years ago
I think being able to send something 3000 miles away for 44 cents is a bargain.
DavidBugea over 15 years ago
If you think the postal system here is bad, take a look at how “efficiently” the mail is delievered in some other countries. Italy and Mexico come to mind…in Rome it’s generally acknowledged that if you want to be certain that a letter or package will reach the U.S., be sure to mail it from the Vatican City post office, as it’s outside of the Italian postal system.
Nighthawks Premium Member over 15 years ago
not to mention the fact that 44 cents is still , by far , the lowest 1st class letter postage than in most industrialize countries in the world.. and when it was 3 cents to send a letter, it was stabilized for a long time because until 1971, the post office dept. was subsidized by taxes……since then , its all from postage rate revenue
stringmusicianer over 15 years ago
I can’t think of much else you can get for 44 cents.
axe-grinder over 15 years ago
I’m not saying 44 cents is a bad deal. But volume of stamped mail in the system is down to 1964 levels for many reasons, as Macushlalondra said– email and texting have joined with long-time competitor (but now cheaper than before) the telephone to knock down personal correspondence. Even e-cards have an effect. But it’s billing and bill-paying by mail– with growing e-pay competition– and mail advertising especially that are sliding. UPS and FedEx have both eroded the POs share of package delivery for years.
Meanwhile USPS is currently cutting staff, offering early retirement to about 150,000 workers, and cutting another 3,000 jobs, and looking to cut outlying locations altogether. Longer lines are expected even as business drops. A five day delivery schedule is mentioned. It’s all better than it could be and better than elsewhere, but I still think working for the US Postal System is not the plum job it was. I’m not presenting this as a rant– I’ll reserve that for another time and subject– just as another sign of changing times. Personally, I love getting mail.
NotFromIceland over 15 years ago
I am in my 60s. I think the US Postal Service is one of the most efficient and necessary government institutions we have. Actually, it is not, and for many years has not been, exactly a government institution. It no longer receives federal subsidies as it did for most of its existence. Yet we still expect it to do exactly what it did when Congress supported it with subsidies. We need to get real. You think UPS or FedEx would send a letter from Maine to Hawaii, or to military AP addresses, for 44 cents? They would not. And they certainly would not deliver it on Saturday. And as soon as a route got unprofitable, they would drop it and you no longer could get the baby pics, etc., to your Internet-challenged grandma in Hootenholler, Tennessee. I have never worked for the Postal Service nor have any of my immediate relatives.
stuart over 15 years ago
The internet is a boon to package delivery service - people order stuff online. USPS does have competitive package rates for individuals, but UPS, FedEx, etc, negotiate deals with big online stores. I’ve never seen an online store that delivered via USPS.
axe-grinder over 15 years ago
I am thankful for the postal service, and hope they will be able to adapt– like all of us need to– as the ground beneath our feet continues to shift.
Durak Premium Member over 15 years ago
Ain’t we all, NotNorman?
burt4380 over 15 years ago
Finally catching up on GA after Amarillo Daily News dropped it. after fifty plus years!
mike48 over 15 years ago
the post office dosen’t even have the wanted posters any more