Bailout for the Post Office

I just heard a news report that the postal service has asked for a $89 billion dollar bailout. If they don't receive this money, their spokesperson claims the US postal service may close down September 1, 2020.
The government has refused their request for $89 billion dollars, instead offering them $10 billion dollars as a loan. They don't like the loan idea.
My thoughts on this: I believe the US Postal service is deserving of a bailout. They are an essential service. What do you folks think?

 

of course bail them out.

what would we do without mail?

 

Email

 

Email is not private. Personal mail is private.

 

not everyone has email.

everyone has a mail box

 

That's true.

 

Everyone has access to public computers and wifi. Everyone can have email. No need to spend trillions on a failing organization. Especially since it's just the extreme elderly that still use snail mail. There won't be snail mail eventually.

 

You're right. No one else can open your mailbox and take a letter. It's too private...lol

 

ok so Trump should propose a new digital mail system

 

There already is a very simple one in place. It's called "email". Happy to help you figure out how it works.

 

Encrypted email is private. Governments have been steaming open letters for over a hundred years. It is much less private.

 

Homeless people don't have mailboxes.

 

The USPS, while I feel has some benefits, is a poor financial risk. Even during the best of economic times, they lose money.

Times have changed. Perhaps it's time to move on.

https://www.gao.gov/key_issues/us_postal_service_financial_viability/issue_summary

 

The only thing that the post office does right now that would need to be figured out is communication with the IRS. Other than that even your less techie like me is already on automatic payment for most things and pay and receive credit card statements on line. The usefulness of the post office is simply not there. If it wasn't for junk mail most people would get little to no mail. This reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Kramer tries to stop the mail.

 

I am not extreme elderly and I still use snail mail. I enjoy sending birthday and Christmas cards to my relatives. Sometimes I'll even write an old fashioned letter.
We still need the US postal service---for those who cannot get to a public computer and don't have a personal computer.

 

Nobody can look into your email either, huh?

 

Homeless people don't have computers either.

 

Ups, fed ex.

How about selling the postal service?
Seems better than closing it.

 

I will never go paperless with my billing statements unless I'm forced to. I still get all my statements in the mail, then pay by automatic debit.

 

I hear some government folks want to privatize it. Is that what you mean?

 

Ninety-nine percent of all postal mail is advertisement. Let UPS and Fed Ex take over. They are fast and reliable and competitive. To hell with the U.S. post office.

Of course the main problem is that we are required by law to have a U.S. postal service in some form.

 

They can use the ones in the library. Duh.

 

MEDS, come by way of PS. Those in rural areas, will NOT be served by PRIVATIZED PS. You will not get anything, as provate company is NOT compelled to serve you. You will be DROPPED. You do not make them money. That is WHY the PS is sucking, THEY have to serve you.

 

Truth is, Trump is trying to make the PS raise prices a LOT. This will disadvantage internet sales. Therby leveling brick and mortar. Right now ebay does not save much, soon, it will not make sense, unless you cant get it any other way.

 

If the post office cannot survive in a time that people are ordering online like no other time in our past, when can they survive?

It seems that private shipping companies do just fine and don't need hand outs so let's just move on.