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.aske
Joined: 24 Oct 2012
Posts: 231
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 Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:15 am Post subject: |
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| NWN PROD wrote: | | The retarded increase in postage is due to this specific law being implented. |
That would be a viable argument if the postage rates remained steady from the inception of the USPS to the creation of this act. However, that's not the case. |
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grimalkin
Joined: 09 May 2006
Posts: 184
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:17 am Post subject: |
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| Look at percentage rate increases over time before and after the act was passed. That's how to judge the validity of the argument. |
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NWN PROD
Joined: 10 May 2006
Posts: 13724
Location: SF Bay Area
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:19 am Post subject: |
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Have you heard of inflation? Of course they will increase prices over the course of years. The retarded increase that occured in the past few years is a direct result of this law being passed.
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.aske
Joined: 24 Oct 2012
Posts: 231
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:24 am Post subject: |
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Of course I've heard of inflation. It's the Fed's number one game.
Even adjusted for CPI, there's no spike in the price. 1974-1980 were the highest prices in real dollars. |
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Evil_Johnny_666
Joined: 26 Jun 2009
Posts: 800
Location: Québec
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:37 am Post subject: |
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| Pension or not we always get ripped off anyway, I'm not against workers getting a decent job condition. |
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Conservationist
Joined: 25 Feb 2009
Posts: 2356
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grimalkin
Joined: 09 May 2006
Posts: 184
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 10:53 am Post subject: |
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| More subtlety with the trolling, please, Conservationist. |
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Blood Music
Joined: 24 Apr 2012
Posts: 309
Location: Helsinki, Finland
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:06 am Post subject: |
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Feel lucky ...
The rates increased in Finland a few months ago to in some cases 20-30% more than before.
3-5% is a walk in the park.
Although, this is definitely shitty.
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Throne_of_ahaz
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:12 am Post subject: |
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It is. We were subjected to a riduculous price increases in international mail here in the UK last year. Previously you could send a CD to the US for about £2. Now it is £3.50. Almost double.
Admittedly, I know our prices aren't on the scale of USPS, but when you factor in registration for rare DLPs and such, the prices aren't all that different as you are looking at £15-16 for one record.
Even our own national mail went up by ten pence on a single stamp, an increase of 17% |
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astralvesl
Joined: 13 Oct 2010
Posts: 686
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:22 am Post subject: |
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| The 2006 law has had a great financial impact on an already weak postal system, there's no way anyone can deny that. I think I read somewhere that their annual payout as a result is something like 5-10 billion dollars in pensions. Once you factor in operating costs and revenue gained it's no wonder why they keep reporting record losses each quarter. Rates were bound to go up again, honestly I'm amazed it has stayed this cheap for this long, anyone remember all the ruckus over their finances in the late '90s? I don't know that standard mail will ever be dominated by a private company such as UPS or FedEx but there is certainly a push to segregate the types of mail being sent into private and public postal couriers. |
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vorfeed
Joined: 09 Mar 2008
Posts: 1140
Location: New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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| .aske wrote: | | If the USPS charged the market rate for postage and wasn't a profit neutral government agency, these problems wouldn't exist. |
If the USPS charged "the market rate" for postage we'd all go out of business the next day. Look at how much UPS/FedEx charge for small-package/letter delivery, much less how much people in Europe pay. It's almost $14 to send one LP from NM to NY via UPS Ground -- that's more than FOUR TIMES the cost of media mail and more than TWICE the cost of parcel post. Privatizing the USPS will kill small business in America.
And USPS does post a profit, if not for this pre-funding mess:
http://postalnews.com/postalnewsblog/2012/02/10/nalc-congress-turns-200m-usps-profit-into-3-2b-loss/
An organization which can make 200 million dollars in one quarter during a recession does not need to be torn down for lack of profits. Besides, the USPS funds itself 100% -- its "losses" don't cost any taxpayer dollars, and until that changes I don't see why they should matter.
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darkdescentrecords
Joined: 25 Nov 2009
Posts: 2296
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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The flat rate envelopes were 13.95 a year ago and they went up to 16.95 at the beginning of 2012. If they go up to near 25, that would be fucking ridiculous.
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bitewerks
Joined: 27 Oct 2008
Posts: 458
Location: TX
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 12:24 pm Post subject: |
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I prefer private over public but definitely agree that UPS/FedEx isn't going to ship a cd or cassette or a paperback book for a few bucks across the country so we'd all be fucked good without the PO despite how annoying they can be.
Oddly enough, the 2006 bill that started all those, was co-sponsored by a couple of Democrats. I don't like either side so that doesn't really surprise me. |
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.aske
Joined: 24 Oct 2012
Posts: 231
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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| vorfeed wrote: | | .aske wrote: | | If the USPS charged the market rate for postage and wasn't a profit neutral government agency, these problems wouldn't exist. |
If the USPS charged "the market rate" for postage we'd all go out of business the next day. Look at how much UPS/FedEx charge for small-package/letter delivery, much less how much people in Europe pay. It's almost $14 to send one LP from NM to NY via UPS Ground -- that's more than FOUR TIMES the cost of media mail and more than TWICE the cost of parcel post. Privatizing the USPS will kill small business in America.
And USPS does post a profit, if not for this pre-funding mess:
http://postalnews.com/postalnewsblog/2012/02/10/nalc-congress-turns-200m-usps-profit-into-3-2b-loss/
An organization which can make 200 million dollars in one quarter during a recession does not need to be torn down for lack of profits. Besides, the USPS funds itself 100% -- its "losses" don't cost any taxpayer dollars, and until that changes I don't see why they should matter. |
The USPS is using a line of credit from congress that it has never paid back and never will. Tell me where in the private market a deal like that would be made.
Also, read up on the history of Lysander Spooner. |
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.aske
Joined: 24 Oct 2012
Posts: 231
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| Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 12:44 pm Post subject: |
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| bitewerks wrote: |
Oddly enough, the 2006 bill that started all those, was co-sponsored by a couple of Democrats. I don't like either side so that doesn't really surprise me. |
Democrats and republicans are both for big government. Don't let them fool you with the political theater. Neither party has a principled approach toward any social issue. |
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