4 ms·

Good criticisms. But a publicly-funded post office has some advantages, too. They will operate at a loss in tiny areas, which means you can still get mail to Gr

Good criticisms. But a publicly-funded post office has some advantages, too. They will operate at a loss in tiny areas, which means you can still get mail to Grandma, even though there is only one traffic light in her town. Also - 39 cents to send a letter anywhere in the country? Still a pretty good deal.

jonknee 17y ago
39 cents? It hasn't been that since ~2006. They currently cost 44 cents: http://www.usps.com/prices/first-class-mail-prices.htm http://www.usps.com/prices/first-class-mail-prices.htm
- Avshalom 17y ago
  considering that those 44 cents will get a letter basically hand delivered from Key West Florida to Barrow Alaska. Still a pretty good deal.
  - jonknee 17y ago
    I'm not saying it's a bad deal, just that the OP hadn't actually bought a stamp in a long time (or at least realized the cost).
    - jbooth 17y ago
      I didn't either, and I bought stamps last week. 39 cents vs 44 cents doesn't even show up on my radar.
    - roboneal 17y ago
      15% price increase (39 to 44 cents) in 4 years is not unnoticed "in volume" and easily outstrips inflation.
      - dhume 17y ago
        You can cherry-pick intervals where stamp prices outstripped inflation, and I can cherry-pick intervals where stamp prices stayed well below inflation. A 12.8% increase (not sure how you came up with 15%) over a period where inflation was only around 7.8% (based on month-to-month consumer price index report) sounds pretty bad, but you seem to have missed the previous four years, where inflation was 10.1% and the price only went up 5.4%. For the interval between raising to 37¢ and raising to 44¢ (an 18.9% increase), inflation totaled 18.7%. If a difference of 0.2 points makes all that much difference, you probably shouldn't be using the first class rate anyway.
        roboneal 17y ago
        I wasn't cherry-picking - I used the interval cited in the parent of my reply. Why go back only 4 years more - postal rates were 2 cents in July 19 and 44 cents in May 2009 - a 2200% increase. However, inflation was only 1129%. So who is cherry picking? Historical Postal Rates: http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/_pdf/DomesticLetterRates1863-2009.pdf http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/_pdf/DomesticLetterRates18... Inflation Calculator: http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Calculators/Inflation_Rate_Calculator.asp http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Calculators/Inf...
hnal943 17y ago
An unsustainably good deal. Isn't that the point of the post?

jonknee 17y ago

39 cents? It hasn't been that since ~2006. They currently cost 44 cents: http://www.usps.com/prices/first-class-mail-prices.htm http://www.usps.com/prices/first-class-mail-prices.htm

Avshalom 17y ago
considering that those 44 cents will get a letter basically hand delivered from Key West Florida to Barrow Alaska. Still a pretty good deal.
- jonknee 17y ago
  I'm not saying it's a bad deal, just that the OP hadn't actually bought a stamp in a long time (or at least realized the cost).
  - jbooth 17y ago
    I didn't either, and I bought stamps last week. 39 cents vs 44 cents doesn't even show up on my radar.
  - roboneal 17y ago
    15% price increase (39 to 44 cents) in 4 years is not unnoticed "in volume" and easily outstrips inflation.
    - dhume 17y ago
      You can cherry-pick intervals where stamp prices outstripped inflation, and I can cherry-pick intervals where stamp prices stayed well below inflation. A 12.8% increase (not sure how you came up with 15%) over a period where inflation was only around 7.8% (based on month-to-month consumer price index report) sounds pretty bad, but you seem to have missed the previous four years, where inflation was 10.1% and the price only went up 5.4%. For the interval between raising to 37¢ and raising to 44¢ (an 18.9% increase), inflation totaled 18.7%. If a difference of 0.2 points makes all that much difference, you probably shouldn't be using the first class rate anyway.
      - roboneal 17y ago
        I wasn't cherry-picking - I used the interval cited in the parent of my reply. Why go back only 4 years more - postal rates were 2 cents in July 19 and 44 cents in May 2009 - a 2200% increase. However, inflation was only 1129%. So who is cherry picking? Historical Postal Rates: http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/_pdf/DomesticLetterRates1863-2009.pdf http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/_pdf/DomesticLetterRates18... Inflation Calculator: http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Calculators/Inflation_Rate_Calculator.asp http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Calculators/Inf...

hnal943 17y ago

An unsustainably good deal. Isn't that the point of the post?