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> The USPS inspector general’s office estimated that the USPS lost $79 million in fiscal year 2013 delivering this foreign treaty mail. $79M is governmental ch
by vacri 9y ago
> The USPS inspector general’s office estimated that the USPS lost $79 million in fiscal year 2013 delivering this foreign treaty mail.
$79M is governmental chickenfeed, given how much this service improves the quality of life of its citizens. For perspective, it's moderately less than the cost of one (1) F35.
- devoply 9y agohonestly it easily adds a few billion to the aggregate pockets of consumers who don't have to go through middle men.
- apsec112 9y ago"but muh private profit? muh job creation? muh competition?" Please don't comment like this on Hacker News. It lowers the quality of discussion for everyone.
- devoply 9y agonoted.
- hfern 9y ago> Don't comment like this on Hacker News. Why not? I think he is correct -- the benefits to the average american are far more than $75m. > "but muh private profit? muh job creation? muh competition?" There is no need to be rude.
- apsec112 9y ago"muh private profit" etc. is the comment I was replying to
- icebraining 9y agoJust to make it clearer for people reading now, the (now flagged) post was edited after the reply.
- throwanem 9y agoI don't actually disagree, but comparing this to the biggest military procurement boondoggle in US history seems like setting a somewhat low bar. That said - again, you're quite right that we're getting a lot more for our money spent with USPS. Surely there have to be less expensive and more worthwhile ways, than the F-35 project, to run a jobs program!
- snuxoll 9y agoYou're right that $79M is basically nothing when it comes to government spending as a whole, but the USPS doesn't get support from federal taxes - they have to generate enough revenue to pay their own expenses. The government has already been trying to do everything they can to run the USPS into the ground, something needs to be done about these treaty deliveries or a continual increase in volume is going to harm the postal service (I don't know what that something looks like, maybe make the federal government pay the cost difference for these treaty deliveries since the postal service is required to deliver them).