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This article makes little sense and so do most of these personal “my dad used to work for USPS” anecdotes in the thread. The problems at USPS have little to do

This article makes little sense and so do most of these personal “my dad used to work for USPS” anecdotes in the thread. The problems at USPS have little to do with anything mentioned and everything to do with well established facts: - USPS is mandated to prefund employee healthcare and pensions for 75 years in advance - USPS cannot add a fuel surcharge to pricing (as FedEx and UPS can) to maintain profit levels - USPS is required to provide service to people and businesses in remote areas even when it may be highly unprofitable - USPS is governed by Congress and the Postal Rate Commission (PRC), which restricts potential avenues for expansion into other products and limits competition with other companies (such as UPS and FedEx). Congress has been influenced by competitors to get the USPS to abandon new products such as online payment systems, phone cards, money transfers, postal meter cartridges, etc - USPS is required to invest exclusively in government bonds while private companies can invest in a wide variety of securities to improve profitability - USPS is forbidden by law to lower prices to get more business The quality of commenting has really fallen at HN. It’s starting to feel like a raging boomers Facebook wall filled with conjecture, gossip and conspiracy theories. Let’s stick to the facts please. SOURCES: https://cms-colorado.com/its-time-to-allow-the-usps-to-compete-fairly/ https://cms-colorado.com/its-time-to-allow-the-usps-to-compe... https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-postal-service-is-being-gutted.aspx https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-po...

redis_mlc 6y ago
> The quality of commenting has really fallen at HN. Amen. > It’s starting to feel like a raging boomers Facebook wall I wish. It's the eternal September problem now, except with pedants and spectrum patients. Boomers actually built things, and the current generation hasn't even read about it. The US is at war with China, and HN wants to debate judicial procedure with a totalitarian government.
foogazi 6y ago
> Congress has been influenced by competitors to get the USPS to abandon new products such as online payment systems, What does that have to do with the USPS’s mandate to deliver mail? All of your points are presented as facts. Can you explain how they have anything to do with the current discussion about keeping the USPS’s capability to deliver mail and ballots ?
- ardy42 6y ago
  >> Congress has been influenced by competitors to get the USPS to abandon new products such as online payment systems, > What does that have to do with the USPS’s mandate to deliver mail? Postal money orders are already a thing: https://www.usps.com/shop/money-orders.htm https://www.usps.com/shop/money-orders.htm.
dougweltman 6y ago
These points, where true, have no bearing on the issue being raised in the thread: immediate-term measures to cripple the USPS as a critical piece of election infrastructure. Your points speak instead to a longer-term question of whether the constitution should be amended to privatize the USPS, or to change its mandate. These are distinct questions, the latter we've struggled with for decades and does not explain recent measures.

redis_mlc 6y ago

> The quality of commenting has really fallen at HN. Amen. > It’s starting to feel like a raging boomers Facebook wall I wish. It's the eternal September problem now, except with pedants and spectrum patients. Boomers actually built things, and the current generation hasn't even read about it. The US is at war with China, and HN wants to debate judicial procedure with a totalitarian government.

foogazi 6y ago

> Congress has been influenced by competitors to get the USPS to abandon new products such as online payment systems, What does that have to do with the USPS’s mandate to deliver mail? All of your points are presented as facts. Can you explain how they have anything to do with the current discussion about keeping the USPS’s capability to deliver mail and ballots ?

ardy42 6y ago
>> Congress has been influenced by competitors to get the USPS to abandon new products such as online payment systems, > What does that have to do with the USPS’s mandate to deliver mail? Postal money orders are already a thing: https://www.usps.com/shop/money-orders.htm https://www.usps.com/shop/money-orders.htm.

dougweltman 6y ago

These points, where true, have no bearing on the issue being raised in the thread: immediate-term measures to cripple the USPS as a critical piece of election infrastructure. Your points speak instead to a longer-term question of whether the constitution should be amended to privatize the USPS, or to change its mandate. These are distinct questions, the latter we've struggled with for decades and does not explain recent measures.