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11-12-2010, 05:43 PM   #16
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QuoteOriginally posted by reeftool Quote
I consider the USPS a worthwhile expense for my tax dollars.
The USPS does not receive tax dollars. It hasn't since the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970.

http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/postalfacts.htm

11-13-2010, 06:29 AM   #17
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I ran across this, FYI:

By Aaron Smith, staff writerNovember 12, 2010: 12:46 PM ET


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The U.S. Postal Service more than doubled its losses in fiscal year 2010, despite cutting billions of dollars in expenses and trimming its staff.

The Postal Service said its net loss totaled $8.5 billion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. That compares to a loss of $3.8 billion the prior year.

590Email Print CommentThe Postal Service blamed the deeper losses on the recession and on the continuing growth of e-mail. A change in the interest rates affecting the Postal Service's workers' compensation liability also played a role, the organization said.

Chief Financial Officer Joe Corbett said the losses were worsening despite cuts that generated cost savings of $9 billion over the past two years. Those savings came primarily from the elimination of 105,000 full-time positions -- "more than any other organization, anywhere," Corbett said.

As more communications go electronic, mail volume keeps dropping. The Postal Service delivered 170.6 billion pieces in its 2010 fiscal year, compared to 176.7 billion pieces the prior year. That decline cost the service around $1 billion in lost revenue.

"We will continue our relentless efforts to innovate and improve efficiency," Corbett said. "However, the need for changes to legislation, regulations and labor contracts has never been more obvious."


Postal Service spokeswoman Joanne Veto said her organization has asked Congress to allow it to scale back to five-day delivery, cutting Saturdays, and to discontinue its "unique" requirement to pre-fund its retirement fund -- something no other federal agency is required to do.

Congress has taken no action on these requests, she said.

Auditor Ernst & Young is expected to issue an audit opinion saying that "questions remain" about the Postal Service's ability to make its $5.5 billion pre-funding payment for retiree health benefits, due at the end of fiscal year 2011.

Despite that, Veto said the Postal Service is "fully funded for existing retirement benefits."

Veto also said that mail volume is expected to pick up in fiscal year 2011, although first-class mail -- the service's most lucrative product -- is forecast to continue its decline.
11-13-2010, 07:00 AM   #18
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QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
The USPS does not receive tax dollars. It hasn't since the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970.

USPS - Postal Facts
I didn't know that they were completely tax independent. That's part of the problem why they don't make money. They have mandated services that forces them to operate at a loss and a congress that ignores the issue. They probably won't do a thing until the country wakes up one morning with no mail and then it will be panic time.
11-13-2010, 07:21 AM   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by reeftool Quote
I didn't know that they were completely tax independent. That's part of the problem why they don't make money. They have mandated services that forces them to operate at a loss and a congress that ignores the issue. They probably won't do a thing until the country wakes up one morning with no mail and then it will be panic time.
I'm sure that's a big part of the problem. By law, they are not allowed to make a profit. Can you imagine what a dream job it would be for any corporate manager to have no responsibility for the financial success of his company?
My business is small even by "small business" definition. By "corporation" concept it is somewhere between minuscule and microscopic. What stress free life I would have if I knew my income would not change whether the business made money or not.

11-13-2010, 09:14 AM   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
I'm sure that's a big part of the problem. By law, they are not allowed to make a profit. Can you imagine what a dream job it would be for any corporate manager to have no responsibility for the financial success of his company?
My business is small even by "small business" definition. By "corporation" concept it is somewhere between minuscule and microscopic. What stress free life I would have if I knew my income would not change whether the business made money or not.
They cut 105,000 full time jobs. Seems someone was worried about something
You know many business's run in the red for a very, very, long time, yet survive on cash flow, and the dreams of investors that "someday" mgmt. will hit it right......
For example......

Or this.........
http://www.google.com/finance?q=PINK:FXRE&fstype=ii
Skewed a bit for "effect'.... but i think you get my point..... it's not ALWAYS about making profit.. just cash flow.
Making money is really only part of the story (even for real small businesses) though I recognize many can't be as "non-profitable" as others and survive.
On a more silly note:
USPS is an American icon, few would care emotionally if UPs or Fed-Ex just blipped off the radar.. (around here I see few complaints the DHL has "disappeared.. ) but the postal service cease to exist.... might as well just cut out social security..
BTW: Many people would not be happy w/ the elimination of Sat. delivery, though it makes perfect "sense". Ask.
USPS much like Pentax, a japanese national icon....

Last edited by jeffkrol; 11-13-2010 at 09:30 AM.
11-13-2010, 09:16 AM   #21
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Old salesman's joke:
"I take a loss on everything I sell. I make it up in volume"
11-13-2010, 09:33 AM   #22
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QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
Old salesman's joke:
"I take a loss on everything I sell. I make it up in volume"
Dot.com bubble...... e-machines... were selling more home computers then ibm ect.

classic.... actually worked for some, shareholders no so well.
$10..... 0.13......... sold and went private.... $1.09 share.... sold to gateway for big bucks... still alive
Shareholders (except for some smart dollar cost averaging kinds who were willing to take a risk) pretty much wiped out....

11-14-2010, 08:22 AM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
I'm sure that's a big part of the problem. By law, they are not allowed to make a profit. Can you imagine what a dream job it would be for any corporate manager to have no responsibility for the financial success of his company?
My business is small even by "small business" definition. By "corporation" concept it is somewhere between minuscule and microscopic. What stress free life I would have if I knew my income would not change whether the business made money or not.
Jim, I don't have statistics on this, but when I look around, I see far fewer jobs--public or private--where performance makes a difference in your pay than I see where it does. The main way it makes a difference is that if you screw up, you are fired. The further up the corporate ladder, the less even that is true.
11-14-2010, 09:14 AM   #24
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Gen, I have to defer to you on that. The environment I have lived in for the last 32 years is far different from yours; particularly the last 18 years. Pierre is approximately 13,000 and you have to drive 188 miles to get someplace bigger than that. The only thing in a 180 mile radius is small business, agriculture, and Government. Pierre, being the State Capital, is obviously heavy on the government side. I haven't seen one in awhile, but when I moved here several stores sold t-shirts that said: "Pierre, SD. Where you can see your Government in action every day; except for Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, personal leave days, annual leave days, and Fridays after noon."
The rest of Pierre's population is mostly from the immediate area and the "mid west work ethic" is quite prevalent. The best way to describe it sociologically, however, is that people from around here don't realize that "Green Acres" is a sitcom. They think it is a documentary. Clean Levis, boots with most of the mud cleaned off, and a t-shirt or sweatshirt without writing on it is considered formal wear.
I guess isolation is the price we pay for insulation.

Last edited by Parallax; 11-14-2010 at 09:39 AM.
11-14-2010, 10:51 AM   #25
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QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
Gen, I have to defer to you on that. The environment I have lived in for the last 32 years is far different from yours; particularly the last 18 years. Pierre is approximately 13,000 and you have to drive 188 miles to get someplace bigger than that. The only thing in a 180 mile radius is small business, agriculture, and Government. Pierre, being the State Capital, is obviously heavy on the government side. I haven't seen one in awhile, but when I moved here several stores sold t-shirts that said: "Pierre, SD. Where you can see your Government in action every day; except for Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, personal leave days, annual leave days, and Fridays after noon."
The rest of Pierre's population is mostly from the immediate area and the "mid west work ethic" is quite prevalent. The best way to describe it sociologically, however, is that people from around here don't realize that "Green Acres" is a sitcom. They think it is a documentary. Clean Levis, boots with most of the mud cleaned off, and a t-shirt or sweatshirt without writing on it is considered formal wear.
I guess isolation is the price we pay for insulation.
I'm not really talking about work ethic, but whether it makes a difference in your pay as an employee. My experience has been that people with work ethic work hard and people who don't have it, don't, regardless of whether they are paid more for accomplishing something. Pride of ownership is also something separate from the money.
11-14-2010, 10:46 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by patriotap Quote
I shipped a lot with USPS Priority, found them reliable and affordable.
Agreed. Much quicker and much more reliable than UPS or FedEx.
11-15-2010, 05:46 AM   #27
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The USPS is pretty decent when it comes to getting something from point A to B. It's an excellent mechanism that keeps fedex and UPS prices lower. They are also loosing a billion gazillion dollars.
11-15-2010, 09:08 AM   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by Parallax Quote
Gen, I have to defer to you on that. The environment I have lived in for the last 32 years is far different from yours; particularly the last 18 years. Pierre is approximately 13,000 and you have to drive 188 miles to get someplace bigger than that. The only thing in a 180 mile radius is small business, agriculture, and Government. Pierre, being the State Capital, is obviously heavy on the government side. I haven't seen one in awhile, but when I moved here several stores sold t-shirts that said: "Pierre, SD. Where you can see your Government in action every day; except for Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, personal leave days, annual leave days, and Fridays after noon."
The rest of Pierre's population is mostly from the immediate area and the "mid west work ethic" is quite prevalent. The best way to describe it sociologically, however, is that people from around here don't realize that "Green Acres" is a sitcom. They think it is a documentary. Clean Levis, boots with most of the mud cleaned off, and a t-shirt or sweatshirt without writing on it is considered formal wear.
I guess isolation is the price we pay for insulation.
I also live in a rural area. Going back to the USPS, I get my mail every day and on time, just as quickly and probably with better service than urban residents. While I'm close enough to the Village and don't have problems, I have friends who have had difficulty getting Fed-Ex and UPS deliveries because the drivers couldn't find their house. Not so with the good old post office.
11-15-2010, 10:01 AM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by reeftool Quote
I also live in a rural area. Going back to the USPS, I get my mail every day and on time, just as quickly and probably with better service than urban residents. While I'm close enough to the Village and don't have problems, I have friends who have had difficulty getting Fed-Ex and UPS deliveries because the drivers couldn't find their house. Not so with the good old post office.
My post may have been misleading. I don't live in a rural area personally, I live in the "city" (for lack of a better term). The city is geographically and socially isolated from civilization by nearly 200 miles. I have no issues with mail service, and I generally ship small items with USPS. The only problem I have ever had with deliveries here was with FedEx packages shipped from the Western U.S. If someone sends me a package, it gets here. If I am sent 2 or more packages, at least one of them will end up somewhere else. I have had them tracked down in Texas, Mass, NY, AZ, and several others. One bicycle (out of a shipment of 7) even ended up in Key West, Florida. Talk about mis-routing! My only point is that is if UPS and FedEx can make a profit, then USPS should be able to break even.
One thing they have brought up many times is terminating Saturday delivery; and people scream bloody murder. "Oh the HORROR! I might have to wait until Monday to get my next credit card offer or Think Geek catalog! "
No matter what argument is made it comes down to management. It isn't the fault of the carrier that delivers the mail, or the clerk behind the counter, or the people who sort the mail that the outfit is loosing money.
11-15-2010, 01:20 PM   #30
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UPS tracking info for a package that arrived today. See what I mean? Pass it off to the USPS to save money.

LA CROSSE, WI, US 11/15/2010 1:57 P.M. TENDERED TO LOCAL POST OFFICE
11/15/2010 5:31 A.M. DESTINATION SCAN
LA CROSSE, WI, US 11/13/2010 5:00 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
OAK CREEK, WI, US 11/12/2010 9:13 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
11/12/2010 5:39 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
HODGKINS, IL, US 11/12/2010 3:58 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
11/12/2010 9:58 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
BETHLEHEM, PA, US 11/10/2010 9:55 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
11/10/2010 6:24 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN
US 11/10/2010 4:22 P.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED
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