Is it time to end the US Postal Service?

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I went away for 5 days (including a weekend) and came back to a mailbox stuffed with various paper and plastic products. These included.

- Two "Value Packs" filled with coupons for things I don't want including siding and massages.

- Three official looking envelopes, one marked "urgent" offering me new credit cards I don't want.

- One rather thick envelope from Sirius XM with their latest "great" offer for a service. I have now called them twice to tell explain to them that after the free trial that came with my new car... that I found I never used the service even when it was free thanks to my ability to stream from the internet anything I want to hear. They haven't given up now after a year.

- Two envelopes that looked very different yet contained the exact same contents, an offer for a "pre-approved" debt consolidation loan I don't want.

- A couple of envelopes offering me siding and carpet cleaning...

- Several circulars from local supermarkets that I don't have time or interest in going through.

And nothing of any interest to me.

This is typical. Businesses with whom I have an relationship all send me email. Services I want can be easily found on the internet (or they find me). Christmas greetings come through Facebook (I am joking on this last one).

I don't get any value from the US Postal service. And yet I have to sort through all of this increasing volume of junk because every once in a while there is mail to which I want... or need... to respond.

My life would me so much better without the US mail. Can we just get rid of it?

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Type: Question • Score: 5 • Views: 2,086 • Replies: 43

@maxdancona,

The amount of junk mail in my mailbox is ridiculous. I think the number of items actually addressed to me is down to 1 in 20, and even those are usually redundant to items I already know about.

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I am curious about whether anyone gets any real value out of the post office in 2018... other than marketers who get a way to pump unsolicited publicity into my house.

The post office will not offer any way for me to turn off unsolicited junk mail. I think it is a main source of revenue for them now.

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@maxdancona,

I still use the postal service and find it useful.

My rent check has to be mailed. It goes to one of those mailbox places.

My new lease is normally mailed to me and I must return it by mail.

My bank accounts still send monthly statements and other notices and those annual tax things for interest accrued.

Some people send cards occasionally.

For mailing a book, the post office still has better rates than other services.

As for those items you get, which are of importance, how do you suppose to have them delivered if the post office and postal service ceases to be?

What will you do if there is something which has to go through the mail?

There are methods to stop (or at least greatly reduce) junk mail. Look them up on the internet and join folks like me who have reduced the majority of that waste.

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@Sturgis,

I walk my rent check to my landlord's door. You can send pretty much anyone money now for the cost of a stamp. I sign my lease in person... but I can understand that one. I haven't received a paper bank statement in a decade. The advantages of doing this online are so great. I can't see bank statements as anything other than an anachronism.

Honestly, I don't see anything that isn't better; more efficient, cheaper and easier to do electronically. The exception to this is hand written cards (which are dying out with the young folks anyway).

Physical books can be sent through package services. I understand that you are saying the cost is higher... but that is only because the Post Office subsidizes their cost through sending junk mail. I think most author's send their writing in electronic form since it needs to be digitized anyway.

I ask you the opposite question; what would be the downside if we get rid of the US mail, and instead rely on package companies for physical objects, and electronic delivery for documents of any kind?

The economic value of electronic mail is pretty clear, as is the environmental savings. I will concede that hand written cards are nice, I don't see any other argument for saving the US mail.

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I prefer having bank statements printed on paper. Guess what? I do not have a printer, so it helps to have the time sent to me. If the electric goes or the computer goes pfft, getting an online viewing of my accounts will prove difficult.

The current system works, why end of it and risk chaos? As I indicated, you can substantially reduce the amount of garbage being sent to you, same as you can reduce unwanted emails and phone calls.

My reference to mailing books, was not about fresh copy from an author. It was dealing with books which you might have and wish to send somebody.

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@Sturgis,

Quote:

The current system works, why end of it and risk chaos?

Horse drawn carriages worked pretty well, as did steamboats. There is a time to end things when something better comes along. Don't confuse progress with "chaos".

Let me make the economic argument about why the current postal system is no longer logical.

The US Postal service only works because of junk mail without this revenue their business model falls apart (and actually it is falling apart anyway). You point out that I can turn off some junk mail (I think this only works for pre-approved loans from your credit report), but you turn off all. The US post office has monopoly powers to sell our mailboxes to the highest bidder. In previous times, the US postal service kept afloat using postage rates. Times have changed dramatically, which is why they are becoming obsolete.

I don't think your worry that the power might go out is reasonable today. Roads can be be out of service due to storm or flood stopping the mail, and electricity isn't much more likely to be out for any length of time.

You can buy a printer for under $100. With documents constantly available online, I don't think this is even necessary. And electronic documents have the advantage that they can be searched electronically.

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I don't want a printer.

Regarding electric being out, check with folks in Puerto Rico who are still without power since the hurricane last year.

As to electronic, it can also be easily accessed by millions who you don't want accessing it.

I am not paranoid.

I'm not I tell you!

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Handwritten Signatures are also obsolete. They are easily forged, they offer almost no security (which is why important documents are signed in front of a Notary who requests ID).

Occasionally I am asked to print out a document, sign it with a pen, and then scan the signature. After doing this once, I took a picture of my signature which I now Photoshop onto any document that I am asked to sign. When I am asked to sign a credit card, I draw a happy face (this was my daughter's idea after playing with one of the little touch screen devices at some store). No one even bothers to check any more.

Digital signatures make much more sense... you generate a public/private key pair. You give your public key to anyone, then you sign the document with your private key. Anyone can use your public key to verify that it was really signed by you.

Digital signatures are being used in business, they are the way of the future.

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@Sturgis,

I hate to stoke your paranoia, but getting your bank statements printed out and mailed to you does nothing to keep your information safe. It is all stored electronically anyway. Having them mailed might put you a slightly greater risk of being accessed since you give them one more way to get to the information.

I wonder if people in Puerto Rico would agree with you. Roads are still out, and I can't imagine that mail service was very reliable either after the hurricane.

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I get letters, postcards from Europe, I get packages, I send packages, receive
my credit cards through the mail, my health insurance writes me - despite me having an online account. I get our local town paper through the mail, I get magazines and I like to talk to the mailman. You're out Max - we need the U.S. postal service, period!!

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@CalamityJane,

Quote:

You're out Max - we need the U.S. postal service, period!!

I accept your point of view CalamityJane (although I think that other than packages, the rest will be done online by our children and grandchildren). If the Postal Service were subsidized by something other than junk mail, I would feel better about it. I am not sure if there is even an economic argument for the post office now other than junk mail.

Your use of punctuation other than a period after the word "period" made me chuckle (but I am just joshing you).

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maxdancona wrote:

I don't get any value from the US Postal service. And yet I have to sort through all of this increasing volume of junk because every once in a while there is mail to which I want... or need... to respond.

How would you get this mail, which you seem to value, otherwise?

I get packages through the USPS which is still cheaper than UPS or FedEx, etc.

1 Reply

@InfraBlue,

In the future, all important correspondence will be done electronically. Right now, some important information is sent through the mail because that it has it has always been done.

I would prefer that anything important be sent electronically.

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@maxdancona,

It's not happening!

Court documents are sent through the mail - always, certified mail is often necessary in legal transactions. You need to look beyond your own horizon. Rural America still relies on the postal service and not everyone has a computer there either.

What's wrong with my punctuation ?

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@CalamityJane,

Your punctuation just made me chuckle. You wrote "period!!". An "!" is not a period. If you had written "period." or "exclamation points!!" it would have made more sense.

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@maxdancona,

Oh! Well, I remember learning British English were we said "fullstop"
that was almost better than period, but you're right, the exclamation points were not necessary.

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@CalamityJane,

Quote:

Court documents are sent through the mail - always, certified mail is often necessary in legal transactions. You need to look beyond your own horizon

I am quite sure that this is going to change. Your grandchildren will not send certified mail. It will be done electronically.

The only question is how quickly we transition.

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@maxdancona,

I suspect the value of the postal service would become immediately apparent the minute we didn’t have it any more.

But I still get too much junk mail.

And this may be a frustrating thought but consider junk mail must still work or companies wouldn’t use it. Many people out there must still be using that junk mail. So it’s actually their fault we continue to have our mailboxes and trash cans filled with paper.

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@rosborne979,

I agree the value of the postal service would be quickly apparent if we got rid of it. I suspect the value would be far lower then you think and largely sentimental.

We got rid of pay phones, ice deliveries and elevator operators... things fade away as progress makes them no longer economically viable.

The problem with the postal service is that it is a government monopoly. It doesn't have to face economic reality. This is why we have junk mail we don't want delivered to our houses to prop up the delivery of paper documents that is quickly becoming obsolete.

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Is it time to end the US Postal Service?

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