The state of the USPS
- Thread starter ronders_
- Start date
14254012:zues said:
Fairly sure that not having snowplows wasn't really the issue. The Texas grid is mostly isolated from the two other major grids of the country. After issues in 2010 and 2011 it was recommended that the grid be updated so something exactly like this didn't happen. But they didn't and it did. I guess I've always been of the mindset of "fix the problem instead of putting a bandaid on it".
If I know my windows were broken, and I just put some duct tape on it and one day I wake up to no longer having a window and snow in my bedroom...who's fault is that?
Regardless of your political views, if we really want to call ourselves the greatest nation, we should at least try to fix our 60-70-year-old infrastructure. The longer the problem goes on the more likely it is that the bill is gonna be huge when it fails.
We had some serious rainfall in my town a couple of years back. It was historic but not entirely out of the norm given the weird weather we have here. Poor civil design and a disregard of issues with roads that people knew were not up to spec led to 10s of millions of dollars in damages, the national guard being deployed, and entire communities being stranded. Largely in part because they went with bad, and probably cheaper options for a couple of culverts and all the major roads just washed away. People couldn't drink water from their taps or take showers. The water quality in the lakes and rivers damaged the fishing population etc. etc. It's an oversimplification, but if initially, or any time between when the culverts were put in and now the correct size and design had been put in... taxpayers would be footing a much smaller bill than what they had to after.
We know that flooding is going to get worse in the midwest, so I guess it makes sense to me to spend some money now to mitigate the problem so we don't have to spend a lot of money when everything gets destroyed. Unfortunately, when stuff doesn't get destroyed because the proper steps were taken people just call it a waste of money.
If I want my taxes to go to anything it would be getting the infrastructure in the states modernized.
**This post was edited on Mar 5th 2021 at 12:53:55pm
AndrewGravesSV
Active member
14254084:Lonely said:
Agreed. When we want to rebuild, I can't trust corporations and private companies to do a good job that thinks ahead toward the future unless they're on a tight leash. Time and time again the American people have been fucked by businesses cutting corners for the bottom line.
That's not even going into why the government can't pass an infrastructure bill
AndrewGravesSV
Active member
14254127:zues said:
you responded to me talking about an electrical grid issue by talking about snowplows and salt then went on to spout bullshit false equivalencies in all caps along with some unrelated shit about china and tesla.
your only responses to skierman have been calling him a virgin and threatening to fuck him for some reason lol
dont go to logic and reason all the sudden when you havent used any
zues
Active member
I can agree with almost all of your post my man. I think we have the same ideas about things.
"If I know my windows were broken, and I just put some duct tape on it and one day I wake up to no longer having a window and snow in my bedroom...who's fault is that?"
This statement depends. Snow is one of multiple factors that affects windows. Rain, wind, temperature and multiple other factors would make you fix your windows. That's like saying you're paying 1200 a month in flood insurance in Phoenix Arizona. OK so snow fucks over your windows but why arn't you updating your windows for other factors in the first place?
"If I know my windows were broken, and I just put some duct tape on it and one day I wake up to no longer having a window and snow in my bedroom...who's fault is that?"
This statement depends. Snow is one of multiple factors that affects windows. Rain, wind, temperature and multiple other factors would make you fix your windows. That's like saying you're paying 1200 a month in flood insurance in Phoenix Arizona. OK so snow fucks over your windows but why arn't you updating your windows for other factors in the first place?
14254084:Lonely said:
zues
Active member
AndrewGravesSVPrivate businesses wouldn't deliver mail to more rural and not profitable parts of the country, that is just how it is.
A corporation ALWAYS has making money its number one priority right?
That means the best interests of people will always suffer on the bottom line. Therefore if everyone needs a service, there will be a ton of people who don't receive the same standards if its not profitable. Texas just froze after 20 years of Republican leadership privatizing their public utilities and needed federal aid and gofundmes. Fuck that bullshit of being independent because the profit margins don't provide any safety net
Oh right I brought up weather right?
DEERRRRPPPP
A corporation ALWAYS has making money its number one priority right?
That means the best interests of people will always suffer on the bottom line. Therefore if everyone needs a service, there will be a ton of people who don't receive the same standards if its not profitable. Texas just froze after 20 years of Republican leadership privatizing their public utilities and needed federal aid and gofundmes. Fuck that bullshit of being independent because the profit margins don't provide any safety net
Oh right I brought up weather right?
DEERRRRPPPP
14254137:AndrewGravesSV said:
Dustin.
Active member
Why we still have a USPS, I will never understand. Only the government could justify a money-losing service that is provided by several other private companies with great success. The USPS should have been disbanded looooooong ago. We don't need to pay taxes so that the USPS can provide us poor service when UPS and Fedex are next door providing the same exact services.
frostedTip
Member
14254857:Dustin. said:
USPS used to be something Americans were proud of. Rain or shine, wherever you were, you could get your mail. It was actually operating at a surplus. Then one particular party decided they were gonna make it their mission to crush this jewel of an institution for the benefit of private shipping companies, and the other party had their heads too far up their asses to do anything to stop them. A few decades of legislation designed to cripple and drain funding put them where they are, and now the party that wrote that legislation says "well looks like gubmint failed again haha gubmint bad give contract to my cronies instead"
this shit is run of the mill in this country.
Dustin.
Active member
14254957:frostedTip said:
You should really break away from the party pointing and look at this objectively. Would you rather pay taxes for mental health or a government mail system? It’s a pretty simple idea. Why do people think the government exists to do literally everything?
The original USPS was as you described, we also used to rely on the government to send satellites to space. While a great springboard, it’s important to recognize when it’s time to let go.
Dustin.
Active member
14254957:frostedTip said:
Made the mistake of finishing reading your post, and it turns out to be nonsense. Dude they used to run a surplus because of this shit called stamps. Have you ever heard of email? Did you write this post when Obama cancelled NASA? That sent private space enterprise onto the fast track even though people on the other side from you lost their shit. The quickest way to make something better is to remove the government’s influence. Nice touch with your ignorant tilt towards “all bad things are from Republicans and all Republicans are from the South” though. I’m sure the dinner conversation at your house is objective and open minded, free of groupthink.
-Government employee
frostedTip
Member
14254975:Dustin. said:
I live alone so groupthink at dinner would be technically impossible
Luv u 2 BB
?
-another government employee
AndrewGravesSV
Active member
That shift in the topic and discourse was due to me and fair by [tag=111021]@zues[/tag] to call me out on it, that was a bit hypocritical of me.
It seems a huge factor in the USPS's profitability is a 2006 law that requires them to prefund health benefits for retirees for 50+ years into the future. That requirement costs billions of dollars and isn't a cost private businesses face. A portion of that money has been siphoned off to go towards the national debt as well. Ignoring that and just pointing toward it losing money make it an easy target for some politicians who argue for the privatization of government services.
It doesn't help that the new postmaster general, Louis Dejoy, has been implementing policies that slow down the USPS and hamper the accuracy. Trump didn't appoint Dejoy but he is a Trump supporter and before the election there was a massive slowdown in mail especially in swing states. With Trump railing against mail in ballots and pretty much attempting a coup by prematurely declaring victory I don't think you can argue which side stood to benefit from a slower and less accurate mail system.
In addition, Dejoy and his wife own around 50 million dollars in stocks with competing interests including UPS. Seems sus to me
It seems a huge factor in the USPS's profitability is a 2006 law that requires them to prefund health benefits for retirees for 50+ years into the future. That requirement costs billions of dollars and isn't a cost private businesses face. A portion of that money has been siphoned off to go towards the national debt as well. Ignoring that and just pointing toward it losing money make it an easy target for some politicians who argue for the privatization of government services.
It doesn't help that the new postmaster general, Louis Dejoy, has been implementing policies that slow down the USPS and hamper the accuracy. Trump didn't appoint Dejoy but he is a Trump supporter and before the election there was a massive slowdown in mail especially in swing states. With Trump railing against mail in ballots and pretty much attempting a coup by prematurely declaring victory I don't think you can argue which side stood to benefit from a slower and less accurate mail system.
In addition, Dejoy and his wife own around 50 million dollars in stocks with competing interests including UPS. Seems sus to me
.MASSHOLE.
Active member
DeJoy is set to release his plan for the USPS today or later this week.
I'm shocked Biden hasn't replaced people on the board who can in turn fire and replace DeJoy.
I'm shocked Biden hasn't replaced people on the board who can in turn fire and replace DeJoy.
sullivano*b
Active member
topic:ronders_ said:
usps lost a 600$ package containing a pair of yeezys and jordan 11s that were a trade from a guy for a pair of jordan 1s long story short i lost
T.L.
Active member
Don't worry guys, Im sure they're doing what they're supposed to with their infinite government money.
https://news.yahoo.com/the-postal-s...9.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr
https://news.yahoo.com/the-postal-s...9.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr
dolanslebensraum
Active member
Government run anything inevitably and inexorably slides into a state of absolute shit, sooner or later.
Competition is what makes things efficient, and usps being government is free from having to compete efficiency-wise.
that being said i have had some usps shipments arrive in a reasonable amount of time. But its hit or miss.
fedex i have never had a shipment delay in my entire life.
Competition is what makes things efficient, and usps being government is free from having to compete efficiency-wise.
that being said i have had some usps shipments arrive in a reasonable amount of time. But its hit or miss.
fedex i have never had a shipment delay in my entire life.