LFC Comments by T. Paine: Thanks to Italian John for sending us this article.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/02/12/dejoys-new-plan-usps-slower-mail-higher-prices-sources-say/

Postmaster general’s new plan for USPS is said to include slower mail and higher prices

A key provision of the postmaster general’s strategy includes banning air travel for all first-class mail at a time when delivery rates are at historic lows.

By Jacob Bogage and Hannah Denham Business reporter
Feb. 12, 2021 at 5:07 p.m. EST

Excerpts from the article:

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is preparing to put all first-class mail onto a single delivery track, according to two people briefed on his strategic plan for the U.S. Postal Service, a move that would mean slower and more costly delivery for both consumers and commercial mailers.

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DeJoy, with the backing of the agency’s bipartisan but Trump-appointed governing board, has discussed plans to eliminate a tier of first-class mail — letters, bills and other envelope-sized correspondence sent to a local address — designated for delivery in two days. Instead, all first-class mail would be lumped into the same three- to five-day window, the current benchmark for nonlocal mail.

That class of mail is already struggling; only 38 percent was delivered on time at the end of 2020, the Postal Service reported in federal court.

The operational shifts would coincide with a push for significantly higher postage rates — which DeJoy has said was “imminent” — after the agency lost $9.2 billion in 2020 due to steep, pandemic-related declines in mail volume. It also has $188.4 billion in liabilities, the bulk of which is tied to pension and retiree health care obligations. Leaders have long sought to raise new revenue and, in 2021, are expected to pursue the first big postage rate increase in more than a decade, which could add up to a 9 percent jump compounded annually.

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LFC Comments: A simple search provided the following interesting facts about the U.S. Postal Service. If they were a private enterprise, they would not survive. With all the private competition and use of emails, the bloated government post office is quickly becoming irrelevant. It they continue to raise prices and decrease services their days, in their current form, are numbered.

Losing $9.2 billion per year and with $188.4 billion in unfunded pension benefits is a recipe for a looming disaster. Adding in the social security ponzi scheme, the unfunded school teachers’ pensions in each State, and a national birth rate of less than 2.1, we can see that we have “hit a wall”. This whole system is not sustainable.

Gazing into my crystal ball… I see a globalist’s solution: What is needed is a global pandemic that will target those that are “non-essential” burdens on society…..no, that would never happen…could not happen…the “Gates of hell” would have to open up for that to happen…depopulation is just a myth?…sorry, the darkness is enveloping my crystal ball…

https://facts.usps.com/size-and-scope/#:~:text=There%20were%20496%2C934%20career%20employees,non%2Dcareer%20employees%20was%20136%2C174.&text=Total%20mail%20volume%20in%202019%20was%20142.6%20billion.&text=The%20Postal%20Service%20prides%20itself,mile%20to%20deliver%20the%20mail.

The Postal Service provides a vital public service that is a part of the nation’s critical infrastructure. The statute that created the Postal Service begins with the following sentence: “The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by an Act of Congress, and supported by the people.” 39 U.S.C. §101(a).

“The Postal Service has collective bargaining agreements with seven different unions, representing nearly 500,000 employees.” [LFC Comment: Houston, we have a problem.]

“If the more than 141,900 blue collection boxes currently in use by the Postal Service were placed side-by-side, they would stretch for 58 miles.”

“Every two weeks, the Postal Service pays $2 billion in salaries and benefits.”

“Louis DeJoy is the 75th Postmaster General of the United States.”

“If it were a private sector company, the Postal Service would rank 44th in the 2019 Fortune 500. In the 2019 Global Fortune 500 list, we ranked 136th.”

“The Postal Service has no official motto. Nope, it’s not this phrase: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

“Those words are engraved on the front of the James A. Farley Post Office in New York City, set in stone by the architectural firm that built it. The phrase is taken from an ancient book by the Persian historian Herodotus and refers to messengers in the Persian Empire.”

“But we approve of the sentiment.”

“There are nearly 42,000 ZIP Codes in the country. They range from 00501, belonging to the Internal Revenue Service in Holtsville, NY, to 99950 in Ketchikan, AK.

Easiest to remember? How about 12345, a unique ZIP Code for General Electric in Schenectady, NY.

The Zone Improvement Plan — ZIP — was introduced in 1963. The first number represents a general geographic area of the nation, such as “0” in the East moving to “9” in the West. The next two numbers are for regional areas and the final two are for specific Post Offices.

Make it a ZIP+4 — introduced in 1983 — and mail can be sorted to specific streets, buildings, houses and businesses.

Today, ZIP Codes are important parts of the nation’s 911 emergency system.”

The Postal Service had $73.1 billion in operating revenue in 2020.

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Categories: National News, Uncategorized

Tags: FT