Should we junk the mail and privatize the USPS? w/ Tad DeHaven

http://www.thomhartmann.com

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[manicmetropolis]

I agree with thom on this one

[HarveyRex23]

When right wingers and Libertarians talk about "privatization" & "deregulation". Watch out for your wallet & bank account.

[doogleandalix]

@jakeyw11 The post office never lost money until 2006 - that is because of a mandate under George Bush that required a prepayment for future retireees' health benefits for the next 75 years to be paid in 10 yrs at a cost of $5 billion annually - up front ! No business could do this and survive. The agenda is to privatize - it costs 44 cents to mail a letter from NY to KS - I believe Fedex costs $20 for 2 day delivery .

[adil5131]

Long live the USPS.

[jakeyw11]

Thom is entitled to his opinion but if an operation loses 7 billion dollars a year AND has a government mandated monopoly in providing first class mail is successful then what is a failure? I think Thom makes the classic mistake of looking at the benefits and ignoring the costs. Is the post office functional? yes. Does it cost more than users are willing to pay? yes. If users aren't willing to pay the full cost then why should non-users pick up the excess tab?

[altavelocidad]

@FlashVirus The post office absolutely has to pay workers pensions and out of the three mailers being mentioned here is the only company that has to prepay this amount and has already overpaid 75 billion dollars. Learns your facts before speaking.

[FlashVirus]

@HarveyRex23

UPS & FedEx deliver packages, not mail.

[FlashVirus]

@HarveyRex23

All one has to do is look at laser eye surgery as an example of the free market. It has improved in quality and come down in price.

[FlashVirus]

@nvmarv

USPS gets more benefits than UPS & FedEx, don't forget. They don't have to pay property taxes or pay workers' pensions. So because of government intervention, UPS/FedEx can't really compete against the Post Office. Its a shame.

[FlashVirus]

@danblocker

Privatizing the USPS altogether may be too extreme, but allowing the USPS to have legitimate competitors isn't an extreme idea at all. If the UPS & Fedex are as successful as they are, despite the fact they have to pay workers' pensions, taxes, property taxes, etc.. then it could very well mean the free market can handle the letter-delivery business. Obama said it himself haha.

[FlashVirus]

@HarveyRex23

Haha, You go ahead and try to open a business that competes against the Post Office and see what happens. Look up Lysander Spooner. Oh despite the myth, the Post Office is subsidized. Not to mention they don't have pay property taxes or pay workers' pensions. Geez, and those evil corporations like UPS & Fedex STILL manage to survive. And no I'm not a Libertarian and I'm not even saying "END THE USPS." Just allow competition, whats the big deal?