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odcics2
Joined: 09 Feb 2018 Posts: 283
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Mack
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 732 Location: deep south
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DaveVan
Joined: 27 Jan 2018 Posts: 1586
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 8:05 am Post subject: |
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Junk journalism...... |
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Mack
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 732 Location: deep south
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Mack
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 732 Location: deep south
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Mack
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 732 Location: deep south
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DaveVan
Joined: 27 Jan 2018 Posts: 1586
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:48 am Post subject: |
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I agree the USPS can not do a good enough job to allow vote by mail.
There is a video report out there were a reporter mails envelopes from many different locations everyday for a week.....to a PO box he set up. He got about 70% of his mailed envelopes back the other MIA.
Trowing cash at the USPS with LESS than 70 days to go.....will not work....it's a much bigger issue. |
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spooker
Joined: 11 Feb 2018 Posts: 445
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 10:05 am Post subject: |
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DaveVan wrote: | ....it's a much bigger issue. |
Yes, it is, thanks to recent events! Dave, I bet you're glad Penngwen is not at the height of its popularity right now! Imagine all the lost decal orders you'd have to deal with! |
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Rob Spires Board Moderator
Joined: 27 Jan 2018 Posts: 185
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 11:25 am Post subject: |
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This is a dangerous one guys... keep it civil and everyone will get their say, but we’re keeping a close eye on it. |
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Mack
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 732 Location: deep south
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 11:32 am Post subject: |
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Rob Spires wrote: | This is a dangerous one guys... keep it civil and everyone will get their say, but we’re keeping a close eye on it. |
To me this is very civil. No insults, name calling or any other such behavior. Just a sharing of thoughts. Disagreement doesn't equal disrespect, and it shouldn't. Seems to be a pretty laid back discussion. _________________ life is hard, it's harder when you're stupid. John Wayne |
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Rob Spires Board Moderator
Joined: 27 Jan 2018 Posts: 185
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 11:51 am Post subject: |
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Mack wrote: | To me this is very civil. No insults, name calling or any other such behavior. Just a sharing of thoughts. Disagreement doesn't equal disrespect, and it shouldn't. Seems to be a pretty laid back discussion. |
Agree 100%, everyone is being respectful. Just a preemptive warning in case things take a turn. |
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drppr76
Joined: 12 Feb 2018 Posts: 55
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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I can relate to this all too well. I live in the suburbs outside of Chicago and because of past experiences will not mail anything out of our local post office. The post office in the next town over isn't much better. I pay my bills over the phone but if I need something mailed I go to a post office three towns away. I've also had mail arrive late that was postmarked a month earlier. |
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Rob M.
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 4
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Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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I posted this on FB the other day, the info is straight from the County website. The post office isn't the only problem.
In Arizona we have had a decent mail in voting system (if requested) for a few years now. In the last presidential election, our county had 360,000 people that voted, roughly 60% by mail. After the vote was counted, we had to issue over 21,000 provisional ballots, due to different problems. Of those, roughly 3,000 votes were disallowed, for multiple reasons. So, if we have that type of problem in such a small county with a system that already existed, good luck in places like California!! |
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odcics2
Joined: 09 Feb 2018 Posts: 283
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:45 am Post subject: |
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Last year I mailed a small Priority box to Massachusetts.
Dropped it off early on a Friday morning.
The guy had it the following day, late afternoon.
I think that was the best service ever. |
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DaveVan
Joined: 27 Jan 2018 Posts: 1586
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 7:50 am Post subject: |
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The big problem is the inconsistency. I have gotten packages from CA OVERNIGHT and then it will take 15 days to get one from someone 300 miles away....both USPS Priority. This makes it look like they are not well run.....which I do think is where the issue is. Throwing cash at the problem alone will do nothing......it needs a total ground up reset.....but as a quasi government agency that will be very hard and not happen in my life. |
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Henryjint
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 1983 Location: NY State's Hudson Valley
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 9:05 am Post subject: |
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I have had a few miss sorted USPS packages in the last few months. either going to another state or just dropped off at a nearby town's P.O.
With Amazon doing their own deliveries, the USPS should have less packages to misplace! _________________ Forum member since 10/25/2010 |
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BVAUGHN
Joined: 29 Jan 2018 Posts: 505
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 11:42 am Post subject: |
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Live in South Carolina . Talked to a postal clerk several weeks ago about slower than usual packages. He informed me that for past several weeks months the hub in Greenville had also been sorting mail from NJ. Due to covid-19.
Bill |
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Henryjint
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 1983 Location: NY State's Hudson Valley
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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When given a tracking number, I always track my packages. I have noticed packages traveling in a very round about way lately. Also packages sitting in distribution points for more than 24 hours. _________________ Forum member since 10/25/2010 |
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18degrees
Joined: 01 Feb 2018 Posts: 1023 Location: metro STL area, ILLINois
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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As most of us, i’ve had packages take a long time to get where they were supposed to go, and i’ve had them arrive quicker than expected.
Worst story i have is i sold a Sidney Crosby autograph & memorabilia hockey card on ebay that sold for around $100. I live in Illinois and it was going out east, maybe New York. Shipped with tracking and the tracking dropped off after a few days. The buyer filed a claim after 30 days and i refunded the money. I called the St Louis postal center and got a wonderful employee who opened a case/search for it. The package, a #000 bubble mailer, was hung up... in California. it got rerouted and made it to the buyer within a few more days. Buyer then re-paid me and all was well. Big goof on their part but good customer service rectified it. _________________ ON DECK/IN THE WORKS: too many started to list...
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odcics2
Joined: 09 Feb 2018 Posts: 283
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RCB
Joined: 09 Mar 2020 Posts: 44
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 5:53 am Post subject: |
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Maybe it is time to let private companies bid on postal contracts. Maybe we could get better service at a lower price if some one's survival depended on it rather than throwing money into a bottomless pit. |
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Mack
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 732 Location: deep south
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 6:39 am Post subject: |
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RCB wrote: | Maybe it is time to let private companies bid on postal contracts. Maybe we could get better service at a lower price if some one's survival depended on it rather than throwing money into a bottomless pit. |
BINGO!!!!!! _________________ life is hard, it's harder when you're stupid. John Wayne |
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Rob Spires Board Moderator
Joined: 27 Jan 2018 Posts: 185
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:06 am Post subject: |
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UPS and FedEx are privatized and marginally more expensive. They’re also far less convenient.
I’ve had generally positive experiences with the USPS. Since the beginning of working from home (an arbitrary point of reference several months ago), my eBay history shows I’ve ordered 87 items. Of those all but two have arrived perfectly. One of those two was two weeks late and the other was “lost” for about six weeks. Like 18degrees above, we did the whole eBay refund only for it to show up later thing. While a pain, it still worked out.
So, since March, I’ve had a 100% delivery rate, and 97.7% on-time rate. I don’t think that’s too bad. My wife is the queen of online shopping and to my knowledge she hasn’t had any trouble either. |
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Dennis O Board Moderator
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 886 Location: Louisville, Ky.
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:34 am Post subject: |
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I have the "mail preview" service that the USPS offers. One day last week it showed that we were getting some junk mail and a package that contained my wife's meds. While the junk mail did not arrive that day, our mail carrier rang the doorbell as he placed the meds in the mailbox. He made sure that got delivered ASAP. _________________ Dennis
Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity....... |
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odcics2
Joined: 09 Feb 2018 Posts: 283
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Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 11:22 am Post subject: |
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Remember how cheap phone service was with one company running the show?
Look at your phone bill today... How many billions of dollars are wasted by all the phone companies on advertising to get your business?
So, how many companies would it take to get a model kit across the country? Would these private companies be regional?? Interesting question, to say the least.
There have been hundreds of high speed sorters taken off line and dismantled in the last few months. They aren't coming back, since key parts to put them back together are "missing".
Way to go, Postmaster General... |
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odcics2
Joined: 09 Feb 2018 Posts: 283
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RCB
Joined: 09 Mar 2020 Posts: 44
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:57 am Post subject: |
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With the multiple billions the usps is in the red, I wonder that in order for it to break even would the price increase go above ups and fed ex? That is what the news never discusses. Maybe renetworking the usps is the answer. |
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odcics2
Joined: 09 Feb 2018 Posts: 283
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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The USPS is not a "for profit" business, rather a service provided by the United States Constitution.
The military is also a service that we, the tax payers, pay for.
Locally, you pay taxes for Fire Departments and Law Enforcement.
Info found on the net:
The United States Postal Service (USPS; also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service) is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the United States, including its insular areas and associated states. It is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution.
The USPS traces its roots to 1775 during the Second Continental Congress, when Benjamin Franklin was appointed the first postmaster general. The Post Office Department was created in 1792 with the passage of the Postal Service Act. It was elevated to a cabinet-level department in 1872, and was transformed by the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 into the United States Postal Service as an independent agency.[5] Since the early 1980s, many direct tax subsidies to the USPS (with the exception of subsidies for costs associated with disabled and overseas voters) have been reduced or eliminated.[6]
The USPS, as of 2019, has 469,934 career employees and 136,174 non-career employees. The Postal Service is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality. The Post Office has exclusive access[7] to letter boxes marked "U.S. Mail" and personal letterboxes in the United States, but has to compete against private package delivery services, such as United Parcel Service, FedEx, and Amazon.[8]
As you have read, since the 80s, the USPS funding has been cut.....
Now, on a similar note, there is talk of getting rid of the "payroll tax".
That tax pays for Social Security and Medicare.
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Sundance
Joined: 31 Jan 2018 Posts: 78 Location: Florissant, MO
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 4:00 pm Post subject: I generally trying not to get into these discussions but |
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A couple of times in years past, some a lot past, I attempted to get a job with the USPS. Once as a mechanic and second as postal worker. Each time I was required to take "skills" tests. Ironically, I got perfect scores on the tests.
When interviewed post testing, the supervisors acknowledge my skill levels and explained that these are a starting point. You were given additional points for where you live (ie, inner city), your sex (if female), if your race is not Caucasian, if you are a veteran, if you are mentally or physically handicapped. These "bonus" points can elevate your overall score to higher than a perfect scored, highly skilled candidate. In essence the USPS is a group whose primary goal is NOT to get the best candidates, but as a social or physical support system for those who need assistance in getting a good job. In fairness, this system helps get the USPS get decent employees, but not good or great ones. I last applied in 1998 so perhaps things have changed. Nothing about government jobs has improved since then, so likely USPS hasn't either. With this in mind, the USPS will never be as efficient, accurate or on budget simply because they are not hiring the best folks. This is further complicated by government unions.
So, if I have something that must get to someone without fail, I do not use the USPS. A post script. Last week I got my Federal Tax return check. My return was mailed in mid March. Interestingly, the date on the check was June 25th. Did the Treasury dept forget to mail it? Did the USPS lose it for a while, we'll never know. My bet is the latter. _________________ Two of my favorite things, a lovely blond and a Dodge Charger |
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RCB
Joined: 09 Mar 2020 Posts: 44
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 3:33 am Post subject: |
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Federal Withholding Tax, Social Security Tax, and Medicare are three different taxes. Therefore eliminating the Federal Withholding has no effect on the others. S. S. and Medicare will continue normally when the fed tax is abolished. The states that has state sales taxes instead of state income taxes are more economically prosperous than those states that take away the workers money before they get it, less money being spent means less commerce and less taxes being paid overall. i believe we should have a national sales tax to eliminate the fed income tax and have tariffs on all of these countries doing it to us and stopping these countries from coming here and getting money out of the country and giving nothing to us in return. The usps is very wasteful and in an era when we as workers in this country are being forced to do more with less, they in turn should be doing the same. It should be ran as a business that should be paying its own way as to not be the burden on taxpayers it has become. I believe we need to return to the tariffs, supplemented with a national sales, or consumption tax. This would make it harder for the government to just up the tax on us without affecting all people, therefor having the people spending other people's money have some sort of accountability. Will it happen, probably not, but the drain on the American taxpayer is not quite as bad as was five years ago. It is fact that lowering taxes actually increases revenues due to more commerce generated, that is what is better for the system as whole. |
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odcics2
Joined: 09 Feb 2018 Posts: 283
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 5:40 am Post subject: |
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A payroll tax cut would reduce the amount taken out of workers' paychecks to fund federal programs including Social Security and Medicare. Congress would have to decide how much to reduce the rate and how long the tax holiday would last. Currently, workers pay about 7.65% of their wage and salary incomes.
Aug 9, 2020 |
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Mack
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 732 Location: deep south
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Rob Spires Board Moderator
Joined: 27 Jan 2018 Posts: 185
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DaveVan
Joined: 27 Jan 2018 Posts: 1586
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 7:43 am Post subject: |
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This is a post from another forum. I felt there was lots of bad info being posted so I did what I did as a Sr Analyst in my real job. This is a 'due diligence' report like I did in my job only a much smaller scale and not the 100 pages my job required. It is not meant to make anyone mad or upset. It's a just the facts report until I label opinion. I hope it is viewed as such thnaks.
Let's go back to the start of the large USPS reduction in staff and physical plant.
All this info has gathered from the APWU union website, Google News, USPS.com and the Postal Workers website. No VOX or Fox or other news services.
Layoffs started in March of 2011 during the Obama/Biden admin. 220,000 people were terminated. It was justified, at the time, by a large reduction in mail volume. More than just supervisor and management positions psychical plant (building and equipment) was also reduced. And at the time it was warned that more reduction of the USPS across the board would be needed going forward if mail continued to decline.......for many years to come. It was noted that in 2011 the USPS had to many layers of unneeded management caused by years of not trimming staff as needed due to Union requirements.
Today's uproar over the USPS is about PENDING changes needed at the USPS over staff and plant. But according to the APWU site there are almost 20 points of contention over the Union contract and the changes needed to allow the USPS to survive. The Union wants no layoffs, pay protection, more time off. job security no matter what the mail level is going forward, guaranteed pension plans backed by a huge amount of tax dollars. Per the Union site layoffs were toward the bottom of the list of demands and the other points listed as 'the important points'. The current staff of almost 500,000 are the same number since 2011 round of reductions but mail has slipped another 45% so why would hey still need almost .5M employees?
The Union NEEDS to keep every current employee, dues paying employee, ($27 minimum per pay check) so it is self preservation to fight for retaining ALL current employees. And the Union wants to make it MUCH harder to fire people that are not doing their job per USPS. In 2009 the APWU union spent $1.5 million fighting the Obama/Biden Admin changes through the unions lobbying group. They claim it was the most costly year in the unions history fighting for their members. In 2019 the union spent $340,000 lobbying for the union......the lowest in history adjusted for inflation. 2020 lobbying spending is not disclosed yet.....but expected to be lower. (est 300,000)
So the APWU spent $5.8 million from 2008-2015 fighting unjust changes at the USPS and has spent
$1.7 2016-2020. There are a total of 35 other 'agents' that also lobby for the USPS plus the APWU.
Opinion:
So the APWU fought tooth and nail against changes years 2008-2015, spending huge money to influence congress and senate. They still lost 220,000 union workers. Today there are about half a million employees and the purposed layoff number is 40,000. PURPOSED layoffs........according to the USPS website today NO LAYOFFS of any large number have happened since the 2011 purge. I don't recall the OUTRAGE in 2011 over a quarter of a million layoffs??? Now a purposed layoff of 40,000 is a national tragedy that will alter the United States of America FOREVER!!! Again IMHO only I see why this is being done now.......If I still worked for one of the top five banks in the world my report back would make that point pretty clear.
Thanks |
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odcics2
Joined: 09 Feb 2018 Posts: 283
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 8:30 am Post subject: |
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Jan 14, 2020 - The New York Post is a conservative tabloid newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox News. It is the 13th oldest paper in the ...
They must have a news feed from the Kremlin. |
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Mack
Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 732 Location: deep south
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 11:42 am Post subject: |
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The New York Post doesn't proclaim to be remotely neutral. And the New York Times is supposed to be credible journalism? They are nothing more than a propaganda machine for the leftist. _________________ life is hard, it's harder when you're stupid. John Wayne |
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BVAUGHN
Joined: 29 Jan 2018 Posts: 505
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2020 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you Dave. Appreciate the info.
Bill |
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