A Txdigest poll: End Saturday mail delivery?

[Bob Of Burleson]

USPS supports five-day delivery swap with highway fund boost

By Lisa Rein
The Washington Post

A plan from House Republicans to buoy the nearly-empty highway trust fund with savings from eliminating Saturday mail delivery has struck many observers as an odd idea — a budget accounting trick that would finance road projects by preventing a future bailout of the U.S. Postal Service.

But the top postal official says he couldn’t be more pleased.

“We not only need five-day delivery,” Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in an interview. “But I would say, if this was able to help take the angst out of the [broader postal] legislation for some lawmakers, that would help us out.”

Donahoe has long pushed to eliminate Saturday delivery of letters, a service cut that’s estimated to save the financially strapped mail agency about $2 billion a year (some Democrats, labor unions and postal regulators have questioned whether the savings could be that high).

Last year, frustrated that Congress has been unable to reach consensus on a broad package of reforms to stabilize postal finances, Donahoe tried and failed to do an end run around lawmakers and move ahead with five-day delivery on his own.

Since then, postal reform is still elusive, with a move to five-day delivery the biggest sticking point for congressional Democrats and many Republicans who represent rural districts. More than three dozen House Republicans have signed a resolution calling on the Postal Service to maintain six-day delivery.

But GOP leaders are hoping that their members’ interest in keeping highway projects in their districts flowing during the fall campaign will trump their concern about the cut to mail service.

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[OnTexasTime]

My plan for the post office would be to operate six days a week, but only deliver to the addresses every other day. You would either get Mon, Wed, Fri or Tues, Thurs, Sat service. End Monday holidays and only close down for Thanksgiving, Christmas days. Worked holidays would just be an additional day off that an employee can request off - not time and half or double time.

If you are a business or individual who needs six day a week service you would rent a post office box at the post office or at a private box center that would pick up the bulk mail at the Post Office or contract for the post office to deliver to them.

[dublusk]

End it altogether! Needless drain on the taxpayer! Most business is done electronically now and the rest is more efficiently done by UPS and fed Ex! IMHO

[bodine]

Don't know that the financial problems of the USPS can be corrected unless labor/pension costs are addressed.

What would happen if the USPS was closed, and mail delivery service was contracted out to FedEx or UPS???

[GRANDPA]

I guess my hometown newspaper will drop to 4 days home delivery. A few years ago, they switched 6 day home delivery by paperboy to mailing the paper Monday thru Saturday. A couple of months ago they dropped the Monday paper. It seems grossly inefficient to compose it in one town, print it in another town 10 miles away, mail it 50 miles for sorting then back 40 miles for home delivery.