Inequality in America - How we arrived where we are / whats your opinion?

[Oldshooter]

The Mail Handler level 4 and 5 pay scales are listed below and pay starts at the level 4 step AA at $15.85 per hour or $32,973 annually.

http://postalwork.net/pay_scales.htm
 

stupid arbitrary lobbyist pushed pension funding law

Could that lobby be the postal union? Not wanting to be argumentative here but just for the sake of discussion, IT seems to me that the USPS is ill run, even if it is due to the fact that the congress is being "forced" to shove the stupid pension funding law on it.  Seems congress is holding the reins, therefore "running" things don't ya think.

[scootrd]

The Mail Handler level 4 and 5 pay scales are listed below and pay starts at the level 4 step AA at $15.85 per hour or $32,973 annually.

http://postalwork.net/pay_scales.htm
 

stupid arbitrary lobbyist pushed pension funding law

Could that lobby be the postal union? Not wanting to be argumentative here but just for the sake of discussion, IT seems to me that the USPS is ill run, even if it is due to the fact that the congress is being "forced" to shove the stupid pension funding law on it.  Seems congress is holding the reins, therefore "running" things don't ya think.

I'm not being argumentative either just stating as an entity they run a very tight ship and are quite efficient processing an enormous amount mail a day at reasonable prices to end users.. It's bought off congressional leaders by the private sector sticking their nose in passing ridiculous rules USPO must have to adhere too that is making them non-profitable,  not non efficient.

I know the pay scales well in my state.  I have postal persons in my family. Additionally I may add since USPO has moved to a contractor temp model, even the average pay scales do not reflect the whole truth. Head postmasters cannot gaurantee standard 40 hour work week for clerks and carriers due to cut backs and Saturday delivery stoppage in the air.   So average annual salary stats have significantly dropped.

The whole political goal is to kill the P.O. for the private sector. The problem with that is if it happens wait till you see the true cost of mail in the coming years.

and lets not forget John q public in rural Nebraska who may rely on postal Service for shipment of his medical supplies and  Pharma. When the cost of shipping skyrockets if private sector gets their wish we should all remember how paid for congress persons Killed the P.O.

[mcwoodduck]

And when they do kill it, the USPO, and privatize the system, watch your rates climb and climb...that always_ _ALWAYS_ _happens when things get privatized, while the workers wages stagnate or worse.
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..TM7

But why is it cheaper to send a box by UPS than USPS?  USPS being government run and UPS being private run and the private is cheaper.  Nice try but AANT! thanks for playing, sorry no parting gift.  Who is the next contestant on economics 101?

[mcwoodduck]

Not so sure it is cheaper. I use flat rate all the time,,,can't beat it. Why does UPS use USPO services?  What's it cost to send a letter UPS? Point is never ends up cheaper.
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.TM7

Riddle me this bat man, if USPS is cheaper why do most companies ship by UPS?  if it was cheaper wouldn't Cabelas send me stuff  by the post office rather than by UPS.  I have to have things going to a post offce box for them to ship by USPS and they would rather send it to the physical address than the post office box.   And it only makes sense to ship things by USPS to areas they do nto service and pay more to send it there rather than set up a local office that will not pay for its self. 

[Oldshooter]

This is the bottom line for me.....Congress is running the show.....congress is a bunch of ass clowns.......Ergo usps is ill run.
 
Anecdotal evidence.
A woman I know was/is a raving lunatic. She was causing so much trouble in a Louisiana PO that she was sent home, and received her check until she was retirement age and it wasn't just  few months but several years. Now this is the short version but it is a true story.

[scootrd]

Not so sure it is cheaper. I use flat rate all the time,,,can't beat it. Why does UPS use USPO services?  What's it cost to send a letter UPS? Point is never ends up cheaper.
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.TM7

Riddle me this bat man, if USPS is cheaper why do most companies ship by UPS?  if it was cheaper wouldn't Cabelas send me stuff  by the post office rather than by UPS.  I have to have things going to a post offce box for them to ship by USPS and they would rather send it to the physical address than the post office box.   And it only makes sense to ship things by USPS to areas they do nto service and pay more to send it there rather than set up a local office that will not pay for its self. 

Ok I'll riddle you this ... all sites have calculators , Just go Run the numbers .. USPS is cheaper.
If your a volume business UPS and Fedex may offer price breaks depending on negotiated contract and your business volume.
You also get real-time tracking.

A recent test was run (December 2012) here were the results.

A 5-pound package going to San Francisco from New York.

Overnight service cost $85.07 (for delivery by 3 p.m.) or $91.76 (by 10:30 a.m.) with either FedEx or UPS $52.20 at the Post Office, with guaranteed delivery by noon, additionally . If you print a shipping label at home and schedule a pickup through USPS.com, the rate is only $39.14. (USPS cheaper)

Full shipping comparison includes price quotes from each courier for 5- and 10-pound packages sent to Chicago and San Francisco from New York City, In general, UPS and FedEx offer more options for expedited shipping, with guaranteed delivery times, but charge much higher prices.

Media Mail from the Postal Service emerged as the absolute cheapest option overall, costing only $4.15 for a 5-pound package and $6.19 for a 10-pound package to either city. However, the service applies only to "educational materials" such as books and DVDs.

For other items, the Postal Service's Parcel Post beat out UPS Ground and FedEx Home Delivery, although the estimated transit times were six days to Chicago and eight days to San Francisco, compared with guaranteed delivery in two days to Chicago and five days to San Francisco with UPS or FedEx.

FedEx and UPS mirror each others' prices and services, quoting precisely the same rates, down to the cent, almost across the board. The sole exception is ground delivery, where FedEx Home Delivery maintains a slight lead over UPS Ground. In the comparison, the price differences amounted to no more than a couple of dollars and change.

There was substantial savings with flat-rate boxes from the Postal Service, which ship for the same price regardless of weight or destination, as long as the contents fit in one of several sizes the Postal Service provides. For instance, shipping a 10-pound package overnight to San Francisco costs $39.95 vs. $76.95 for regular Express Mail at the Post Office or $116.17 at FedEx or UPS. The heavier the package (up to 70 pounds), the greater the savings.

Be sure to price out both regular and flat-rate shipping at the Postal Service for Priority Mail, a two-to-three-day service, or overnight Express Mail, the only option with point-by-point tracking and a money-back-guaranteed delivery time.

All the FedEx and UPS services researched include tracking and a money-back guarantee, although consumers may not be able to claim a refund if a late delivery can be blamed on a fine-print problem such as inclement weather or an incomplete shipping label -- or if a package is mailed too close to Christmas. FedEx is suspending its guarantee for Home Delivery beginning Dec. 11. The company will still guarantee pricier FedEx Express deliveries, which entitle the shipper to a refund if they arrive even one minute late. However, beginning Dec. 18, the guarantee will apply only if a package is delayed more than 90 minutes.

Beyond Price. As perks such as money-back guarantees suggest, there is more to consider than just price when determining the best cheap shipping provider. Factors including convenience, reliability, and customer satisfaction. The American Customer Satisfaction Index historically favors FedEx, which has outscored UPS by two points and the Postal Service by eight points on average over the past 15 years. In 2012, it bested the other two by only one point (earning 82 out of 100).

As for convenience, the Postal Service far outnumbers UPS and FedEx with more than 35,000 retail offices. However, the private companies compete by operating about 40,000 drop boxes apiece, accepting packages 24/7 at a time when the Postal Service has cut business hours at thousands of locations.

All three couriers provide free pickup service for packages with print-at-home shipping labels. Only the Postal Service offers free Saturday delivery for all shipments. Saturday delivery costs an additional $15 with either UPS or FedEx, with the exception of FedEx Home Delivery. The schedule for that service is Tuesday through Saturday, instead of Monday through Friday.

Not only did the USPS rank cheapest but also is the most convenient with more than 35,000 retail offices.

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So basically if you can't compete .... Rally your lobbyists , run up the hill, pay off a bunch of congressmen to pass ridiculous arbitrary laws that bind the hands of your competition and kill their service. That's one way to dispense with more efficient competition.

[mcwoodduck]

Thank you Scoot....very informative.
 
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MCWD....well Robin, its like this: business' past along shipping charges; i.e shift to the purchaser so they don't much care what shipping costs many many times.  Sort of like you want to do with taxes...shift them to everybody else, and excepting yourselves.
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..TM7

But then why doesn't the company simply charge me for UPS and send it by USPS?  The answer is othe than the priority boxes that do not hold a whole lot, sending a standard 12X12X6 box was cheaper ans faster to ship with the account by UPS.
And scott you are correct that USPS is cheaper for the same so called service, when I was sending parts from South San Francisco and sent stuff over night by Fed Ex and UPS it showed up the next day.  USPS was the day after if the package was not at the post office by noon and Fed Ex and UPS would pick up at 4pm at my office.  So to say they are the same is not real.  Same name but not the same service and when you look at UPS 2nd day vs the same service USPS was offering as next day, the prices were in line.  And the UPS account gives you a discount off of the posted prices and the more you ship the more you get as a discount. 

[ironglow]

It is difficult indeed to figure out just why these guys who are forever praising socialism.. keep hanging around the USA..when there is a socialist paradise just 90 miles offshore.. in  Cuba.
   Barring that, perhaps you guys may be welcomed into the socialist glory-land of north Korea..  Just have chairman IL drop into GBO and we can give you guys a good, socialist recommendation.

[mcwoodduck]

It is difficult indeed to figure out just why these guys who are forever praising socialism.. keep hanging around the USA..when there is a socialist paradise just 90 miles offshore.. in  Cuba.
   Barring that, perhaps you guys may be welcomed into the socialist glory-land of north Korea..  Just have chairman IL drop into GBO and we can give you guys a good, socialist recommendation.

Well Cuba has seen the light and Fidel's brother Raul has fired thousands of government workers and has set up a process to sell government owned business to people and are allowing capitalims.  After 50 years of global socialism in Cuba and tryingto export it they have come to the conclusion that it does not work and Capitalism is the most efficient way to allocate resources.
  So it sounds like only N. Korea remains to them.  The North Koreans are still delusionaland think the system works as they starve to death. 
The Chineese in making consumer goods for the free world has opened the doors to their citizens wanting the consumer goods and they needed our $ to feed their population. 
Com say hom nee da = Korean for thank you. I do not know what comrade is but I do have an english to Korean dictionary I will give them as a going away gift so they can tell the communist over lords thank you for the gifts and the job.  Of course as US citizens they will be treated better than the average Communist slave in the country and would be less likely to sacrafice you in the name of the public good.

[351 power]

might need some clarification on that one woodduck

[Oldshooter]

This might nelp; http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/business-economy/cuban-economy-starts-to-become-more-liberal.htm

[mcwoodduck]

This might nelp; http://www.english-online.at/news-articles/business-economy/cuban-economy-starts-to-become-more-liberal.htm

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OS...OK good.  Problem is in the USA so-called conservatives and so-called liberals only view the world as capitalist v. socialistic. Whereas real vibrant economies are 'free enterprised' based and avoid monopolies unless if a sector need be 'nationalized'....FREE ENTERPRISE is not exactly what we have in the USA which is finance capitalism based, but we should be free enetrprise based,  and, yes, free enterprise has elements of capitalism. Remember, the USA was never really 'corporation' worshippin until recently.  But notice in your article...the Cubans like the Chinese will continue to have a strong regulation ethic in affect to maintain some 'equality', probably well knowing from experience that de-regulation always leads to the collapse of society and economy...often leading to wars as a last chance to save the system.
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..TM7

TM7- Let me clue you in.  Capitalism is free enterprise.  De-regulation is free enterprise.  When you do not have so called safety nets the consumers are more skeptical and real capitalism takes place.  You talk about regulation and yet we have a medical procedures, medicines, and sergucial implants devices that the Government says are safe and tested under the strictest standardsadn regulations and yet we still have thousands of medicines, implants, and medical devices that are faulty.  People never go after the government for testing it, never go afte the government for approving it, they never blame the regualtions for thinking it was a safe product.   The doctors, the hospitals, and implanted all think since hte regulations are there to protect them it must be safe.  The same goes withthe financial instutions, they feel the government is involved and htey are safe, those same regulations are what made it possible for Madoff to steal Billions.  Had there not been those regulations the people would have pulled their money from him and we would not have had the problems, people would have quoted Ponzi and run from Madoff.   No one would have invested in the collapse of the houseing market as there never would have been the loans approved for people that could not pay for the house.  Remember that regulation on the fair housing act by tax cheat liberal that wanted to transfer wealth, Rangle.

[Oldshooter]

The problem as I see it is the same problem we have right now! The Ledgislayture, WE hear that they are the problem with the usps. We know they are the problem with the budjet(not withstanding no budjet from barry)
They fostered the house loan fiascos, Fanny mae, Freddie mac. OH then there is obama care. couple that with the socialist agenda to "spread the wealth".  That being said NO party is without blame they are all ass clowns. They move in secret make BS deals and sell out the people they are supposed to represent.
 
Term limits need to stop the wrangle for life long power and getting to vote yourself "private insurance" and raises. Its these fools who make deals, cater to lobbist and sell us out that disrupt the free capitalist system. Regulation upon regulation only to increase their power and stifle good business growth. WE THE PEOPLE (not on party lines but all together)need to throw the fools out and put good  people in their jobs to straiten this mess out.
 
Capitalism made this country what it used to be. These fools in Washington are taking it apart and sliming it with burocracy which spoils it and bastardizes it to the point of destruction.   

[ChungDoQuan]

I'm pretty sure the whole two party system was invented so the capitalists could give everyone the illusion that there was a constant conflict over government while actually giving the commoners only incremental improvements in life, and those at a snail's pace. It took 90 years for all white men to be able to vote here. It took another 100 years before all men and women could vote. Who do you think has been running the place? It sure wasn't the common people. Why do you think those two parties do whatever they can to smash down any other parties that spring up? They ARE the capitalists, and they do not want anything to change. We have a caste system here. The only difference in us and a traditional monarchy is that here you can buy your way into the upper class--- if only you can come up with the money.

[Oldshooter]

Well now that we have read 7's war and peace. I understand more about fe le gwot btw cap and nwo.    just messin with ya 7 
 
I did glean this. 

Today, small businesses are struggling under a veritable “mountain” of regulatory red tape—the result is economic downturn.

truer words have not been typed here!
 

[scootrd]

We know they are the problem with the budjet(not withstanding no budjet from barry)

OS...

Just an FYI , White house having proposed no budget is just a drive by talking point.
They have had their budget posted online for well over a year. and yes it is detailed.

The majority house leaders and speaker refused to bring it to the floor for a up or down vote.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Overview

TM,

I absolutely concur with your statement.

OS...right, nobody is really arguing that about regs. What's being argued is unfair application of regs in a basically rigged system, and the need for fair equal regulations...not a rigged game..

Semper Fi