Privatizing The Post Office In The Future?

A possible future stupid move by the government?

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/au...zik-20120808


-IBFS

Yes, I think it will happen in next few years. Maybe Amazon will purchased it.

If they privatize it, then they have to refund the 70 years of prepayments the USPS has made into the Federal healthcare and pension funds. That would mean the sale price would be whatever they want to sell it for, minus $70 billion dollars. They would actually have to pay someone to take it at this point.

The other thing is that the post office was already privatized by Richard Nixon, when he got rid of the USPOD and creatd the USPS. The problem there was that the he left government hooks into the USPS. Congress is allowed to dictate some of their business practices.

The USPS has tried throughout it's history to offer value add services or branch into other areas in order to generate additional revenue and the government stops them. One service I distinctly remember is when they photocopiers at post offices. It was a brilliant move, because you'd walk in, make your coppies and mail them.

Congress felt it was "unfair competition" against American businesses and made them take the copiers out.

The USPS needs to be either completely and totally sucked back into the government or completely and totally cut loose. Their current status of a quasi-public company doesn't do anyone any good in the 21st century.

I would love to see Amazon take a crack at it although there interested in money making operations.
Tom

I don't think any of us have to worry much about the USPS being truly privatized due to this:

Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution, known as the Postal Clause or the Postal Power, empowers Congress "To establish Post Offices and post Roads".

It not something that cannot be changed easily either.

The Constitution can be amended. We'll see what happens.

It can be amended, but odds are not likely. Most amendments fail before they really even get anywhere.

If the current state of US politics is any indication, Congress and the President and are more than willing to ignore whole parts of the Constitution.