To save the post office, send beer?

Stopping mail on Saturdays is just one more step to get rid of the Post Office.  On the other hand, allowing the Post Office to deliver booze would be a smart move.

Hope Congress gets its act together concerning the Post Office, we really do need the service and a lot of non-postal jobs could be lost if the Post Office is knocked off.  That Free Market bull about getting better service for less instead of having the Post Office is just that BULL.

They shot themselves in the foot when they banned the shipment of cigarettes through the mail only because they raised taxes and the government wanted to get every penny.  So, why not send beer and wine - bet taxes on those items go up so our greedy government officials can give themselves more money.  Agree or not agree - vote now.

How about the Postal system exchanging foreign money in high tourist areas and cities to generate new revenues.

'Or how about having the postal system administer the new US Saving Bond program the US Treasury is setting up on the internet.  Considering that only half of the people in this country have access to the internet, they are losing half their potential customers.  This could also generate revenues for the postal system.

The U. S. Post Office has been, and remains, too good a bargain.  There are 3 problems.  One, Congress raided the Post Office revenues to avoid raising general taxes.  Two, postal rates are too low (junk mail rates are set by junk mailers bribing Congressment, first class mail rates are about half what they are in Europe, Canada).  And, Congress (again!) prevents the closing of un-needed, superflous post offices.  The pay rates at the USPO were adjusted years ago to make them more reasonable.

What needs to be done is to remove the direct meddling of Congress and private influence peddlars.  Rates should be raised, especially on junk (unsolicited) mail, as well as first class.  Postal revenues should be used only by the post office and superfluous facilities be closed.

The reason UPS/FEDEX use the U.S. Post Office for "last mile" deliveries, as well as deliveries to remote areas, is that the USPS is both more efficient and covers more of the country.  It also does not need to make a profit, like FEDEX and UPS.  Doing away with the USPS will simply make the United States a more expensive place to do business and a more expensive place to live.  

Good examples of this would be Sierra Leone where the Post Office no longer delivers mail to most places.  Sending a few sheets of paper for home delivery there (via DHL) costs about $200 US for one letter!  To send the same letter to Canada costs (DHL) about $30, or the Canadian post office 88 cents.  In the U.S., it is currently 44 cents USPS.