As per most corporations. The postal service should not have been privatized. As far as I'm concerned, it's like privatizing the military. There are certain services required that fall under the heading of government entities, and they should stay that way. And of course, I'd add a few, like health care. I would have no problem with the USHCA: United States Health Care Agency. Another one would be US Mass Transit Service, so we could get from any point A to any point B via a system of rail.
U.S. Postal Service going broke
- Thread starter blacbird
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As per most corporations. The postal service should not have been privatized. As far as I'm concerned, it's like privatizing the military. There are certain services required that fall under the heading of government entities, and they should stay that way. And of course, I'd add a few, like health care. I would have no problem with the USHCA: United States Health Care Agency. Another one would be US Mass Transit Service, so we could get from any point A to any point B via a system of rail.
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No, that's just an easy shot to take. But I set it up for blacbird. He's gonna be mad that you got in his way...
I don't disagree, entirely. I'd like to not disagree, at all. But Congress WAS charged with setting up a postal system (by the Constitution), so the government must have some say.
But see, as rob said, the Constitution DOES task FedGov with providing postal services, but not Health Care or Mass Transit. Pass an Amendment if you want those, don't let the crooks blindly legislate it.
As for the Postal Service, look at the history. That's one of the things FedGov is supposed to do, and they can't even get that right. What in hell are they doing with additional assignments when they can't get the basics done???
Oh, and FedGov DOES have a Mass Transit Service. It's called AmTrak. What a great thought, expanding that crappy-service, money-losing boondoggle to rip off even more of the taxpayer's money.
Thimk!
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You should read the whole post, slowly, before going off on a hissy fit.
Box my ears? Is that what Vincent did with his?
Excuse me, but Amtrack was quasi-privatized and has been a mess because it isn't a completely nationalized service. Sorry, but that's what I think is the problem, Don. And the postal service was fine until it was privatized, and the airlines were fine until deregulation.
As soon as you add "Inc." to anything, it becomes a "screw the customer" enterprise. I'm willing to let competition mitigate that rather nasty component of capitalism to a degree, but ultimately the government should be handling essentials and take the "how do we take advantage of the customer/citizen" out of certain facets of society, like the military, the postal service, health care - yes, Don, health care - and basic interstate transportation.
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You know, the post shows not only your edit, but also the TIME of the edit. What are you, in Congress?
ETA: HA! BoP quoted the pre-edit version!
Me? You're the one who's making my posts all about you, instead of complimenting me on my cogent arguments, or perhaps the cleverness of "Thimk!" That's a sure sign of a congresscritter if I ever saw one.
ETA: Not to mention your avatar. That's the face of a congresscritter if I ever saw one.
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Sorry, BoP, didn't mean to get distracted by that congresscritter. Short version, you're wrong. 
How about some examples of fully-realized government bureaucracies that really work, then, if the problem is the privatization parts. I contend it's the bureaucratic, non-responsive parts that are mucking things up. TVA's another prime example, down there on the Ol' Mississippi, holding back the river from changing course with sheer determination and billions of our tax dollars.
Oh, or the levee programs the CoE has responsibility for. Those have been models of flawless execution too, right?
For every FedGov agency that is actually doing a great job, I can name 10 that fail miserably. At least in private industry, they would actually fail, instead of being financed forever at the expense of the taxpayer.
Oh, wait, they're just going to nationalize failed businesses from now on, right?
Short version, you're wrong. How about some examples of fully-realized government bureaucracies that really work, then, if the problem is the privatization parts. I contend it's the bureaucratic, non-responsive parts that are mucking things up. TVA's another prime example, down there on the Ol' Mississippi, holding back the river from changing course with sheer determination and billions of our tax dollars.Oh, or the levee programs the CoE has responsibility for. Those have been models of flawless execution too, right?
For every FedGov agency that is actually doing a great job, I can name 10 that fail miserably. At least in private industry, they would actually fail, instead of being financed forever at the expense of the taxpayer.
Oh, wait, they're just going to nationalize failed businesses from now on, right?
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You forgot the FDA, DoE (all of them), FBI, CIA, DHS, and their ugly stepchildren, TSA.Lol!! At least it demonstrates consistency. . . .
Despite some fraud, Medicare and Medicaid essentially work. It's hard to come up with government agencies that work because so many have been foisted off on the private sector, but here's another: EPA. Sure, it's got problems, but there's a cleaner environment because of it: cleaner rivers, streams and all kinds of toxic areas detoxed.
Wait a minute. The IRS is not a government agency, is it?? I think it's a contractor.
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No, seriously. The IRS is nothing but bureaucracy...and it's wildly successful, by any standard.
But that's the problem. The IRS is a bonafide revenue-PRODUCING bureaucracy, a very rare species of bird, indeed. The other fed bureaucracies are revenue-DRAINING ones (with a few exceptions, like the SSA).
And revenue draining bureaucracies never become more efficient over time. In fact, they become less efficient. Always. And they almost never grow smaller over time. They usually grow larger. That means more revenue-draining from auto-growth and a greater percentage of waste from the nature of the beast. THIS is why the Fed is not supposed to be doing all the things it now does. It's supposed to do the bare minimum, nothing more. That bare minimum being: MAINTAIN THE SYSTEM.
But that's the problem. The IRS is a bonafide revenue-PRODUCING bureaucracy, a very rare species of bird, indeed. The other fed bureaucracies are revenue-DRAINING ones (with a few exceptions, like the SSA).
And revenue draining bureaucracies never become more efficient over time. In fact, they become less efficient. Always. And they almost never grow smaller over time. They usually grow larger. That means more revenue-draining from auto-growth and a greater percentage of waste from the nature of the beast. THIS is why the Fed is not supposed to be doing all the things it now does. It's supposed to do the bare minimum, nothing more. That bare minimum being: MAINTAIN THE SYSTEM.
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Medicare and Medicaid are functionally bankrupt. The EPA is toothless when it comes to the biggest polluter in the world -- FedGov. What a shocker. The EPA's failure to include trucks in CAFE (at the automakers behest) led directly to the SUV explosion everyone bemoans today. The 9/11 air ratings job they did is another ugly blotch on their record. I could go on...
Well, as it hasn't been privatized - I thought even that had been outsourced - I would agree with you that it's wildly successful - but of course it's a rare animal with a unique function: collecting money. Hard to go wrong with that directive. But still, there are other government entities that do a decent job, but of course, they are a financial drain. My point is: they're not supposed to make outrageous amounts of money. They are supposed to provide a national service.
Medicare and Medicaid are functionally bankrupt. The EPA is toothless when it comes to the biggest polluter in the world -- FedGov. What a shocker. The EPA's failure to include trucks in CAFE (at the automakers behest) led directly to the SUV explosion everyone bemoans today. The 9/11 air ratings job they did is another ugly blotch on their record. I could go on...
Wait a minute, Don. We can find failure anywhere and everywhere. The measure of worth depends on the percentage of good versus well, not so good.
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Untrue. It's very easy to go wrong, in fact. The IRS collects money like nobody's business. It's managed to get the the standard of the rule of law in the U.S. reversed, to that very end.
Throughout most of history, tax collection was actually THE biggest impediment to the growth and continuity of nations. The IRS, in and of itself, likely secures the perpetuity of the Union for many, many, many generations into the future. Doesn't mean it's right, however...
Again, I don't completely disagree. But some of these entities do a crappy job. Yet, they grow in size year after year, even as their performance gets worse. That's a real problem, imo.
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A good arguement and precisely why I do not want to give "those people" (aka The Government) the health care system.
Susan G.
Of course FedGov is good at extortion. So's the Mafia. It has nothing to do with the fact that they have the guns and own the courts.
Do people still send mail?
Despite what the government says, I don't define corporations as entities. So no.
I don't think I've ever seen you say anything good about any government agency. But if only some do a crappy job, the implication is that some, perhaps many, do a good job. So, I'm interested in hearing from you what governmental agencies you think work well.
caw
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Government workers have great benefits and pay because you have to bribe SOMEONE to do those thankless jobs.