7 ms·

Also this argument is easily refuted by the US Postal Service, which physically delivers individual pieces of paper in a few days, for pennies.

GauntletWizard 3mo ago
The postal service is a quasi government entity that has operated (not to get too deep into the politics of it) for many years at a loss. It does compete with Amazon, as well as being used by Amazon, but it's very different as a business than Amazon.
- sourdecor 3mo ago
  I got this when I told Gemini "post office loss retirement prepaid" because of other articles I have read that I cannot remember. "In 2006, Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA). This law forced the USPS to do something virtually no other government agency or private corporation has to do: prefund its retiree healthcare benefits 75 years into the future[0]. Essentially, they were legally required to fast-track billions of dollars into a fund to pay for the future retirement health benefits of current employees, and theoretically even future employees who hadn't been hired yet." [0]: https://apwu.org/the-usps-fairness-act/ https://apwu.org/the-usps-fairness-act/
nerdsniper 3mo ago
Right but that’s a government service and it should be totally fine for them to deliver mail below cost using taxpayer money to make up the deficit. Like every other government service - highways, defense, etc. They’re profitable to the system, but not per se.
- mmooss 3mo ago
  The US Post Office is funded by its own revenue, I'm pretty sure.
  - thallium205 3mo ago
    It still enjoys many government mandated monopolistic advantages. See: American Letter Mail Company.
ButlerianJihad 3mo ago
USPS is fueled by parcel deliveries, but also in large part by literal tons of junk mail on dead trees; spammers have paid Uncle Sam handsomely to spam every citizen's mailbox for decades, and it's the most lucrative thing USPS can do with our home mailboxes.

GauntletWizard 3mo ago

The postal service is a quasi government entity that has operated (not to get too deep into the politics of it) for many years at a loss. It does compete with Amazon, as well as being used by Amazon, but it's very different as a business than Amazon.

sourdecor 3mo ago
I got this when I told Gemini "post office loss retirement prepaid" because of other articles I have read that I cannot remember. "In 2006, Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA). This law forced the USPS to do something virtually no other government agency or private corporation has to do: prefund its retiree healthcare benefits 75 years into the future[0]. Essentially, they were legally required to fast-track billions of dollars into a fund to pay for the future retirement health benefits of current employees, and theoretically even future employees who hadn't been hired yet." [0]: https://apwu.org/the-usps-fairness-act/ https://apwu.org/the-usps-fairness-act/

nerdsniper 3mo ago

Right but that’s a government service and it should be totally fine for them to deliver mail below cost using taxpayer money to make up the deficit. Like every other government service - highways, defense, etc. They’re profitable to the system, but not per se.

mmooss 3mo ago
The US Post Office is funded by its own revenue, I'm pretty sure.
- thallium205 3mo ago
  It still enjoys many government mandated monopolistic advantages. See: American Letter Mail Company.

ButlerianJihad 3mo ago

USPS is fueled by parcel deliveries, but also in large part by literal tons of junk mail on dead trees; spammers have paid Uncle Sam handsomely to spam every citizen's mailbox for decades, and it's the most lucrative thing USPS can do with our home mailboxes.