this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2024
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USPS delivers everywhere. Private companies don't.
There are so many reasons why certain services should be publicly funded, like the USPS, education or public transit, power generation or even high speed internet.
When everyone needs it we really ought to find a way that is efficient for everybody to have it. Infrastructure enables the economy which feeds into the public services - it's a win/win economically even if it seems very expensive to setup and maintain.
USPS isn't even publicly funded. It operates on fees for its services only.
It's been operating at a loss for 15 years. Times are changing, we need to innovate with the times. Email eliminates most need for paper mail and private competition is undercutting the usps by not paying benefits (mostly looking at amazon's bullshit.)
I'm in no way suggesting we should privatize it though. That's just giving someone who is a connection of dumpy a pile of cash and removing a critical service from rural/remote citizens. Shitty services undercutting it by robbing labor should have the rug pulled out so that fucking over employees isn't profitable.
every social service operates at a loss. they don't exist to "make money," they're there to provide a service to the community--they cost money. same as public highways. public libraries. the military.
it's honestly fucking asinine that this rhetoric of "OMG the USPS is losing money!" has been amplified to the degree that it has
also, i would argue that any kind of drop in usage for paper mail over time has been more than made up for by shipping for online retail shopping
I'd argue that amazon has stolen all the growth from shipping that could have propped up the USPS, but hey, that's just me.
I don't think something can be self funded and operate at a loss. I think for the former to work you can't have the latter and vice versa.
The USPS can keep cutting services into the ground to stay afloat but eventually they'll just collapse unless publicly funded. I think that's ok, the service is too critical not to subsidize to a reasonable service level, it needs to be subsidized for the public good.