Elmer put his annual home insurance payment in the mail today.  It's going to the City of Industry in the People's Republic of California.  44 cent stamp, envelope slightly smaller than a legal size envelope.  Here's your chance to predict whether or not it will get there.  It's not due until October 1.  You can only vote once, but you can change your vote.  I voted option 5. 

I said it will get there.  It's not like they can't deliver mail... they are just not as reliable and efficient as FedEx and UPS.

Quote from: taxed on September 12, 2011, 11:13:20 AM
I said it will get there.  It's not like they can't deliver mail... they are just not as reliable and efficient as FedEx and UPS.

Thanks for the honest vote, and the opinion about reliability. 

Quote from: elmerfudd on September 12, 2011, 11:14:32 AM
Thanks for the honest vote, and the opinion FACT about reliability. 

I fixed it...

Quote from: taxed on September 12, 2011, 11:15:50 AM

I fixed it...

Link?  Or is this proved by the statement "water is wet?"

Quote from: elmerfudd on September 12, 2011, 11:38:13 AM
Link?  Or is this proved by the statement "water is wet?"

No one sending something very important runs to the Post Office to make sure it's delivered.

Quote from: taxed on September 12, 2011, 12:25:25 PM

No one sending something very important runs to the Post Office to make sure it's delivered.

No, but don't you think if the post office lost a lot of important stuff it would be newsworthy?  And something thatt UPS and FedEx might exploit for unfair advantage? And as to efficiency, the volume the post office handles is many multiples of the combined voume of FedEx and UPS yet their employe count is not.  I posted about it once before, and I may not recall it exactly right, but I recall it not being that much different, one way or the other, from the combined employee count of FedEx and UPS.  Of course, I realize that FedEx and UPS have a higher percentage of boxes in their volume, and any flats they handle are bigger than the average piece of first class mail.    But I still say USPS does what it does as well as UPS and FedEx do what they do, and if Congress would leave them alone, the current management of USPS could make it profitable.

And thus far no one has voted anything other than 99.999999% sure it'll get there.  I would wager it will get there well before the due date, too.  Uncrumpled.  Although I know mail gets crumpled.  I get it occasionally in an envelope with apologies from the USPS.  But not often. 

Quote from: elmerfudd on September 12, 2011, 06:16:38 PM
No, but don't you think if the post office lost a lot of important stuff it would be newsworthy?  And something thatt UPS and FedEx might exploit for unfair advantage? And as to efficiency, the volume the post office handles is many multiples of the combined voume of FedEx and UPS yet their employe count is not.  I posted about it once before, and I may not recall it exactly right, but I recall it not being that much different, one way or the other, from the combined employee count of FedEx and UPS.  Of course, I realize that FedEx and UPS have a higher percentage of boxes in their volume, and any flats they handle are bigger than the average piece of first class mail.    But I still say USPS does what it does as well as UPS and FedEx do what they do, and if Congress would leave them alone, the current management of USPS could make it profitable.

And thus far no one has voted anything other than 99.999999% sure it'll get there.  I would wager it will get there well before the due date, too.  Uncrumpled.  Although I know mail gets crumpled.  I get it occasionally in an envelope with apologies from the USPS.  But not often. 

Funny you should mention that.
Just the other day on the local Sacto news, a bee keeper shipped Queen bees worth a lot of money, insured them through the post office.
They killed them, and are now sending her through Hell to collect so he can purchase more.
Found the article.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/09/01/call-kurtis-bees/

Quote from: Solar on September 12, 2011, 06:40:29 PM
Funny you should mention that.
Just the other day on the local Sacto news, a bee keeper shipped Queen bees worth a lot of money, insured them through the post office.
They killed them, and are now sending her through Hell to collect so he can purchase more.
Found the article.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/09/01/call-kurtis-bees/

Okay.  Didn't read the link but don't doubt it says just what you said it says.  Sometimes shippers don't properly package stuff.  Could be, right?  I bet UPS won't be trotting this out and saying "see?  We're better than that!"  And you know why?  Because it's probably happened to them, too.  You want proof?  "Water is wet."

Went back and read the link.  USPS screwed up.  People work there.  UPS and FedEx occasionally screw up too. They're staffed by people too.   Do you think this bee example is the norm? If so, wonder why anybody shipped bees that way in the first place?

And I seriously doubt the bee keeper had to wait on a $338 insurance check before he could afford to buy more queens. 

Quote from: elmerfudd on September 12, 2011, 08:42:17 PM
Okay.  Didn't read the link but don't doubt it says just what you said it says.  Sometimes shippers don't properly package stuff.  Could be, right?  I bet UPS won't be trotting this out and saying "see?  We're better than that!"  And you know why?  Because it's probably happened to them, too.  You want proof?  "Water is wet."

Went back and read the link.  USPS screwed up.  People work there.  UPS and FedEx occasionally screw up too. They're staffed by people too.   Do you think this bee example is the norm? If so, wonder why anybody shipped bees that way in the first place?

And I seriously doubt the bee keeper had to wait on a $338 insurance check before he could afford to buy more queens. 

I think this shows the difference in a gov entity as compared to a free enterprise.
Notice it took nearly three years to get paid, at UPS heads would roll over something like this.
The shipper knows that certain parcels are to be picked up at the terminal by the customer.
Fedex would can an employee over this, I would!

But this is the Post office where most of these employees couldn't get hired in the free mkt if there life depended upon it.

Where do you think "Going Postal" came from?
Not the free mkt business sector!

Quote from: Solar on September 12, 2011, 09:01:52 PM
I think this shows the difference in a gov entity as compared to a free enterprise.
Notice it took nearly three years to get paid, at UPS heads would roll over something like this.
The shipper knows that certain parcels are to be picked up at the terminal by the customer.
Fedex would can an employee over this, I would!

But this is the Post office where most of these employees couldn't get hired in the free mkt if there life depended upon it.Where do you think "Going Postal" came from?
Not the free mkt business sector!

I know where going postal came from.  A guy went postal at an aircraft company or some such near where I live a few years ago.  AS to the part I highlighted, cheap shot. 

Quote from: elmerfudd on September 13, 2011, 12:07:21 PM
I know where going postal came from.  A guy went postal at an aircraft company or some such near where I live a few years ago.  AS to the part I highlighted, cheap shot. 

No it was not a cheap shot, if you've ever worked for the Gov then you would know the majority would never be hired in the private sector.

I sent another payment off today, USPS.  $552 annual life insurance premium on the missus to New York City.  I sure hope it gets there.  It's due October 1.

Quote from: Solar on September 13, 2011, 12:12:09 PM
No it was not a cheap shot, if you've ever worked for the Gov then you would know the majority would never be hired in the private sector.

I have, in fact, worked for the government before and you have, in fact, taken another cheap shot.  I believe Bert's dad once worked for the state of New Jersey and I wonder if he could ever get a job in the private sector?  I wonder if there are any other posters who either work for the government or who have spouses or friends who work for the government who would take issue with Brother Solar's generalization?

Quote from: elmerfudd on September 13, 2011, 01:47:44 PM
I have, in fact, worked for the government before and you have, in fact, taken another cheap shot.  I believe Bert's dad once worked for the state of New Jersey and I wonder if he could ever get a job in the private sector?  I wonder if there are any other posters who either work for the government or who have spouses or friends who work for the government who would take issue with Brother Solar's generalization?

I doubt it, in fact most would agree with my assessment of the majority not being hired by the private sector.
Theres a reason that many work for the Gov, no one else would hire them.
Not all, but most.