On a good, clear and sunny day, I get a letter across "the great pond" in less then 86 hours (4 days) with USPS. For under a buck ($1).

I don't have a problem with that @ all.

Like wise, no lost mail here. Knock on wood or whatever "The Word's" source may be.

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Bingo. Public and private each have merits for different services.

For example, I don't think that any sort or universal health care should dole out heart and liver transplants to any indigent person who needs or wants one. We just don't have sufficient resources to do that. That kind of stuff is luxury.

Community clinics that take care of basics for people w/o any other options would be way cheaper than emergency room care like that crowd is now getting.

Well heeled people will still be allowed, of course, to buy the best care their money can buy. IOW, a combination of public and private in the administering of health care.

A bit off topic, oops.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Let me add a bit to the discussion. The Post office tries to operate on a three year cycle. Basically they make a profit the first year, break even the second year and then lose money (burn the surplus from the first year) the third year. Then the govenrmet decides that they can run it better so they tell the PO they can't have a big enough increase to do the three year bit. So you wind up with these one cent increases all the time. Oh, and don't forget, congress gets to buy votes by telling the PO they have to give discounted rates to all kinds of groups (below cost).
I suspect the PO has a few more stores (Post Offices) than any of the other carriers. Just listen to the outcry if the PO tries to close an office that doesn't make good business sense.
They also move faster than a lot of the other carriers. I've ordered some MB parts in the past few months and tracked their progress to my house from the left coast and from Texas. They did fairly well in their trip until they got to Chicago. Then they enjoyed the weekend sitting there. Taking in the sights of the city, I guess. The PO has a policy of packages having a 20 hour or less turnaround time from the moment a package enters the grounds of the Bulk mail center to leaving the property. They ran two shifts a day when I was there and ran 22 hours a day during the Christmas rush.
As pointed out above, they will come to YOUR house and pick up a letter to your aunt Tillie and deliver it to her in BUFU, KY (I am actually trying to move there soon). And do it for 41 cents. I'm not sure most of you would get up off the couch and walk to the mailbox for 41 cents. (I probably wouldn't).
My biggest gripe with them is that they don't raise the price in 5 cent increments (of course they aren't allowed). At least we would not have to fool with all the blasted change when we buy stamps.

IIRC only the USPS is allowed to carry 1st class. And 1st Class subsidizes 4th class (whatever that advertising class is). In effect, the USPS is forced by law to help businesses advertise at a loss to USPS. I could be wrong.

Hello eagle-co94,

I believe the stamp you linked to is NOT a Forever stamp. To be a Forever stamp, the stamp has to have the word "Forever" printed on it.

I'll stand corrected if wrong.......

Ken300D

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1982 300D at 351K miles
1984 300SD at 217K miles
1987 300D at 370K miles

and people wonder why I don't buy stamps by the roll.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

I'd walk to my mail box if it kept giving me $.42 every time I opened it.. I could have a new S-Class in a month and be as fit as a marathon runner..

or.. be a genius and make a robot to do it for me

It's a tough one. I have no doubt there are some lard-butted folks dragging their feet in postal centers while fantasizing about how to massacre co-workers.

OTOH, can you imagine the inefficiency of several different outfits all delivering first class mail? I'm thinking fuel usage per letter would shoot up, as they'd all have to cover about the same real estate with smaller loads per vehicle.

And eventually, there'd be execs making 7 figure salaries a la HMOs.

IMO, too much emphasis on state owned industries or too much on private owned, leads to difficulties.

I mean can you imagine the military being totally privatized?

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Hmm, calling for close air support and find your transmission is being routed to a call center in Bangalore. It could work.

Unionized?

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Kentucky is a state I've not visited and I've always thought I'd like to. I like semi remote mountainous areas. Of course I've read about some of the backward hillbillie regions, and I've experienced exactly that in the hills of northeastern Washington, where along with some really impressive resourceful people are way too many gnarly road dogs always on the lookout for an untended house out in the boonies to ransack.

The map of Kentucky that shows all the county lines is a trip. Small counties, every one of them with irregular boundaries, defined by creeks, no doubt.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Back when I was a member in good standing of a very proper church, we participated in a project helping folks in Appalachian Kentucky winterize their homes. We saw some folks who had no idea about (as we say delicately) hygiene so we helped them with positioning water wells in relation to septic systems. They were merely ignorant, not stupid. So after we helped them understand why diarrhea was endemic, they were more than willing to pitch-in.

There are nooks & crannies that are home to people who aren't fully incorporated to modern life in America. And that's not all bad, just very different. Lovely place, but very harsh.

B

Meaning no offense to any Kentuckian, it does seem to be a state that you don't hear much about in terms of cultural highlights, contribution to the culture, etc., aside from racehorses.

I heard a bit on NPR about just how big a deal the Kentucky derby is there.

And regarding mountainous regions, it does seem that around the planet, the more mountainous, the more backward -- Afghanistan, Pakistan, even Tibet to some degree.

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Te futueo et caballum tuum

1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Kentucky is not a big contributer to culture per se as you mentioned. We are real big on horses. (the queen of England sometimes buys horses in KY.). We have the KY derby and in 2010 we have a world Equestrian event: http://www.feigames2010.org/ . The east side of Ky is mountains and the central to west side is a bit flat. Horse country is central KY. I live in Northern Ky, about 10 miles south of Cincinnati, Oh. I'm looking to buy a house about 30 miles further south if I can talk the misses into it.
The mountian regions can be very backward. Deep into the hills, you hit places where the driveway is basically a creekbed. Can you imagine UPS, FedEx and DHL all making daily deliveries every day there?
Ky has 120 counties. Yeah, busy little map. At least it keeps government more local. Funny thing about those counties: of the 120 counties, pot grows in 119 of them (our biggest cash crop). Pike county supposedly doesn't grow pot. You need level ground and Pike county doesn't have any! For a real adventure, try towing your travel trailer around some of he narrow mountain roads (with near sheer dropoffs) and have a big coal truck come around the curve the towards you.
Still, it's a beautiful place with lakes and mountains and green fields and rivers. Big cities are Lexington (see James Bond's Goldfinger) and Louisville (Ky Derby). Bunch of medium cities (including Covington-my home). Tons of historic little towns. Oh, I found out last year that Daniel Boone was a great, grreat x10 uncle.
Many years ago, my wife (a teacher) was doing some work way down in the hills. There was a small private school. Parents would bring in their kids shortly after they were born to register them for school. A good education was hard to get and the folks did understand the value.
Any of you who are going to be coming thru the area should PM me. I'd be happy to meet up with any of ya'll. Of course if you have trouble with your MB while traveling thru here, I'd be happy to help.
Oh almost forgot. We have one of the biggest mercedes only salvage yards in the country!