For years I co-ran an ebay business w my father. We used the post office everyday to send packages. We never had a problem, not once.
You guys are wrong about the post office.
“Wrong” in what way, exactly?
You ought to know proof by assertion doesn’t do much in the way of convincing anyone of anything on this site, especially when it flies in the face of reality. Why don’t you take up LS on his offer and debate him here?
@ Epicurus, of course if you didn’t have problems, noone else would?
Over the last 4 years I’ve sold and bought plenty of things off ebay. I’ve shipped via USPS almost everytime. I’ve lost a total of $400 worth of merchandise.
I did not create this thread. I made this post in another thread, and somehow THIS happened.
I would like to ask the mods (?) to NOT create threads for me…? I guess… is what must have happened…
cuz I didn’t create this thread
(And I’m done “debating” LS. How do you debate “you’re wrong because you’re wrong?”)
Epicurus, I don’t know if this means you don’t want to talk about the post office anymore.
In case you do, what if I said that the problem with the post office is not that a letter won’t get delivered to the right place by the post office. The problem is that they are funded by taxpayer dollars, have no bottom line to meet, have no reason to be efficient, and therefore have lost billions of dollars in the past few years.
Just because you only pay 30 some-odd cents for a stamp to send a letter, does not mean that this is the full cost of the letter being sent. The post office simply operates at a loss and then receives funding from taxpayers to make up the difference.
Epicurus, I don’t know if this means you don’t want to talk about the post office anymore.
I have no problems discussing it. BUt I did not, and would not create such a thread. I posted that comment in another thread and SOMEONE (thta was not me) did THIS. If I would have created a thread to discuss the Post Office, it would not have been titled “I love the state post office.” That’s just someone subversively trying to make me look like a starry eyed idealist. And I DON"T appreciate it.
In case you do, what if I said that the problem with the post office is not that a letter won’t get delivered to the right place by the post office. The problem is that they are funded by taxpayer dollars, have no bottom line to meet, have no reason to be efficient, and therefore have lost billions of dollars in the past few years
That’s a different argument. And I have no data to prove whether the PO is profitable or not. It probably has lost money… but I doubt it’s in the billions in just “the last couple years.”.
@ Epicurus, of course if you didn’t have problems, noone else would?
Over the last 4 years I’ve sold and bought plenty of things off ebay. I’ve shipped via USPS almost everytime. I’ve lost a total of $400 worth of merchandise.
That is not what I suggested. I said that people are wrong when they say the USPS is wracked with problems in shipment. I have sent over $100k worth of merchandise with it (packages, not letters) and have not lost one, once. So, in my experience, the PO is not “terribly inneficient.”
ANd I’m not saying you’re lying Liberty, but I just don’t see how that’s possible. I never even get delivery confirmation, and have not lost anything, not once.
I think someone at your local PO may be “losing” your stuff deliberately.
Here’s the losses on the USPS: $8.5 Billion for the most recent fiscal year. http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/12/news/economy/postal_service/index.htm
Also, here’s just one page of many that list the numerous complains with the USPS and disapearing packages: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/delivery/usps_lost_mail.html
The real problem with packages vanishing or not is that the USPS has a virtual monopoly on certain kinds of mail. If the USPS screws up, what are you going to go to? UPS? FedEx? I don’t think they handle letters and small mail. The USPS, as a public monopoly, has no incentive to quality or efficiency, besides constituents complaining to their reps. I actually had to mail a grant application yesterday and the whole process took me 30 minutes to get the necessary forms, fill them out, wait in line, etc. It’s grossly inefficient.
It depends on one’s standard(s) for efficiency, doesn’t it? 
If your standard for efficiency is “don’t lose my packages”, then I agree with you about the conclusion you draw from your experience. However, your standard for efficiency could instead be “service vs. price”. Or it could be “profitability”. Etc.
PO has a government monopoly on most of its services, so even if it were profitable (which it is not), that wouldn’t tell us much about how productive or efficient their services really are.
In a voluntary/competitive market.
Right. My point was simply to show that one can use different standards for “efficiency” and arrive at different conclusions.
I gotta say Epicurus, sometimes you say things that are worth your name sake, sometimes you disappoint me.
Your post and subsequent replies were split to a new thread because your post was O/T and took the last discussion offtopic. That last discussion was in fact a split from another thread, which was also hijacked to a new topic.
If your post office comment had any value to that other discussion, I would have left it there.
I think when I ask people to stay on topic in a thread, they stay on topic. If you don’t want threads created, match your posts to the thread discussion already occurring.
Actually, I usually refute your posts with logic. As you don’t employ logic, you seem to think you’re being refuted “just because”. You’re welcome to maintain this delusion, however I don’t think you’re able to support it.
And with regards to debating you, your knowledge of the subject matter, specifically Austrian economics, and Austro-libertarianism is very poor. You’ve made almost no progress in your understanding in the last several months, despite hundreds and hundreds of posts made to you, trying to better explain the very positions you have not developed an intuition for.
No offense, but there are simply better uses of my time. I imagine others are coming to the same realization.
If your post office comment had any value to that other discussion, I would have left it there. But it looked like your typical drive by style of trying to be clever with no regard for others.
Im actually not surprised it was you at all LS. In fact, Im more than not surprised, I knew it. You’re predictable.
Here’s the thing. Did you assume I WANTED to discuss the merits of the PO? I’m sorry if my post was OT… delete it. Don’t subversively try to mock me, as you clearly did here. But of course, I think I may be expecting too much
I think when I ask people to stay on topic in a thread, they stay on topic. If you don’t want threads created, match your posts to the thread discussion already occurring.
Then delete it. Don’t mock me by creating a thread entitled “I love the state post office.” Have some class…
Actually, I usually refute your posts with logic. As you don’t understand or employ logic, you seem to think you’re being refuted “just because”, however anyone who understands reason can tell that you’re not able to support your arguments and rely on fallacies and arbitrary opinions.
Ya, Im sure you think you do. But “no” or “you’re wrong” or “if you weren’t so ignorant you would agree with me” are not solid logical refutations. Eusuric on the other hand does. And I give him credit for that.
Predictable.
In your world, you’re aren’t responsible for your actions. I don’t live in your world. You made an OT post, knowing full well you were. I preserved the conversation it started in a new thread. You are expecting too much if you think I am going to clean up after you.
As far as subversively mocking you, what is subversive? You’re welcome to request a name change to the thread. Melodrama however doesn’t capture my interest.
Don’t confuse wit with a lack of class. And if you don’t want to be mocked, and you want to be treated with more dignity, don’t thread crap. Very simple.
In your world, you’re aren’t responsible for your actions. I don’t live in your world. You made an OT post, knowing full well you were. I preserved the conversation it started in a new thread. You are expecting too much if you think I am going to clean up after you.
Is this (ad hominem) one of your “solid logical refutations?”
I’m perfectly willing to take responsiblity for my actions. And I am sure if you search my posts I give credit where credit is due, and admit my mistakes. I pride myself on that.
If you were “openly mocking” me, you would have pointed out that YOU were the one to start this thread. And you would have given it a respectable title. I don’t love the PO. I merely pointed out that people were wrong when they called it terribly inefficient.
Whatever tho, I won’t discuss it any further. You keep believing about yourself whatever you want. I mean, only profits matter… right? You certainly live up to that.
Back, somewhat, on topic; what’s everybody’s thoughts on The Postman? Do you find message delivery as important to societies as the producers of that movie did?
Well if the post office is such a wonderful system of efficiency then why guard it from competition? Why can’t an average individual open up a letter delivery service which competes with the USPS? You like the postal service. Wonderful. I say continue with what economic choices make you happy. The choices of others, specifically the desire to utilize other services which are currently being barred, are no less valuable.
Well if the post office is such a wonderful system of efficiency then why guard it from competition? Why can’t an average individual open up a letter delivery service which competes with the USPS? You like the postal service. Wonderful. I say continue with what economic choices make you happy. The choices of others, specifically the desire to utilize other services which are currently being barred, are no less valuable.
I’m not sure that you are barred from opening your own letter/package delivery service. In fact, to the best of my knowledge you are perfectly capable of doing just that, if you can make it profitable. I see no reason to gaurd message delivery from competition, and in fact see that as dangerous. I, much as the producers of the Postman movie, see information exchange as one of the foundations of a strong society, much like protection of trade routes, and contract enforcement.