That’ll be another warning. Do not insult other posters.
I’ll save you some time by not replying to the accompanying gratuitous PM this time as well. Just substitute the word “insult” for “troll” and we’ll be all caught up! 
Only half the boobs for him to grab.
I’ll take “Ways To Leave the SDMB” for $500, Alex.
I have a better way…
Oh, I’d say you’re doing a fine job right now.
you know I remember there being a plan to get rid of the post office and split it up between fed ex and ups in the 90s but neither had the infrastructure required to pull it off …
Before this thread gets closed I’d like to make sure it contains a mention of the truth that the USPS gets zero tax money. Zero. None. How Trump can be propping them up without giving them any money is a mystery.
You know, if Trump could prop up vitally needed services without giving them a penny of tax money, I would be all for Trump doing so. I would be by his side waving a flag. But he isn’t. It’s simply a ludicrous statement. Nonfactual, as we say in our reality-based universe.
BZZZZTTTT!!! The correct response is “OK; I asked for an example; you provided one; you win; I lose.”
You mean that wasn’t your best way?
More precisely, that’s not being done faster, better, cheaper, or at all by any other “player” in the parcel delivery industry.
Admittedly, Trumpelthinskin making up fake facts about the USPS comes across as slightly more dignified than saying what he really means, which is “BEZOS and HIS FAKE NEWS NEWSPAPER are BIG UGLY MEANIE DOODOO HEADS!!”
I thought it was a plan to merge FedEx and UPS and call it FedUp.
It’s working pretty well.
BeenJammin is temporarily suspended so that the moderation staff can discuss his case.
more info here , he might get the Pentagon to cancel Amazon contracts for web hosting
Which would be why very distant locations may only receive mail delivery 2-3 times a week, or require a PO Box.
As for ‘Junk Mail’ many retailers and wholesalers still require a low-cost delivery of catalogs and other items. Many businesses, retail and B2Bers could not survive having to ship catalogs at $6 a pop via FEDEX or UPS (and that is a low cost estimate).
One of your suggestions above was to “look into banks payment service” - while some bills can be paid via bank electronic payment (which, BTW, has been known to have errors) others end up being (ta-da!) sent via the postal service. Given that some banks can charge a hefty fee for even small, domestic bank transfers this is not always an option. More are coming but there will still be a need for a mail system.
For profitability, others have already mentioned how the USPS has been hamstrung, but its package department is a very good revenue generator that is competitive. It takes advantage of their infrastructure and does a remarkable job. During the holiday season alone they handle 850 million packages, most of them Priority Mail that gets to their destination within 2-3 days. UPS comes up quite short of that numbers, and FEDEX doesn’t even ship half of that (and are mostly shipped much slower).
Those packages are just part of the 15 billion pieces of mail shipped during the holiday season. Which means 14+ Billion pieces of mail shipped at a very reasonable rate. UPS and FEDEX cannot handle that level, period.
Now, ignoring non-package mail, the USPS ships packages at a much more reasonable rate than the other services. Send a 1 lb package 1 state over via USPS and then check the rates for UPS or FEDEX. Those rates are often double what USPS charges for their Priority Mail, and that is before UPS tacks on such things as ‘residential fees’ or ‘gas fees’ or whatever they feel like charging that day (FEDEX does it too). UPS packages only become more economical when the boxes get heavy, and a few years ago they changed their standards so that ‘dimensional weight’ (a calculation used so that you if you mail a giant box of fluff & ping-pong balls it will cost you more than its actual weight) to apply to all packages, not just the larger ones. So now if you mail a box, 6" on a side, weighing just 8 oz, UPS and FEDEX consider it to weigh 3 lbs for shipping (and paying) purposes.
In addition, there is a bigotry to the ‘just get electronic bills’. A lot of older people, poor people, and others will not, or cannot utilize electronic billing & payments. This is especially an issue where certain public utilities are infamous for their poor bookkeeping methods and won’t properly record an electronic payment. Its a lot easier to prove you paid when you have a cancelled check rather than a bank transaction #. Trust me on this, I know.
The Post Office services everyone with a mailing address in the US equally. That means the person living right next door to the Post Office gets the same services as the person living at the far end of the lane (with a few exceptions noted in the first paragraph, but still far better than most). This does cost them more money, of course, but the US has long held that basic postal service be provided (almost) to all with a mailing address - the guy at the end of the hill will not be excluded or charged more due to some board member executive trying to cut costs for the quarter to make the stock price rise 1/4 point.
I like the post office, but they don’t do this. If your area is too sparsely-populated, you get a coupon for a PO box in town.
As Mr. Miskatonic notes in the post above yours – you’re right, it’s not entirely universal, but USPS’s coverage is still far better than what the private carriers will do.
The USPS delivers to Supai, AZ, a village of 218 residents within the Grand Canyon. The last eight miles are by mule.
If you think that this is not a necessary service, you probably don’t live in Supai, AZ.
I live at the end of a very long uninhabited gravel/dirt road. My actual mailbox is not walking distance from my front door (my drive is long, also). My mail service is as good as can be expected. Pretty reliable. I do on occasion get a note in my box about something undeliverable and have to go to the post office. It’s 33 miles from me. UPS has never delivered to my door. I get a email to come to pick up a parcel. Which is even further from my house. I prefer USPS.
And how do you think the bank sends the check??