SENATE BILL: The Duke-Marokai Postal Service Act of 2013 (Law'd)

[Oakvale]

I'm not exactly convinced that the postal service isn't something that couldn't be done more efficiently by the private sector, but if we're to have a public postal service we should at least make sure it's somewhat cost efficient. I'm not particularly sure that ending Saturday post would be such a big deal that it needs an in-depth study, though.

[Oakvale]

Speaking as someone who in real life lives in a country without Saturday post I can categorically say you're vastly overstating the impact of removing it.

[Oakvale]

Speaking as someone who in real life lives in a country without Saturday post I can categorically say you're vastly overstating the impact of removing it.

Am I?  Wasn't a lawsuit filed last year against An Post (the Irish equivalent of the USPS) by the Communications Regulator over the quality of its postal service? 

Not exactly sure how it helps your point that an unwieldy government bureaucracy is performing poorly. An Post has been a mess for years, I'm vaguely surprised we haven't sold it yet. It's possible no one would buy it.

Anyway, that has nothing to do with Saturday deliveries. I have no idea when that was abolished (or if it ever existed), but I can't remember there ever being regular Saturday post - they make exceptions at Christmas and elections if I recall correctly - and it maybe inconvenience one or two people on very rare occasions.

Bear in mind that the vast majority of post is advertising these days - parcels are commonly sent by courier service, and, well, who writes letters anymore ?  

[Oakvale]

I'm more suggesting aping Deutsche Post, which, come to think of it, provides Saturday delivery!

My view on this is very simple - I believe the government should provide necessary services to the public to improve their quality of life - universal healthcare, public education, transport, etc, etc. I don't think Saturday post falls under that category.

Your argument that eliminating Saturday postal delivery is some kind of crucial milestone that effectively destroys a national postal service is absurd - An Post doesn't deliver on Saturdays, thus the company is doomed? I just don't see how this is supposedly such a major issue - post on working days should suffice for the vast majority of businesses and citizens, and if it's really necessary people can always avail of a private delivery service on weekends.

The fact is if we're to have a national postal service in this country that we should at least make sure it's not massively loss-making. Eliminating what's effectively a luxury service achieves this.

[Oakvale]

fwiw, when I wrote the original bill, I had absolutely no problem eliminating Saturday delivery. I really don't think it would have as much of a negative impact as people say. Sure, I suppose having it is a nice ideal, but, I really think we could do without and not suffer.

Also, you all better not privatize our postal service!

Much as I might theoretically like to do the latter (although Franzl has a point when he says the sheer size of Atlasia would make it difficult) I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'd imagine you'd veto such a bill anyway.

[Oakvale]

I will be merely repeating myself (again) if I were to respond to you since it is apparent you aren't really reading my posts, but I will be more than happy to fit numbers to words once I hear back from the Postal Regulatory Commission about that ORC International study concerning the impact of eliminating Saturday delivery.  That will be immensely helpful to that study committee to be formed as a result of the passage of this bill.  

I've read your posts. I just think saying that my country's postal service loses money because they don't deliver one day of the week - by far the lightest day for post in Atlasia, by the way, when as far as I know they never have - they may have at some point, but not as far as I can remember - stretches the credibility of your argument past breaking point.

I leave you with this, from... the postal service.

http://about.usps.com/news/electronic-press-kits/delivering-future/dtf-deliveryques.htm

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e: Your argument is effectively that removing one day of post, that's by far the lightest for mail delivery in the entire week considering a lot of businesses are closed, would ruin the postal service financially. You can see how I don't find that persuasive considering the above response by the postal service itself.

[Oakvale]

Nay.

I don't necessarily oppose the basic premise of the bill, but it's going to pass anyway, so I'll vote against it because I oppose establishing a panel just to study something as simple as eliminating Saturday delivery, which the postal service wants to do anyway - it's a waste of time and money.