Wall Street Journal: The sky will fall again
by M. Stewart
Based on what I've been reading, I can't tell whether President Obama is a chump or a genius for caving in to the Republican guardians of the rich on the tax bill. I guess we'll have to stay tuned to see how everything spins out. One thing we can count on is that the rich will get richer, the poor will stay poor, and the rest of us will provide the funding.
In the meantime, the Wall Street Journal--a traditionally conservative financial newspaper owned by right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch--is telling us that the sky will fall again on the American economy very soon due to the conspicuous lack of consequences for the Wall Street elite--you know, the guys who tanked the economy in the first place. See 10 reasons to shun stocks till banks crash at the WSJ "Market Watch" page.
While many Americans remain unemployed, the corporate elite are earning record profits for themselves. Thanks to hoards of tea party dupes, the Republicans have figured out yet another way to scoop up all the money for the rich and blame the Democrats for the slow economy. So far, the only Republican solution to the crisis has been to do everything they can to block extension of unemployment benefits to those their Wall Street masters put out of work. It's not fiscally responsible, they say.
You've gotta respect a great scam. So by all means vote Republican and save America!
Changing the subject: Does anyone know if we're required to receive mail from the U.S. Postal Service? Now that I pay my bills online, literally all I get is unwanted junk mail. In other words, I pay $44 per year for the privilege of having some nasty postal worker fill my box with worthless paper. And if I don't pick it up before it's full, the box is locked and I get lectured for not picking up my "mail" in a timely fashion. A relative who delivers mail in another town tells me that the Liverpool post office is notorious for poor customer service, but it's not like I have a choice.
Even though I live in the city, the post office will not deliver mail to my home. I was told that I must maintain a rural mail box along my narrow street so the carrier doesn't have to get out of his truck. After years of having my box knocked over by cars, I was forced to rent a slot at the post office to receive mail. In other words, I must pay for the privilege of driving to the post office to retrieve stuff I don't want, all because the carrier is too lazy to walk onto my porch and deliver the mail.
In short, I've had it with these people. So what happens if you opt out of the U.S. Postal Service? I still have a home address, and I can still receive packages from reputable private delivery firms. Is there any reason why I have to receive mail sent through the USPS?
Based on what I've been reading, I can't tell whether President Obama is a chump or a genius for caving in to the Republican guardians of the rich on the tax bill. I guess we'll have to stay tuned to see how everything spins out. One thing we can count on is that the rich will get richer, the poor will stay poor, and the rest of us will provide the funding.
In the meantime, the Wall Street Journal--a traditionally conservative financial newspaper owned by right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch--is telling us that the sky will fall again on the American economy very soon due to the conspicuous lack of consequences for the Wall Street elite--you know, the guys who tanked the economy in the first place. See 10 reasons to shun stocks till banks crash at the WSJ "Market Watch" page.
While many Americans remain unemployed, the corporate elite are earning record profits for themselves. Thanks to hoards of tea party dupes, the Republicans have figured out yet another way to scoop up all the money for the rich and blame the Democrats for the slow economy. So far, the only Republican solution to the crisis has been to do everything they can to block extension of unemployment benefits to those their Wall Street masters put out of work. It's not fiscally responsible, they say.
You've gotta respect a great scam. So by all means vote Republican and save America!
Changing the subject: Does anyone know if we're required to receive mail from the U.S. Postal Service? Now that I pay my bills online, literally all I get is unwanted junk mail. In other words, I pay $44 per year for the privilege of having some nasty postal worker fill my box with worthless paper. And if I don't pick it up before it's full, the box is locked and I get lectured for not picking up my "mail" in a timely fashion. A relative who delivers mail in another town tells me that the Liverpool post office is notorious for poor customer service, but it's not like I have a choice.
Even though I live in the city, the post office will not deliver mail to my home. I was told that I must maintain a rural mail box along my narrow street so the carrier doesn't have to get out of his truck. After years of having my box knocked over by cars, I was forced to rent a slot at the post office to receive mail. In other words, I must pay for the privilege of driving to the post office to retrieve stuff I don't want, all because the carrier is too lazy to walk onto my porch and deliver the mail.
In short, I've had it with these people. So what happens if you opt out of the U.S. Postal Service? I still have a home address, and I can still receive packages from reputable private delivery firms. Is there any reason why I have to receive mail sent through the USPS?
posted by M. | 8:06 AM
52 Comments:
I know its old fashoned but I enjoy getting checks in the mail. Most of them could be deposited electronically in my account but I prefer hard copies.
I'm disappointed that you're trying to implicate the postal workers in this when the locked PO box is clearly your fault. Your box was locked because you didn't pay for the rent, despite the renewal notice that was sitting in it for three weeks. If you've had a PO box for a year, you'd know by now that you have to renew it.
In addition, you were rude from the outset to the postal workers who were trying to assist you when you came in over a week past renewal.
I'm disappointed in you; your blog makes you out to be a much more intelligent man than the sort who bitches out the people who do their jobs.
Matt,
That doesn't make much sense to me. Knowing the neighborhood you reside in, I do not comprehend the "rural mail box." Our mailman walks his route and delivers mail to the box on my porch. I would think that because you also live in downtown that the same would be true for you.
You could always go with the "general delivery" type of mentality.
weaverdelooh--
What's even more strange is that every day the mail carrier parks within 20 feet of my house, gets out of the truck, and walks the mail to the woman who lives across the street. But the post office won't do the same for me or anyone else on our street. I had no such problem getting mail at the Fourth Street house. The carrier put our mail through the door slot every day.
From the Huffington Post (and I'm sorry, I don't know which political party this publication supports):
"You know, with all the talk about who is mad at President Barack Obama and who stands to win or lose what election over this tax-cut deal, not as much attention has been paid to the practical beneficiaries of the deal. Well, over at The New York Times tonight, David Kocieniewski's got the hard numbers, and finds that the deal is actually a very good one, as long as one or more of the following terms describes you:
--"the highest earners"
--"the wealthiest 1 percent of the population"
--"the wealthiest Americans"
--"hedge fund managers and private equity investors"
--"an individual earning $110,000"
--"4 million taxpayers with income in the mid- to high six figures"
--"Estates over $5 million"
To those of you who fit the descriptions above, congratulations! Really, is anyone not making out like a bandit, with this tax-cut compromise?
In fact, the only groups likely to face a tax increase are those near the bottom of the income scale -- individuals who make less than $20,000 and families with earnings below $40,000.
There's probably a way of looking at this that doesn't make it seem so bad, right?
Although the $120 billion payroll tax reduction offers nearly twice the tax savings of the credit it replaces, it will nonetheless lead to higher tax bills for individuals with incomes below $20,000 and families that make less than $40,000. That is because their payroll tax savings are less than the $400 or $800 they will lose from the Making Work Pay credit.
"It will come to a few dollars a week," said Roberton Williams, an analyst at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, "but it is an increase."
No worries! Poor people don't create jobs, anyway, I hear.
What could be wrong with the post office? It's run by the government and not a greedy private entity. True, you have no alternatives, but you don't need any. The government and all it's rules are always correct. You just need to follow their instructions better. Get with the program, government run health care is coming soon. If you can't even pick up your mail correctly you'll really be in trouble trying to get medical treatment.
jafo--
Your point is well-taken. It is odd that I would have trouble picking up mail. However, I'm not concerned about the health care thing. I will continue to have the same insurance I have now with a private carrier though my workplace. The only people who will have to confront the government bureaucracy are those with no alternative. It's a safety net for the poor and unemployed. There's nothing wrong with that. I've been both poor and unemployed, and I understand the need.
vyhd--
If you are the postal worker who is responsible for the mishap with my box, the renewal notice that you handed me was not in my mail. You handed it to me over the counter, claiming that it had been in my box since the Nov. 11 date that was stamped on it. I last retrieved my mail on Dec. 4, which means it wasn't in there then. I suspect the notice never was in my box, but the box was locked anyway. When I make a mistake, I don't lie about it, and I sure as hell wouldn't blame it on the customer. I guess we'll have to disagree about who was rude. My advice is to avoid writers altogether.
Matt, Twice now I have been given a notice that I would have to pick up packages at the post office. The notice said the post office could not deliver them because no one was home. I was on the porch at the time and was handed the notices by the carrier.I went to the post office and they treated my like I was lying.
Health insurance costs are going up by 1/3 next year where I work. Obomba-care is the cause.
Ahhhh... M. I had no clue you had relocated. I guess I was thinking you were still on 4th Street, which is why I could not comprehend the rural delivery.
Could it be possible your neighbor is the mailman's family or something?
comment,
puleeeeeze. they'll go up every fucking year regardless. they always have.
jeff, you failed to mention the unemployment extension...
If you pay all your bills online and the only mail you receive at your PO box is junk mail why do you bother with a PO box? I think the USPS should be privatized along with Social Security.
Comment--
I don't believe you. I think you are lying for political purposes.
M,
Comment may well be telling the truth about the premium costs increasing. However Obama isn't the cause. Greed is.
M,
Not lying. It goes up 1/3 the first of the year. Many lower end employees with families cannot afford it, yet they have little choice.
Just because your health care premiums are covered by the state educational welfare system that simply passes the rise in premiums on to taxpayers doesn't mean someone has to pay for this socialist debacle.
We've had health care meetings all week to explain the new structure. Everyone walked out shaking their heads. To say that greedy insurance companies are totally to blame is to be misinformed, just mouthing what others have said. It's easy to say greed is the cause, but when reality sets in someone has to pay for all of these additions. Just as Matt has seen the efficiency of the post office, that's what's happening to our health care system. You folks are like the frog in boiling water. Don't get sick.
Comment--
Exactly how is Obamacare responsible for raising your insurance rates by 1/3? It sounds to me like your employer needs to find a new insurance carrier; either that or your employer has found a convenient way to place more of the burden on employees and blame it on the government. It also sounds like you just hate government.
When I worked in journalism, the employee contribution to our health insurance went up every year. In fact, the annual rate hike exceeded our small annual raise, so I literally made less money every year. That had nothing to do with the government. It was between the employer and the insurance company. No one had ever heard of Obama then.
I don't know how Obomba-care will raise our insurance rates, but it will come the first of the year.
And you're right I'm not fond of the government, but I don't hate things like you do. The government is seemly being run by a bunch of loons, something you cannot dispute.
Your employment at the newspaper and their insurance premium raises occurred before Obomba-care. Your state-sponsored health care raises in insurance you now have will just be added to the taxpayers tab.
Comment--
You don't know how because it's not true. It's just a convenient political lie that you are eager to spread. Your comments about my insurance are laughable. It fits into your politics, though, so why worry about facts?
M- I have known you for years and as a previous poster mentions, not only do I THINK you are an intelligent person, but I know it. Therefore, I can't tell if you are just being facecious (sp) or if you truly have your head tucked in the sand. Obama care has mandated that children who are in college be covered on their parents insurance be covered until they are 26 now. Obama Care has mandated that by 2012, no pre-existing condition can be prejudiced againgst. There are many more things in this Obama Care that puts a HUGE burden of cost on the insurance carriers who are doing everything they can to stay in business. That being said, where do you think the cost is going to be passed onto? Well, it's apparent the cost is going to be passed down through premiums. If your employer pays 60-40 premiums, obviously, THEIR 60% is going to go up, and YOUR 40% is going to go up. That being said, I have to agree that COMMENTS insurance premiums MIGHT go up 33% in the coming year. And it can directly be blamed on Obama Care. Not to mention, in 2014, 30 more million (lower estimate) are going to be covered under some form of insurance. Many of these folks have no jobs or means of income or contributing towards the 40% that employees like you and I do- that being said, where do you think it is going to be made up? That's right- by you and me.
The city was facing an increase in there insurance premiums and instead went shopping and ended up with a rate DECREASE of about 4%. This can be verified by calling the service-safety director or the mayors office, if you don't get an answering machine that is.
Watch this video. This really could happen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N8gJSMoOJc&feature=player_embedded
m,
You can't deny reality. Obomba-care is a medical system takeover by the feds. YOUR statement about this is laughable. You are the blind trying to lead the blind or perhaps in your case teaching the blind. Your clever remarks do not change a thing. I've seen the pattern before, everyone is stupid but you. Am I right? They can treat that you know.
Comment--
If you think it, it must be true. Next stop, one world government. Sometimes people are going to disagree with you and ask for evidence of your claims.
Matt--
Insurance companies are "doing everything they can to stay in business"? I haven't heard that the insurance industry was in such dire straights. I've never been on the side of the insurance companies anyway. I suspect the best ones will survive.
I prefer to wait and see what actually happens rather than predict doom-and-gloom scenarios. The conservatives who post on this site insist that because of health care reform, life as we know it is over. When I ask for evidence, all they can do is repeat what they said before in a nastier tone. Tell you what, if what you say happens, I'll acknowledge it. Why wouldn't I? If not, then we can all relax.
Matt......If the government can't deliver your mail properly would you entrust them to run your health care?
M,
If you had eyes to see you would see. If you had ears to hear you would hear. But you have neither eyes to see nor ears to hear. No explanation would be enough for you so I don't give one. Anyone with half a brain can see what is going on in this country. You can't.
If you haven't figured out what's going on by now you never will.
Funny, I just happened to be at the post office the day of this incident checking my po box. I heard the postal worker trying to calmly explain that the box was closed due to non payment of rent, the response she got was to basically call her a liar. If you picked up your mail on the 4th how come the postal worker handed you a stack of mail from behind the counter?? Also from past experience I know the boxes are locked on the first of the month because it happened to me. Pick your mail up more often and you would not have a boxful of junk.
Mystery--
We all appreciate your comment. It's a complete fabrication, of course, but it shows the length that post office employees will go to cover something up once their practices are revealed to the public. If you'll do this, what won't you do?
FACT: I came into the post office just a couple of minutes before the main office closed. One woman was there ahead of me, but she left before I stepped up to the counter. The door was locked behind her. Which means you are a liar. All this just to cover up poor service? The stakes must be high for you.
As for your comment about my mail, clearly you weren't a customer, or you wouldn't know anything about it. Caught in yet another a lie. Amazing.
Here's the deal: I can pick up my junk mail as little or as often as I choose. Unfortunately, I have a year left on my box rent. After that, I won't pay for the privilege of receiving waste paper from the USPS. In the meantime, I'll go to Wellsville or Chester if I have any post office business.
Fred--
The government isn't going to be running my health care. Even if you say it is, it isn't. My health will remain in the hands of private doctors who will be paid by me and the private insurance company I do business with.
You guys can run around scaring everybody with your disinformation campaign all you want, but it doesn't work with me.
Comment--
Refusing to offer evidence of your claim isn't much of a strategy. Claiming that those who don't buy your bullshit are blind and deaf is pretty silly too. Let me take a wild guess: you are a religious person, right? I ask only because of your marked disdain for evidence and fact.
M, the post office treats everybody like shit, why should you be any different? A couple of years ago I was expecting a package that never came. When I contacted the sender I was told that the package was returned to them. The post office claimed I received a notice. When I said that I did not receive a notice, they got pissy, treated me like a liar and said nothing could be done. They were wrong. I had the package resent through UPS and I got it delivered to my door in a couple days. No wonder the postal service runs billions in the red every year.
M,
Yes, you got me. I'm the Pope, head of the Catholic Church. I offer no proof for something that's so obvious you can almost taste the government takeover. It's not rare anymore for someone like you to not see the forest for the trees. The proof is all around you, but you are stuck in that liberal college where truths are never spoken.
Butch--
USPS still clings to a business model that assumes a monopoly. As such, they couldn't care less whether customers are happy. These people wouldn't last six months if they had to run an actual business.
Comment--
We all know you have no proof, but all I asked for was a little evidence. I'm willing to entertain any position if there is some evidence to back it up. Now you seem to be bragging about having no evidence. That I don't understand at all. As for your comment about the university, I'm willing to bet you know absolutely nothing about it, but that won't stop you from having an opinion, will it?
When filling out our annual enrollment for insurance, it has gone up $240 per month. This is half of this years premium, I have no clue on the drastic increase.
Nugget--
$240 per month!? That would be enough to disqualify me. Sounds like your employer is trying to get out of supplying benefits to employees altogether.
ha ha ha!!! welcome to the club, matt. when i first got my p.o. box i had letters returned to sender because people put the p.o. box number after my street address. i was told that if it wasn't put right after my name that they would send it back. all they had to do was look at the address and find the box number but they couldn't be bothered. you are right, if they had to run a private business they wouldn't have any customers.
Matt,
I believe this is what they want to do is rid the upper end program. But we just can't afford not to be insured properly.We elect the HMO plan because it fits our needs the most. We could go with a cheaper plan, but would pay more in the long run. Those lower tier plans didn't increase at all, I may add. Although the savings of about 340 monthly was enticing, I'd rather be over insured than under. That's just me.
Join the club--
Come to think of it, the exact same thing happened to me. City hall had been trying to send me some important papers for the Board of Housing Appeals that kept getting returned. When I asked about it at the post office, I was told that the P.O. box number was in the wrong position on the address label, so the mail was returned. The excuse was so ridiculous that I didn't even bother complaining. They never seem to make that mistake with junk mail, though.
Nugget--
It's a racket for sure. I haven't seen anything about raises in my insurance. I'm sure there will be some, but if they do to me what was done to you, I'll have to go down to the cheap HMO, which means I'll be ok as long as no one gets sick. According to "Comment," my insurance is run by socialist government liberals who will just stick it the citizens, so maybe I don't have anything to worry about.
Keep telling yourself that. It will be cheaper for companies to pay the fine for NOT providing health care for its employees forcing you into the government health care program. This has been the plan all along.
Fred--
So what you're saying is that health care reform is a conspiracy between big business and the federal government to eliminate private insurance altogether so that we'll all have to pay through the nose for health care. Am I understanding you correctly?
Not a conspiracy. I think the government wants to be in control of the healthcare all Americans receive. Why else would they make it cheaper for a company to pay the fine rather than provide health insurance?
I think we'd be better off getting rid of the third-party payer system that we currently have.
I think that's the true reason that health care costs are so high. My buddy John Stossel always asks us to imagine if there was grocery insurance. If there was, what would people buy? Obviously, the best and most expensive things, because hey, the insurance is paying for it.
In theory, its the same sort of thing for medical care. Right now, we never stop to consider how much something costs in full - we only see how much we have to pay to meet our deductible or co-pay.
If we tie the money to the individual, and allow individuals to keep the money that they don't spend, then it encourages people to make healthy decisions, bargain with doctors, and ask "do I really need this MRI?".
What I'm describing is the Health Savings Account, which is something I currently use. I am responsible for the first $5,000 in medical care each year - after that, I'm covered 100%.
During the year my employer and I contribute tax-free dollars into my health savings account, which accrues interest over time and builds year to year. I pay a very small premium for the catastrophic coverage.
Granted, I'm young and healthy, but it works for me and while some of you watch your premiums leak out of your paychecks every couple weeks, I watch mine build up in my savings account - which is up to $15,000 - and that money is mine for all time. I can even use it on Advil.
of course for those who hate obama and his health care, you could just die and then you wouldn't have to worry about a socialist doctor sticking a tube up your ass. there are many stars; there is one sky.
It's been so long i forget my HTMl to make the link clickable, but here's what happens when you want to cancel your mail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nKlzQo3Wqo
to Greed is cause:
do some reading and look up "Medical Loss Ratio". I hate when people play the greed card. Business is about making money. There are many more business that we are in contact with daily that make more percentage per dollar than insurance companies. Yes, it would be a lovely world if every business was not-for-profit, but there would be many less companies, less choices, and no jobs. I think they way things are going are not all that bad. As someone that actually leans to the right, I like the healthcare reform. by requiring the now uninsured to have insurance, I hope it will help with the cost of the rest of us that do. ObamaCare will create some much needed change in all aspects of healthcare from doctors and hospitals to the consumer. As The Groom pointed out, if the consumer had more choice or even cared, costs could be greatly reduced. If the consumer would care about the actual price of prescriptions, the price would be driven down drastically. But, since all we worry about is the copay, it doesn't matter to us if the prescription is $12,000 as long as our copay is $20! This is a big problem and hope it is addressed in the healthcare reform sooner rather than later...
I forgot to include this one first.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hox-ni8geIw&feature=related
Boy that Jeff M is one smart guy. I wish i was him.
kramer,
no you don't. or yes you do. maybe?
I work at the East liverpool post office and am the po box section clerk. If I know where a peice of mail goes I deliver it regardless of the adress on the mail. I have customers that only use their street address and when I catch it I deliver it.
The window clerks do not have any thing to do with the box section except maybe by helping put mail in the boxes when volume is heavy.
I put box rent notices in on the week of the 11th. Box rents are up on the last day of the month. The following day, the 1st of the next month I lock the boxes that have not paid. I am soley responsible for this.
There is a chance that I might have misdelivered your box rent notice after all I do make mistakes. There is also a chance that I missed locking your po box on the first. However, I did pull your mail after the first and if you look on the top peice of the mail you picked up there would be your po box number and then the date that I pulled your mail. This is done so i know when to put the second notice in for you to pick up your excess mail up.
If you were in after the first did you also miss the card that said there was too much mail to fit in your po box or did i misdeliver that also? Don't think so.
You do not have to wait for your box rent to be up to close it. You can close it now and will recieve 2/3 of your box rent back. As for stuffing your box with junk mail I am an employee and have to deliver any mail as addressed. I have no choice. There is an address to write to if you want your name off of the mailing lists. I will be more than happy to give it to you just come in and ask for deb. I am the only one there with that name.
As for the rest I don't know what all the fuss is about. You came to the po, box was locked, you paid your rent then it was unlocked and you recieved your mail. Inconvenient? Maybe. Regardless you still would have had to come in to retreive your excess mail. Nothing got sent back. Also I am more than happy to work with anyone that is having difficulty receiving their mail in their po box. Again just ask for deb.
I don't know what happened the day you came to pick up your mail. I was not there. But I do know that if the window clerk wanted to decieve you about your box rent she would have had to go to my desk over by the po boxes. That is where they are kept. If she walked that way you are right and the notice was not in with your mail. If she walked back by the shelves your were wrong and the notice was in your mail. I guess I will be called a liar too but that's ok, I can take it.
Post a Comment
<< Home