politicartoons | (no subject)

Um, okay.

UPS and Fed ex are doing well though, right?

a) they came in later to fill the gaps in service left by USPS
b) at what they do they are much better than USPS
c) when USPS moved into express packages, they got sued by UPS, FedEx, Airborne, and DHL on anti-trust grounds immediately and had to settle the case (I was doing some stat research for this case)

Answer this hypothetical though, what would happen if the Usps didn't exist? Which honestly, their regular postal service is becoming less and less needed.

There would be a private company or few of them competing for the business and government would be doing a job of seeing that the companies do not engage in agreements that would drive the total prices up.

In all reality UPS, FedEx and others keep their prices and service at very good value to consumers.

I personally don't trust large companies to not collude and artificially drive up prices without a government player in the mix. Then you have lobbyists and a government agency playing cat and mouse with monopolists. Ugh. Meanwhile here's me the consumer having to deal with spending more and more on sending a package out.

Yes, the government doesn't have their hands in certain aspects of mail delivery, but people have a affordable option if they can't afford what the private sector is offering. Because the consumer doesn't have to pay, private companies have to keep their prices low enough to be attractive.

The private companies are offering a DIFFERENT service.

Yes, but it's still mail. If you didn't have the option then private companies could do whatever they wanted.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA they could do whatever they wanted.

No it is not just mail.

Yes, they can do whatever they wanted. UPS or FED EX could jack their prices up to high hell if they so choose, but to the loss of their customers. People would just say "fuck it, it doesn't have to get there over-night." or they'd just drive the fucker. If the Usps was a private player then whats to stop them from colluding to keep the price artificially high? What, some government regulation?

Government did a pretty good job of stopping collusion back in the time, maybe we should not blame the companies, but have a better look at the government?

Yeah, when we had a rough rider in office. Sorry, but in the case of something like the US mail service, Education, or Health care the best way to keep the market from burning you is to have a public barrier.

barriers work in both directions

Uh huh.

no they don't. USPS, FedEx and UPS all offer overnight delivery. They all offer tracking. They all offer second day delivery. They all offer bulk shipping. The only difference is that USPS has exclusive rights to the mailbox on your door.

And that USPS tends to be less expensive for letters.

I have received contracts in the mail, via UPS, via FedEx. I have received packages in the mail, via UPS, via FedEx.

Read up on the facts, mailbox is a very small issue.

I have read up on the facts. It's all a small issue.

to you

I'm sure you lie away, sleepless and in agony, over how Equifax got in trouble for violating the law.

No, I just think that using USPS as an example of a success in free enterprise is a failed case, as it is not a free enterprise, it is a government protected, endorsed and engaged monopoly.

well, since I never said that it was an example of a success in free enterprise, we're all good. You can sleep at night now!

In other words, you believe that private monopolies are bad but public monopolies are good. Why?

should there be a public monopoly on national defense?

Discuss.

An interesting question. A more question more to the point would be: Can there NOT be a public monopoly on national defense? Who would pay for fighter aircraft, tanks, and nuclear missiles in a anarchist society (assuming an anarchist society can exist)? After all, since the threat of invasion is collective for a community, most individuals wouldn't see the benefit to themselves, so nobody would want to pay for it. This phenomenon is known as the Free Rider Problem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_rider_problem). Even if some people did pay, what of those who do not pay?

The monopoly of the USPS on letter mail is much different. Letter delivery is a desirable service to the recipient and the recipient alone. It is far easier for a mail truck to not deliver letters to non-paying customers than for a military to refuse to defend territory owned by those who did not pay into it. The two aren't the same situation, so try to stay on topic.

I think they're far more similar then you think. They both require a great deal of coordination, large numbers of people, equipment and dedicated time.

But then, I don't see every single thing the government does (except bombing brown people) as some sort of thievery, so...

(deleted comment)

Re: It applies here too.

dwer.livejournal.com - 2009-10-06 21:11 (UTC) - Expand

Re: It applies here too.

terminator44.livejournal.com - 2009-10-06 23:25 (UTC) - Expand