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0 pointscjoh16y ago0 comments

Maybe-- but that's a tough conclusion. While the USPS is a government agency, we still don't have enough data about the agency, or any agency's efficiency to be an accurate judge. It'd be great, for instance, if we could see what the average price per employee at the USPS was vs. UPS vs. FedEx. Sick leave comparisons, purchasing efficiencies, etc.

Lots of this data isn't available though (which is why I have my job)

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kscaldef16y ago· 2 in thread

That information isn't all that useful, since UPS and FedEx don't compete (and are forbidden to compete) in the marketplace for mail (as opposed to package) delivery. Regardless, though, I'm making a very modest claim: competitors would take away part of USPS's marketshare if they were allowed to compete. If you feel like there's a natural monopoly on mail delivery such that that wouldn't happen, you need to support that assertion.

hga16y ago

Well, there's the cherry picking argument, something we can see with broadband build outs.

E.g. they'd offer low low low rates for delivering snail mail on Manhattan Island and leave it to the USPS to handle mail in Eagle Butte, South Dakota.

Hmmm, didn't AT&T do the same back in the bad old days?

kscaldef16y ago

So, you agree that competitors would take part of USPS's business. That's all I claimed.

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