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From: Shadow <Sh@dow.br>
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
Subject: Re: The US Postal Service
Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2025 13:37:43 -0300
Organization: A noiseless patient Shadow
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On Tue, 18 Feb 2025 07:56:23 -0600, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

>On 2/18/2025 5:49 AM, Shadow wrote:
.....
>> 	Here in Brazil the postal service was run by the State. Cheap
>> and fast. Quite amazing, considering most Brazilians are practically
>> illiterate and it's very hard to read the addresses on the envelopes.
>> Plus the size of Brazil. Routing is done by postal code. When you post
>> it, the computer program determined the route(it was so efficient it
>> was probably another TK invention). For example a parcel posted here
>> to Rio de Janeiro would go from my town to an intermediate point, then
>> to Sao Paulo, then to Rio de Janeiro. Since postal vans run the routes
>> at least once a day, it would take 2-3 days to Rio.
>> 	"Express" mail same thing, hitching a ride on airlines or even
>> military planes that happened to be going near that remote Amazon
>> village.
>> 	I remember in Lula's first term some 20 years ago a "simple
>> letter" was around 1 U$ cent to anywhere in Brazil (called a "social
>> letter" because it produced no profit for the postal service, but
>> allowed poor people to write to relatives).
>> 	Then came Temer and Bolsonaro, bribed to privatize the
>> services. They imposed "voluntary" retirement for the employees that
>> had stable jobs, outsourced practically all the postmen at 1/4 of the
>> salary, and actually mandated that letters and parcels be retained in
>> warehouses and only delivered at the legal limit (2 weeks for cheap
>> post). Did I say cheap post? LOL, taxes (tariffs) doubled, in some
>> cases tripled, and there is no longer a "simple letter". Cheapest is
>> around 3 dollars.
>> 	All this to "prove" that State-run is "bad" and should be
>> destroyed.
>> 	They didn't manage to privatize due to public outcry, but
>> numerous private firms entered the market  attracted by the high
>> tariffs.
>> 	Some things which are manufactured here are not worth buying
>> because of the postal tariffs. Like tennis shoes, cost around US$ 6
>> but you'll pay U$ 5 for the post.
>> 	Bike-related, I put off buying things for my bike until
>> there's enough to justify paying the post.
>> 
>> 	Thefts, which were practically unheard of are now quite
>> common. You would have to be crazy to risk a stable well-paying job by
>> stealing. Now that postmen are outsourced, have no workers rights and
>> really miserable pay theft has become a problem. They don't really
>> care if they are fired.
>> 
>> 	Some things are better left to the State. Like postal
>> services, medicine, education, police services, jails, water,
>> electricity and roads/trains. LOL.
>> 	[]'s
>
>Brasil Post has to operate in the same world of 
>technological change, labor interests and costs (direct and 
>administrative) as every other postal system:
>
>https://www2.gwu.edu/~ibi/minerva/Fall2000/Edson.Oliveira.Sr.pdf
>
>Every country's Post has experienced dramatic change with a 
>wide range of new systems and policies from inspired to 
>shambolic and all that will continue, everywhere, not just 
>in Brasil.

	From your article(the author WAS a lobbyist for US
multinationals, he now posts that if the postal service is privatized
prices will increase, and "non-profitable addresses" will no longer
receive letters and parcels:

// 
The quality pattern of the Brazilian Post is very high, one of the
greatest in the world in terms of speed in sending letters and
parcels. The basic standard is 1 day  from  the  postage  to  delivery
between  capitals  of  states,  1  day  between capitals to
countryside cities in the same state (or vice versa), 2 days between 
the capitals from a state to the countryside cities in other states
(or vice versa) and 3 days between countryside cities from a state to
countryside cities in other states. This is amazing! And this with
performance indexes upper than 94% for all mail in this stated period,
and the other 6% are delivered until 1 day more for almost  the
totality.  The  standard  of  quality  is  very  challenging  because
of  the continental  size  of  the  country.  Brazil  is  bigger  than
the  United  States  less Alaska.  And all this with one of the
cheapest rates in the world, in average less than US$ 0.20! 
Brazilian  Enterprise  of  Post  and  Telegraphs  is  today  one  of
the  institutions  in Brazil that the population trusts more, with
bigger indexes than even “family” and “firefighters”.  Certainly, this
result  was  just  possible  with  much  effort  and professionalism
of all involved in the process. 

//

And it generated a PROFIT!!!!!

	That was in 1999, when FHC (the ultra-right wing coupist
president) decided to privatize the post and fire the workers.
	However, he didn't convince the population, elections were in
2002 and so was NOT privatized. It continued to be owned by the State
2003-2010 (Lula's Presidency).
	[]'s

	PS FHC managed to privatize telecoms. We now have two
providers, one from Mexico and one from Italy, and not "dozens to
choose from" like he promised. Tariffs increased over 600% OVER
INFLATION in just one year, and they are a cartel. Prices usually go
up on the same day.
	The CIA listed Brazil's State telecom as one of the best in
the world before privatization. It is now the most expensive, and
around 1/3 of our territory no longer have phones (either cell or
fixed). A mess .....
	Another PS Telemarketing woke me up 3x last night between 2am
and 3:30. Aparently it's profitable for the telecom companies .... but
very annoying.


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