"Neither Rain Nor Sleet Nor Gloom OF Night Shall Stay These Couriers From Their Appointed Rounds"

so the saying goes. Most people do not realize that this well known saying is NOT a part of the Post Offices Policy or Mission, but instead the idea of the architect who designed the massive post office in New York city, who decided to have this saying etched into the stone frieze of the facade of the building, because he noticed that despite the inclement weather the postal carriers seemed to always deliver the mail.

Well that was quite some time ago and while inclement weather may not hold back the postal service, the occasional dog in one's yard may hold back the mail carrier back for a moment until the owner can get control of the mongrel. The postal service could save/protect itself from the wild dog, a hurricane a Nor'easter, scorching summer heat and even bone cracking cold, it could NOT however protect/save itself from the US governments GREEDY hands which has and still is PILLAGING it of its funds/profits for the sake of paying for wars and endless USELESS spending.

As it stands, the ONLY job for the postal service is to DELIVER THE MAIL. No fancy equipment necessary, just some dedicated employees to pick up and deliver those envelopes be they LOVE LETTERS or JUNK MAIL or DREADED BILLS. The US postal service delivers something on the order of 150 BILLION pieces of mail every year (I will let you do the math of figuring the COLOSSAL sum of money the postal service makes every year) and despite this IMMENSE PROFIT it makes, it is continuously reported that the postal service is LOSING MONEY?!?!?!?!!.... Losing money means the US government is STEALING THE MONEY. We have heard this same claim with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Education. The common factors in these claims is these are all government controlled agencies funded with taxpayer money and the claim of them "failing in their function" is always at a time when the US is scrounging for money to pay for wars or military equipment/endeavors, so what is better than to claim an agency is failing which allows UNLIMITED PILLAGING and DENIAL of service.

So as August approaches, we can save ourselves the trip to the mailbox as it will be as empty on Saturday as it is on Sunday, because it has been decided that the Postal Service will NOT be delivering any more mail on that day of the week.

I wonder what the US government will waste all the newly gained revenue on from stopping the Saturday mail delivery???

U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe announced Wednesday morning that mail delivery on Saturdays will be halted beginning in August.

"The Postal Service is advancing an important new approach to delivery that reflects the strong growth of our package business and responds to the financial realities resulting from America's changing mailing habits," Donahoe said in a statement. "We developed this approach by working with our customers to understand their delivery needs and by identifying creative ways to generate significant cost savings."

The struggling U.S. agency loses $25 million a day, according to Donahoe. Last November the agency reported it lost $15.9 billion for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 20, more than triple its loss from the previous year. The U.S. Post Office has also reached its $15 billion borrowing limit with the Treasury.

The proliferation of online banking and email has made the U.S. Post Office less relevant in today's digital age. U.S. mail volume totaled 159.9 million pieces last year, a 5% decline from 2011.

The AP reports that ending Saturday delivery will save USPS $2 billion annually. The 237-year-old agency will continue to deliver packages six days a week.

Contributions to the employee pension fund and future retiree health benefits have also contributed to the agency's financial problems. The agency has taken various measures over the last two years to reduce its financial hardship: consolidating 70 of its mail processing facilities; reducing hours at many Post Office retail locations; merging plant facilities, and laying off nearly 60,000 career employees.

Last April the Senate approved a bill that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to offer early retirement to 100,000 postal workers, about 18% of the agency's workforce. This would have allowed the agency to recoup more than $11 billion it had previously paid to an employee pension program, according to The New York Times. The Senate refused to cut Saturday delivery as a means to trim expenses. The House did not act on the Senate bill.

The Daily Ticker's Henry Blodget and Aaron Task offer different perspectives on the USPS news. Henry says "it's about time" the U.S. Post Office cut Saturday service, noting that if the agency was a corporation, this move would have been made years ago. He expects an outcry from Congress and the public about the Saturday delivery announcement, but doubts few Americans would pay more in taxes so they can read their freshly-delivered magazines and shopping catalogues over the weekend (for the record, this blogger would).

Aaron says he would support an increase in the price of stamps to keep Saturday delivery functioning. The agency increased the price of a first-class stamp to $0.46 in January.