New Look for the $100 Bill

[Gothamite]

"privatizing" ... like the postal service should be

You do realize that private services like UPS and FedEx couldn't exist without the postal service, right?

[jstraper]

"privatizing" ... like the postal service should be

You do realize that private services like UPS and FedEx couldn't exist without the postal service, right?

Go research how the postal service operates in places like The Netherlands.

[Cosmic]

"privatizing" ... like the postal service should be

You do realize that private services like UPS and FedEx couldn't exist without the postal service, right?

Go research how the postal service operates in places like The Netherlands.

The Netherlands is two-thirds the area of West Virginia. Sending a letter from Key West to St Paul Island, Alaska is a little different. USPS is slowly shaking itself out into a 21st century post office, but it is run in some important ways by Congress despite not receiving much substantial tax money as revenue. Congress runs the post office trying not to hurt any feelings. Look at Saturday mail delivery. They tried to close a distribution center (not sure of the exact terminology) here in Buffalo and do the work from Rochester to save money... now they have Chuck Schumer up their @%&. It's not a 100% competition between the private delivery companies and USPS like it might be with say Coke v. Pepsi. The next time you're in a post office, look up at the boards behind the counter and see who delivers their international express or who has a drop box right in front of the post office... would you ever see on a Coke label: "Looking for cherry cola? We proudly recommend Wild Cherry Pepsi"? UPS and FedEx are set up to do what they do, and USPS is set up to do what it does. That's why you have services like FedEx Smartpost and UPS Mail Innovations... first mile costs versus last mile costs. USPS is struggling to make money with a statutory monopoly on letter delivery... do you really think anyone wants to jump on that market once it's fragmented?

P.S. - As someone who delivers packages for a living, it really floats my boat to see the bar code immortalized in that one concept bill.

[jstraper]

"privatizing" ... like the postal service should be

You do realize that private services like UPS and FedEx couldn't exist without the postal service, right?

Go research how the postal service operates in places like The Netherlands.

The Netherlands is two-thirds the area of West Virginia. Sending a letter from Key West to St Paul Island, Alaska is a little different. USPS is slowly shaking itself out into a 21st century post office, but it is run in some important ways by Congress despite not receiving much substantial tax money as revenue. Congress runs the post office trying not to hurt any feelings. Look at Saturday mail delivery. They tried to close a distribution center (not sure of the exact terminology) here in Buffalo and do the work from Rochester to save money... now they have Chuck Schumer up their @%&. It's not a 100% competition between the private delivery companies and USPS like it might be with say Coke v. Pepsi. The next time you're in a post office, look up at the boards behind the counter and see who delivers their international express or who has a drop box right in front of the post office... would you ever see on a Coke label: "Looking for cherry cola? We proudly recommend Wild Cherry Pepsi"? UPS and FedEx are set up to do what they do, and USPS is set up to do what it does. That's why you have services like FedEx Smartpost and UPS Mail Innovations... first mile costs versus last mile costs. USPS is struggling to make money with a statutory monopoly on letter delivery... do you really think anyone wants to jump on that market once it's fragmented?

P.S. - As someone who delivers packages for a living, it really floats my boat to see the bar code immortalized in that one concept bill.

All I'm suggesting is the private sector, if given a fair shot, could run a more efficient, profitable "USPS" (even though that likely means adjusting or eliminating services that we've been used to over the years).

[Cosmic]

"privatizing" ... like the postal service should be

You do realize that private services like UPS and FedEx couldn't exist without the postal service, right?

Go research how the postal service operates in places like The Netherlands.

The Netherlands is two-thirds the area of West Virginia. Sending a letter from Key West to St Paul Island, Alaska is a little different. USPS is slowly shaking itself out into a 21st century post office, but it is run in some important ways by Congress despite not receiving much substantial tax money as revenue. Congress runs the post office trying not to hurt any feelings. Look at Saturday mail delivery. They tried to close a distribution center (not sure of the exact terminology) here in Buffalo and do the work from Rochester to save money... now they have Chuck Schumer up their @%&. It's not a 100% competition between the private delivery companies and USPS like it might be with say Coke v. Pepsi. The next time you're in a post office, look up at the boards behind the counter and see who delivers their international express or who has a drop box right in front of the post office... would you ever see on a Coke label: "Looking for cherry cola? We proudly recommend Wild Cherry Pepsi"? UPS and FedEx are set up to do what they do, and USPS is set up to do what it does. That's why you have services like FedEx Smartpost and UPS Mail Innovations... first mile costs versus last mile costs. USPS is struggling to make money with a statutory monopoly on letter delivery... do you really think anyone wants to jump on that market once it's fragmented?

P.S. - As someone who delivers packages for a living, it really floats my boat to see the bar code immortalized in that one concept bill.

All I'm suggesting is the private sector, if given a fair shot, could run a more efficient, profitable "USPS" (even though that likely means adjusting or eliminating services that we've been used to over the years).

With a couple of little tweaks, you'd pretty much have a private post office.

[Gothamite]

Actually, the USPS would be just fine, even profitable, if Congress didn't impose regulations on the way they find pensions. That puts the USPS at a competitive disadvantage, perhaps by design.

Not to mention that UPS and FedEx couldn't serve their customers if the Post Office didn't fly their parcels on its planes and make many of their actual deliveries for them. My last half-dozen FedEx deliveries were actually fulfilled by the Post Office. And I live in Brooklyn.

[Cosmic]

Actually, the USPS would be just fine, even profitable, if Congress didn't impose regulations on the way they find pensions. That puts the USPS at a competitive disadvantage, perhaps by design.

Not to mention that UPS and FedEx couldn't serve their customers if the Post Office didn't fly their parcels on its planes and make many of their actual deliveries for them. My last half-dozen FedEx deliveries were actually fulfilled by the Post Office. And I live in Brooklyn.

If you live in Brooklyn and not the middle of nowhere, I'm guessing that those packages were FedEx Smartpost. For small packages without a time commitment, it's cheapest for FedEx to pick them up and for USPS to deliver them.

It is related, though, to one of the duties of the Post Office that they fulfill as a public service that no private company would: USPS has to service every address in the country. No sane private company would do that.

[BBTV]

How do you tell who fulfills your delivery?

[Mings]

I think every delivery I've had since moving to Chicago was shipped by FedEx or UPS but delivered by USPS, and I always ship to my office.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

The USPS is awesome. For less than $.50 you can get an envelope delivered from California to New York, generally in the space of a few days. That's amazing.

Sure, the in-store experience could use a lot of help, but otherwise, it's a pretty great value for not much money at all.

[The_Admiral]

I shipped a book to the United Kingdom last month and the post office couldn't have been more patient and helpful with the schmuck who had never done international mail before. Mind you, I was in Minnesota at the time, having intentionally waited until I was in a land of patient and helpful people for such an unfamiliar transaction, but I had no problems whatsoever. Thanks, post office!

[Lights Out]

All I'm suggesting is the private sector, if given a fair shot, could run a more efficient, profitable "USPS" (even though that likely means adjusting or eliminating services that we've been used to over the years).

It would also be unconstitutional.

[EJ_Barlik]

there will never be a privatized mail delivery system that delivers to every possible private address quickly and is profitable at the same time......Speed/Quality/Price...pick 2

[bosrs1]

I think our money is becoming too compositionally whacked out. Just plop as much stuff as you can wherever it will fit.

Just like everyone else's money. I just got back from Canada and their new polymer money is just as bad.

Why can't we have cool clear money like Canada...

That's right, be jealous

They're plastic, too.

And they smell like maple trees (or at least the 100 does)

[IceCap]

Mapley patriotic goodness.

[njmeadowlanders]

All I'm suggesting is the private sector, if given a fair shot, could run a more efficient, profitable "USPS" (even though that likely means adjusting or eliminating services that we've been used to over the years).

It would also be unconstitutional.

I thought that the constitution ENABLED congress to have a postal service, not that there HAD to be one.

And even if I'm wrong, if only there were some way to amend the constitution through some amending process that would then tack on, lets say, an amendment to the constitution...

[Cosmic]

there will never be a privatized mail delivery system that delivers to every possible private address quickly and is profitable at the same time......Speed/Quality/Price...pick 2

I wouldn't say "pick 2" exactly. I think of it more like a create-a-player in a video game, where you only have so many points to spread around between the various categories.

[Cosmic]

All I'm suggesting is the private sector, if given a fair shot, could run a more efficient, profitable "USPS" (even though that likely means adjusting or eliminating services that we've been used to over the years).

It would also be unconstitutional.

I thought that the constitution ENABLED congress to have a postal service, not that there HAD to be one.

And even if I'm wrong, if only there were some way to amend the constitution through some amending process that would then tack on, lets say, an amendment to the constitution...

Old people vote and I'd wager that old people use the post office more than any other group. You'd have to wait for them to die before you try anything radical like that. Plus, there's a good reason that USPS has a monopoly: the volume of mail that they get from their monopoly is what allows them to offer services at such low prices. The other problem with that is you're assuming someone wants to start up a private post office... I'm not sure anyone would. Imagine the startup costs to offer anything close to the door-to-door, nationwide service that USPS offers! When DHL tried to position itself as a U.S. competitor to FedEx and UPS, they had to offer big discounts to entice people to switch... the volume never followed. They were basically out of business in a few years.

[bosrs1]

Mapley patriotic goodness.

They stick together like they're covered in maple syurp too.

[bosrs1]

What do you think?

Edit: picture posting is bugging out so here is a simple link.

Yahoo! News never lets their images leave their page. Bunch of savages.

It's an improvement I'll give it that. I like the whole current series that started with the 2003 $20 to this new $100 (the big heads without the oval portrait hole and the different colors for the various denominations) more than the previous series that debuted in 1996 with the outgoing $100 (the big heads with the oval portrait hole). The outgoing series were just so sparse when it came to detail and use of ink, particularly compared to the even older pre-1996 bills. At least the new series have tried to fill in some of the previously unused space with small denomination numbers, flags, liberty torches, etc...

That said the current $100 and its fellow bills are all garbage compositionally when compared to the pre-96 bills (the still current $1 and $2 being the obvious exceptions). With the new $100's since 96 and continuing into this new series bill the portrait of Franklin in particular is awful. He just looks so damned dour compared to the old small head pre-96 bills. You'd think they could have found a way to keep our money looking classy while adding some of the new security elements to it. In particular I never bought their rationale for making the heads bigger and moving them off center. As a result I'd say the $2 is currently the best looking US bill despite being the oldest obverse design in the whole bill line.