Here’s the latest news on our fabulous postal service:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Postal Service posted a net loss of $3.1 billion in its third quarter and warned again it would default on payments to the federal government if Congress did not step in.

Total mail volume for the quarter that ended June 30 fell to 39.8 billion pieces, a 2.6 percent drop from the same period a year earlier, as consumers turn to email and pay bills online.

Just this past week, our office received a promotional mailing from the United States Postal Service hawking new bulk mailing options. Check that, we actually received 13 copies of that mailing. Of the 13, only four were addressed to current employees. Most were sent to names that haven’t been in our office in more than five years! Considering that the Post Office can purge their lists for free, it’s startling to realize that the United States Postal Service can’t even do Direct Mail right!

Last week, like clockwork, my family received almost 15 unsolicited catalogs at our home.  Isn’t it time to simply jack up the postal rates on those printed catalogs – a lot?  The glossy books are annoying, create waste, weigh down the poor mail carrier and his vehicle, (adding to fuel costs), kill trees and belong in museums.

Next, raise the cost of first class mail to a buck, end the nonsense of 2 and 3 cent hikes every two years.

If all else fails, privatize. Offer the system to Fedex and UPS, and see who’s willing to take over daily home delivery.

The USPS is the poster child for business run badly.

RIP, USPS. My sympathy card is in the mail.