The Alaska Chat Thread (Marshall: home, work, company)

[Arcticthaw]

Originally Posted by User 2

It's not free, ...far from it, .....but everybody's pal, Stevens, worked some magic for some air carriers in the way of postal contracts.

It doesn't have to make any sense, it just has to push the right contracts around to the right cronies.
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I was refering to the Fairbanks, Anchorage loop. They truck the mail overnight.

[User 2]

Originally Posted by Arcticthaw

I was refering to the Fairbanks, Anchorage loop. They truck the mail overnight.

Yes, they do, and that's partly because they can't directly contract with an airline.

They're held to rates set by DOT.

...all part of the Bypass legislation, (cost: 500 million a year)

All the extra cost of that is paid by postal ratepayers.

So not only is your mail more expensive than it should be, it's delivery is subject to other priorities.....


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[Arcticthaw]

Originally Posted by User 2

Yes, they do, and that's partly because they can't directly contract with an airline.

They're held to rates set by DOT.

...all part of the Bypass legislation, (cost: 500 million a year)

All the extra cost of that is paid by postal ratepayers.

So not only is your mail more expensive than it should be, it's delivery is subject to other priorities.....


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My complaint is they don't need to sort Fairbanks mail in anchorage just to send it back to Fairbanks!

As for your comment tell that to the folks that ship food to Barrow etc, and have it arrive frozen etc, becasue the post office is trucking it north then flying it the last hop.

If you happened to see the whole Netflix envelope fiasco, supposedly that is why we are paying more for mail too. Seems the approved envelopes don't hold up and require hand sorting.

[User 2]

Look up the recent Rural Services Improvement Act, (Stevens wrote it)...

Stevens also wrote the original Bypass legislation back in the 70s, that legislation locked in fed money for carriers and airports.

It was 'sold' on the premise that mail would prop up passenger service and passenger service would prop up mail service.

Commendable concept, ....but that's not the nuts and bolts of how it was carried out.

That legislation also 'locked out' competition.

Then some folks found a 'loophole' and started to take advantage of the loophole, ..service got better for a time, but the big names were losing their lock on their profits.

The supposed 'improvements' weren't written to do much more than protect the alignment devised earlier.

As far, as the food freight, that's where you get the bypass in Bypass mail, it bypasses the postal service, yet the rates are postal rates, not your general market-driven freight rates.

Who benefits now?

Alaska Airlines, Air Cargo Express, Lynden Air Cargo and Northern Air Cargo......

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As to netflix and their taking advantage of the post office rules for machine mail rates, chalk that up to William J Henderson, current COO of Netflix, past US Postmaster General.

You want to take advantage of the US mail, ....hire the guy who used to run it.
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[Rance]

Sweden and I are sitting in Oslo, Norway! It's very nice tonight with snow and the city lit up with all the lights. Very similar to Stockholm at night. Much more expensive here than Sweden tho. Anyway...we're still having a great experience. Time for tea!

[mal_flisk]

Outstanding, Rance! Say Hi for me.

[Xa'at]

This is Xa'at, broadcasting live from BELLINGHAM WASHINGTON!!
After much angry cursing and thwacking my computer, I managed to make the internet in my hotel room work!
Huzzah!
I-5 was a hellhole as usual. I swear, the people on that highway are the WORST drivers. They drink coffee, apply make up, pick their noses, make out with other people, etc while driving, often more than one of the above while using their knees to drive.

[GoddessofRandomThoughts]

Originally Posted by Xa'at

This is Xa'at, broadcasting live from BELLINGHAM WASHINGTON!!
After much angry cursing and thwacking my computer, I managed to make the internet in my hotel room work!
Huzzah!
I-5 was a hellhole as usual. I swear, the people on that highway are the WORST drivers. They drink coffee, apply make up, pick their noses, make out with other people, etc while driving, often more than one of the above while using their knees to drive.

Yea for you Xa'at!!!
And don't most drivers do that???
Especially in the morning on the way to work!!

Take care! You're that much closer to home!!

[Xa'at]

Indeed.
Now I've got a song stuck in my head... it's a road trip song that I invariably pull out when I'm taking to the pavement. Also it's depressing, so I really like it.

Put your hands on the wheel
Let the golden age begin
Let the window down
Feel the moonlight on your skin
Let the desert wind
Cool your aching head
Let the weight of the world
Drift away instead

These day I barely get by
I don't even try

It's a treacherous road
With a desolated view
There's distant lights
But here they're far and few
And the sun don't shine
Even when it's day
You gotta drive all night
Just to feel like you're ok

These days I barely get by
I don't even try

-The Golden Age, Beck

Now, if that doesn't inspire cyber-singing, what will?
What's everyone else's favorite road songs?

[mal_flisk]

You're on your way!