stallion1031 said:tooshy said: after all I couldn't construct a plane and fly myself 3000 miles across the sea for under $300!!

No, but you can put yourself in a box and mail it with the USPS for much less.

maybe you, but my insurance would be more than that.

Yes but do you really need to insure the package if you have health and life insurance? What else would you be insuring? I guess your clothes and the Ipod you'd want to bring with you... But the cost of insuring just those items isn't too bad.

joeyjoejoe said:I work in the mag publishing industry and some of my clients have actually proposed this idea. Instead of continuing to take a hit each year by increased postage, they are attempting to just buy these forever stamps in bulk. Kind of crazy.That's because they are like the +39 voters who think 41c is such a bargain to mail a letter. Nevermind the business model that allows this 41c pricing, nevermind the float of their money to USPS ahead of need, nevermind their own dwindling stamp needs...this goes beyond my comprehension.

USPS won't have to issue stocks (if it could), all they have to do is sell more forever stamps in bulk.

(Our money on the book of stamps purchased ahead of need) x (billions of stamp users) x (new demand for the forever stamp) = (billions of dollars ahead of expensing).

The envy of every corporation I'm sure...

However, since I am so confident in the pricing of 41c and in having the regulatory board approve rate increases, I'm sure the investment of billions of prebought forever stamp will likely offset future increases in postal service cost. So maybe there is an alternate stance that the +39 sees hmmm....buy buy buy everyone!!

Here is an interesting article on the stamp written by Michelle Singletary

So far the Postal Service has sold more than 500 million. In anticipation of demand, the service has printed 5 billion, according to Mark Saunders, a Postal Service spokesman.

...Last December, President Bush signed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, the first major change to the Postal Service since 1971. The law requires that postal rate increases be tied to the rate of inflation, as measured by the government's Consumer Price Index.

Since 1983, the last year that the Postal Service received a federal subsidy, the price of a first-class stamp has remained at or near the rate of inflation, Saunders said. Under the new law, the Postal Service has the option of applying for one more rate increase by Dec. 20 -- after that date the inflation linkage takes effect.

Question: What happens when the inflation linkage to CPI generates insufficient revenues? As we well know, CPI is kind of a dud inflation measure.

Seems the postal service has sold a mere fraction of their intended sales of 5 billion. According to some worried observers, the USPS may have not printed enough for the anticipated demand....but as we see these were not the great bake sale sellers.

So we have the forever stamps increasing in value at the same pace the government loses paying interest on ibonds...revenue in cancels expense out. But at least with ibonds, you get +fixed for the use of your money. Whereas you gain at the inflation rate only when you use these stamps, until then, it is free use of your money.

czarandy said:So with the new law it makes no sense at all to buy the stamps, apart from convenience.Pretty much so...at least ibonds (as miserable an investment these are) pays the inflation rate regardless how many stamps I actually use.

I would like to know why they printed 5 billion stamps???

Did management honestly anticipate the bake sale of the century??? tsk tsk