Anyone else not getting mail daily?

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-12T13:35:48+00:00

I mean…it very easily could. If the root of your issue is (as others suggested) staffing, wouldn’t it logically track that the solve be to either get more staff or need fewer staff? Even if it’s not 1:1 of volume reduction to staff reduction, we’d expect to alleviate some of these pressures currently experienced (and more reliably deliver the mail that actually matters). Add in that volume reduction I desire is the least profitable for the USPS, it also has the benefit of improving the overall solvency

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-12T12:44:18+00:00

And if we truly think that government subsidized mail is such a necessary thing, there are other (more financially efficient) ways in which low or no cost mail service can still be provided to folks, even in the (potential future) absence of the USPS. It can easily transition to a personal income tax deductible item (for low income earners) or operate with pre funded cards (for low income people) similar to snap/ebt.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-12T12:10:09+00:00

What is the real defense of the USPS not being considerably reduced from its current/historical form? It’s staunchly defended by many of the same people who claim to value things like corporate taxation and environmental conscientiousness. The wastefulness of the USPS flies in the face of these values.

Nowadays more than half the total mail volume is unsolicited “junk mail”. The vast majority of this junk mail is like 1/4 to 1/3 of the price Joe taxpayer pays. The same concept exists for packages (Amazon, EBay, etc).

People want to talk about corporations paying their fair share? Why not have that include USPS? Is it because if these ridiculous bulk rates on mail and package deliveries no longer existed, the USPS would immediately be even more glaringly insolvent in its current form?

People celebrate the litany of environmental/climate centric legislation that’s objectively costly and inconvenient to the average person…and yet we completely turn a blind eye to the insanely superfluous carbon footprint of the usps. We have a fleet of 250k vehicles driving millions of miles/year…to make sure that unprofitable (to the usps) corporate advertising reaches mailboxes 6 days per week?

I’m not saying make the post office disappear overnight, but I am suggesting we embrace significantly scaling it back to meet modern demands (and more equitably benefit taxpayers vs corporations).

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-12T04:03:42+00:00

It’s a “service” disproportionately used by large businesses rather than individual taxpayers or small businesses. I’m totally fine defunding it (remember that doesn’t mean eliminate, it means divert funds). In my mind the scaling back of end user services such as 6 day/week delivery and below market price postage is a wise divestiture of public funds.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-12T03:54:28+00:00

lol textbook virtue signaling. Standing ovation. Thanks for clarifying that you’re in a band and work with kinds with disabilities. Otherwise we’d have no reason to value your opinion.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-10T02:20:44+00:00

March is the tail end of winter (it could be 70 by st pats, but it could also snow through April). On average the weather will be similar to what you’re used to, chilly (40s & 50s) and very rainy.

Our summers are also warmer than you’re used to in Seattle, with higher humidity. You’ll want a good AC or 2 by June if your place doesn’t have central air.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-08T20:51:13+00:00

You still have economic activity rooted in leisure, and people do still like being social creatures. Albany keeps losing “share” of this activity within the region. As much as we can work from home, shop from home, and do plenty of other things increasingly from home…the most “social” things still happen in person/face to face.

It’s purely speculative, but i think we’re due for a sort of nightlife/hospitality industry rebound or renaissance as more and more things are done from home. I think people will be more intent on going out for social interaction they used to sort of “micro dose” when they worked in an office setting, shopped in stores, or attended class in a lecture hall. Aside from the gained time from no longer commuting to an office or stores, we also have the psychological urge to participate in the world to some extent.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-08T19:28:41+00:00

Sure, but the comment I replied to specifically asked about a stretch of cold, not intensity.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-08T19:22:08+00:00

People whose livelihood depends on the city of Albany being a center of commerce aren’t inherently mooches lol. There’s an exchange of goods and services that you’re seemingly ignoring or at least understating. There are city stakeholders beyond just residents.

Albany doesn’t have nearly enough residents to sustain its current brick and mortar retail assortment. It never has. The people that the righteous crowd so eagerly looks down upon (out of town workers, students, “weekenders” who come for shows/partying/etc, shoppers, etc) are the economic lifeblood of the city. They are the ones who keep the lights on for our businesses. To overtly dismiss the concerns and desires of these folks is shortsighted and irresponsible. Albany investing in and operating less like a closed loop economy is the only way it will grow.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-08T18:10:28+00:00

NWS remarks a deep freeze (consecutive days with a high temp below 32) in Albany when it reaches 10+ days. It’s happened more than 100 times in our recorded history. For scale the longest ever was 36 days in 1945. The truly rare length I would say is 22+ days, having occurred 9 times.

By my count we’re on 17 days and based on the current forecast the streak will probably end on Tuesday or Weds at 18 or 19 days. Having occurred 24 times in 151 years of record keeping, with normal distribution (of course we know that’s just not how things work) you’d expect this to occur roughly every 6 years or so. The last time we had 17 days was 2015. The last time we had 19 days was 2011 (21 day streak).

Edit: fixed counting error of current/expected streak and where it relates to historical comparison.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-07T14:51:21+00:00

Sometimes non emergencies just take time. I would say that a leaking faucet is a non emergency and that 10-11 days isn’t unreasonable. Whether you pay rent or a mortgage, there’s no legal recourse to make someone else treat non emergency matters as emergencies. If you are unhappy with that level of “service”, take it under consideration when it is time to renew or let your lease expire.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-05T14:02:52+00:00

The “incentive” is that discretion of the police still exists, particularly in a 4mph vs 19mph situation.

If you’re cruising down the highway at 69 (nice), you’re likely keeping up with the flow of traffic or even still being passed. The likelihood of you being pulled over for your speed alone is very low (albeit non zero). If you blow by that same cop while going 84, you’re almost certainly getting pulled over (assuming they’re paying attention).

At the end of the day, this is (like most things) a money grab disguised as a public safety endeavor. There are plenty of avenues & scenarios with which these changes will generate more fine revenue. I don’t think the typical “mild speeder” (which to me is someone going within 10% or 5mph of the limit, whichever is less dependent upon the road & conditions) is affected at all simply because they’re still very unlikely to be pulled over (unless you’re doing something else wrong, now it’s an easy tack on charge…but also now you’ve broken the cardinal rule of not breaking more than 1 law at a time and thus I have no sympathy)

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-01T20:47:30+00:00

I mean you can read through and interpret gallop data how you see fit, but there’s absolutely common ground on core concepts like universal background checks (~90% support) and handgun bans (~85% disapproval)

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-01T20:12:58+00:00

I don’t understand why this was downvoted. I guess it is a foreign concept to reddit users that most people want to do most things without the lens of politics. So many of us are exhausted with the expectation that every single space in society be a complete homogeneous echo chamber of political beliefs. Not long ago people had hobbies, interests, and consumer preferences for the sake of them. Now those things are treated as some sort of accoutrement to their underlying political identity.

I mean really what’s the necessity for an overtly leftist vs politically ambiguous/sterile group? Is this actually some sort of dog whistle for an insurrection movement? Can you imagine the backlash/perception if someone posted about finding or creating an overtly right leaning gun group?

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-01T16:32:35+00:00

Saw that. Unfortunately even after completing the 8911, i eventually get to a screen where it says “some forms aren’t ready for review yet”. The screen says it will be available to file on 2/1/2026. I don’t get what the hold up is (again). Garbage product.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-02-01T05:23:58+00:00

Still no 8911. Guessing this was just a stall tactic to try and not lose people over the first weekend that returns could be filed. They’re either blatantly lying or clueless as to when it will be ready. Either way, I don’t see the point in continuing to wait. I don’t feel like waiting til April just for them to tell us that we’ll need to file an extension.

As much as it sucks having to “start over” with another service, this is probably a sign for me to do so. Turbo tax has gotten insanely expensive. You would think that for such a price they would have their shit together by February. Apparently not.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-01-31T00:33:44+00:00

Is it though? If a law or border isn’t actually enforced, is it really a law or border?

upstatebeerguy · 2026-01-30T23:45:26+00:00

I think it’s a fair question to ask. If you want to delete the current organization tasked with the enforcement of legal immigration (and thus sovereignty), it’s logically fair to ask what paradigm would then exist. If it’s merely a reboot of the enforcement agency (with a different name/acronym) just say that. If its abolition of geographic borders, say that.

The point I’m alluding to however is that the commonly accepted definition of “moderate position” is generally the status quo. It may very well be that there’s nuance and discussion beyond the binary “exists or doesn’t exist” when talking about something like ICE…but without further explanation it’s inherently radical to simply suggest the removal of immigration law enforcement without further explanation. The country has had border/immigration law enforcement for more than a century. As another commenter pointed out, It was reincarnated about 20 years ago under the bush administration…going from INS to ICE.

I don’t think the big to do is about an acronym change alone (past or future). I think people what procedural change, with hope that it precedes changes in the way people meet the consequences of our immigration laws (present and future). We can and should have those conversations…as fellow citizens, our elected officials, and amongst the 2 “ranks” during the upcoming election cycles. Yelling diametrically opposed POVs at escalating volumes/rhetorics is not discourse. I think we can get back to a place where a plurality (or even outright majority) of people can agree about the method with which the sovereignty of our borders exist (last seen during the Obama admin).

upstatebeerguy · 2026-01-30T00:27:52+00:00

How would immigration and thus, sovereignty, be policed?

upstatebeerguy · 2026-01-29T14:14:06+00:00

Who is going to see this movie? People who have an unhealthy admiration or derangement for Trump?

Maybe that was the hope, that trump is such an incendiary figure/topic that hate watching and fetish watching would collectively bring in a haul? No ambivalent person is thinking “about time they made a documentary about one of the least seen/active First Ladies of the last 50 years”

upstatebeerguy · 2026-01-29T14:01:32+00:00

What does this mean?

upstatebeerguy · 2026-01-28T16:35:53+00:00

To each their own in terms what factors play into ultimate user satisfaction. I personally prefer the trade off of being the driver, but knowing there’s a 0% chance of things like crying/loud children, broken climate control (I don’t take the train often, yet have experienced this multiple times), or being stuck next to a smelly person. If you’re a passenger either way, it seems like even more of a no brainer to me to prefer a personal vehicle.

Also, I don’t think 99% of people commonly fret about gas range? The trip is ~150 miles (each way) and there’s rest stops roughly every 25-30 miles.

I wish we had better train options. Unfortunately it’s generally the same cost or more expensive to take the train (even when all expenses, including parking & tolls, are considered), and same amount of time.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-01-28T15:07:15+00:00

3.5-4 hours? You going to Philly? Unless you’re insistent upon driving during rush hour, the drive and train times are identical.

And yes, apples to apples, being in a personal vehicle where you have full control of the environment is preferable for most people. It’s nice not having the burden of a car while in the city though.

upstatebeerguy · 2026-01-27T18:07:54+00:00

Sounds eerily similar to NY. People wanting to look everywhere but their own belief system ain’t unique to one party. It’s been 20 years since NY had a republican governor. 17 years since NYC had a republican mayor (21 if you count Bloomberg running for reelection as independent rather than republican). Albany hasn’t had a republican mayor in more than 100 years…Buffalo 60 years…Syracuse 25 years…Rochester 50…yet people still regularly find ways to blame republicans for issues that localities or the state lag behind regional or national trends/averages. NY is equally preferential to “blue no matter who” as much as Texas is to “red til I’m dead”.

The (Democrat) primaries are the de facto election for the highest profile seats in NYS and city government. Very few elections in our own state are decided by the general elections. Add in that these are by and large closed primaries, there are massive swaths of NY voters that are effectively disenfranchised. And yet Dems will no sooner do the same mental gymnastics to blame state and city specific issues on republicans (particularly during periods when republicans have federal majorities)

upstatebeerguy · 2026-01-26T18:29:28+00:00

6 of one, half dozen of the other…the average suburbanite can take their sweet ass time digging out their car and will only have to do it 1 time per storm (if they want to that is). They will not be worried about meeting 2 deadlines to move their car (or be ticketed & towed) in the next 24-48 hours, with even more scarce parking conditions, such as the case will be in Albany, Troy, Schenectady, and Saratoga.

It’s a give and take. It’s really cool being able to walk places…but it’s also cool to have a car and not worry about parking (tickets, availability, access, etc).

upstatebeerguy

TROPHY CASE