OT. Slower Mail Delivery

I think you glossed over the "used to" in my post. It was the 60's or

Back then, a chip was something you did to your tooth, dipped in sour cream/instant onion soup mix or was a drop of chocolate added to cookie dough ;-)

Incorporation in DE is very high and if, for example, a company incorporated here sold a gift card out of state and it was unclaimed after a couple of years, DE would go after it. PA would do the same if they could.

Because nobody actually _pays_ their taxes that way, particularly given the higher than national average home value assessments. The CC companies discount volume retailers.

Doesn't your tax collector collect other smaller taxes uh excuse me "fees"?

Mine does. I have the water/garbage bill slurped automatically out of my checking account every three months. We can't set that up for property taxes, nor would I want to.

Cindy Hamilton

I have some vague recollection that once you authorize a vendor to draft your checking account, you can't withdraw that permission- even for example, if they keep withdrawing money after you're no longer a customer.

Not sure if this regulation was bank-specific, state-specific...or I just have it wrong.

I don't know about that as I stopped doing it. I will never do a standing draft again.

Years ago I had a term life insurance policy that was drafted out of my checking account. When it ran out the company converted it to another type policy and up the money and kept drafting it out of the checking account. I called them and told them to stop as I did not want it, next month it was still drfted. Called and they told me a phone call would not do it,I had to send in a letter. Finally got it stopped after

Tell the bank it is fraud and stop it. Otherwise just close the account.

You just have it wrong. I've switched a bunch of stuff from automatic draft to my credit card, so I can get the cashback.

Cindy Hamilton

My water is supplied by a local water authority. No town or county involved. They still mail the postcard style bill every quarter. We used to have to mail in our meter reading and send in a check for the payment. They recently set up meter reads and bill pay on the internet. I think their website was set up by the water commissioner's 8 year old kid. It's as basic as it comes and often throws out weird errors.

Our trash collection is provided by Waste Management and they tap my account every quarter. Use to be we only had 2 private haulers to choose. Now there at least 4 different trucks roaming the neighborhood. What sucks about that is that they all collect on different days. That makes sense, but it means that there are garbage cans out on the street and trucks rumbling through the neighborhood Monday - Thursday. Ugly and loud.

WM used to have a guy that hung off the back of the truck who would roll the can to the lifter thing which would then empty the can. He'd also grab just about anything that we left near the can and toss it in the truck. Now they just use a driver and a "claw" to grab the can. If it's not in the can, it doesn't go in the truck. We have to call for a "special pickup" for anything that doesn't fit in the can. For example, I recently threw out a old wooden step ladder. Last year it would have just gotten thrown in the truck. This year I had to call a few days in advance and schedule a special pickup.

This is a relatively new area so all meters are read electronically. Pay by check or on line with no extra charge for bank transfer.

My water runs about $10, sewer about $25. Trash collection is the town twice a week and they will take one big item too, like a sofa. $14.33 a month

Waste Management has the contract but the county collects the money on my tax bill. It is about $170 a year. They still grab stuff and throw it in the truck. If you have a "toter" they have the lift but most of us have regular cans. The horticulture is all manual. It just needs to be bundled or in a can. They did give is Toters for the recycle. When the claw truck is working they use it but they say they break a lot. The newer style that doesn't have the bucket in front seems more reliable. If you have loose stuff like boxes too big for the toter, they will get out and grab them. There doesn't seem to be any limits. If you put it out there, they haul it away. They will tag white goods and TVs then call for the special pickup. You don't have to. I have no complaints with the solid waste folks.

Your number is correct. I just bought more at the post office and they are now 58 cents. They were 55 just a few weeks ago when I bought last time. I should have bought more..... Funny, usually when the rates are going up it's all over the news, but this time I didn't hear anything.

Yeah and even with 4 years of Trump, nothing was done to fix this gross inequity. On the other hand, some US volume shippers obviously have access to very low cost shipping that we don't. I bought a 6ft USB cable on Ebay for $2.70 including shipping. It came from Idaho via DHL to Raleigh, NC, then via USPS. It sat in Raleigh, where it said it had been handed off to the final delivery partner, for like 4 days, before it moved again. It missed the promised date by about 5 days, but still way faster than China. That thing was unusual, the vast majority of stuff at those prices is coming from China.

I got screwed. I was at the PO and since I was there, figured I'd get some stamps. The clerk even said they are all Forever stamps. Yes, new price. I know it was going up but did not recall a date. It was August 29.

It was on our news but I was good when it was less than 50 cents. I bought a few rolls of flag stamps and a bunch of specialty stamps. My wife likes special stamps for cards and letters to the kids. (Muppets, Scooby Doo, Dinosaurs and such). I also have a bunch of 33 cent Daffy stamps for extra postage on the kid's stuff. If it has a Daffy on it they know it is from Granny. I know we are wasting postage in most cases but it went to a good cause. Unfortunately USPS spent that money long ago so my stamps are another unfunded obligation.

This is an international treaty and the president or even the Senate is not going to change it with the stroke of a pen. Perhaps if the UN would address this it might get fixed but I don't see that happening soon. The 2019 proposal was shot down.

You remind me that when I was a kid, I started collecting stamps. It did not take me a long time to realize that countries were producing new stamps just to satisfy us collectors who would not use them, just save them. I quit collecting them.

No more stamps than I use the price does not matter. Maybe 2 or 3 per month at the most. About like gas now. Being retired and not making any long trips a tank of gas lasts a long time. I have even started using the ethanol free in my truck and the car the wife drives. Both of those may sit 2 weeks without being driven unless I just decide to drive one to keep the battery charged up .