Postal junk mail should be banned - do you agree or disagree and why?

Agree. It's a waste of paper, we recycle ours but many people don't. Junk mail (specifically ones that promote competitions, and 'you won this, call to collect £1000') can lead very vulnerable people into getting into huge amounts of debt, which is despicable.

I agree. It's useless, plain and simple. I find it amusing how when asked if cigarette smoking should be banned, people are eager to say YES!, not thinking of what a huge industry THAT is or how many jobs would be lost if we closed down big tobacco. Exactly how is junk mail benefitial, aside from providing jobs and revenue? Now how exactly is tobacco benefitial, aside from providing jobs and revenue?

No, junk mail should not be banned. It is a $900 billion industry. It would put lots of people, besides the postal service out of business. Also, the monies paid for this mail help to subsidize your first class mail. Without it, the mail would be much more expensive. It is not as intrusive as say a phone call. You decide when or if you want to open it. It can sit quietly on the table, or in the recycle bin without bothering you. Many older people would get no mail if it weren't for advertising mail. Some people live for some type of connection to the outside world because they are so lonely.

I don't believe that it should be banned, but I would like to see two things changed about it: First, any recipient should have the option to "opt out" of receiving junk mail, the same as we have the option to opt out of advertising phone calls. Secondly, I think it is shameful for the Postal Service to be offering "bulk mail" rates to people sending out advertisements. In the meantime, they keep raising rates for all of us. I would feel quite a bit less malevolent towards the junk mail, if I knew that they were at least costing the senders the same rate that it costs me to send in my mortgage payment.

I agree, but how do you define "junk mail"? the advertisers do not believe its junk, since they are paying big bucks to have their ads delivered to our homes.

Defining "junk mail", could pose a problem.

No , as a postman it's our bread and butter !! But I can see why people get annoyed with it . I sometimes have to walk 100 yards with one item of mail knowing it's going straight in the bin.

Agree! However I hate telemarketers even more!

YES!

I disagree. In a free society, freedom of speech takes many forms. If someone wants to pay to send junk mail, they can and it may or may not get read. I am free to throw it away or even send it back or refuse delivery. More freedom/less control!

I disagree. It's part of freedom of speech and a free market. It's up to the individuals to consider if they should save paper or not, not the government.

Sure it should be but that will never happen. I just throw mine right into the recycle bag.

Disagree. I have worked on direct mail campaigns for a political group. We put lots of work and even more money into our mailings, which were all hand stamped. Our organization would fail if not for mailings.

At the same time I did not want to receive so many credit card offers with personal information. I sent letters to the three major credit agencies and got a 5 year hold on credit offers. If you do not want to receive junk mail, just ask the people who are sending it to you to stop. Trust me, they don't want to waste money on you and will gladly remove you from their lists.

DIsAGREE! Here is why. When you get "junk mail" they are advirtising what people have in stores so if you dont see what they have in store you cant shop which loses service and prices go up. Also Coupons help people to know what prices are out there and they will know where to shop for what. AND IF IT IS A WATSE OF PAPER JUST RECYCLE IT IS THAT SO HARD??????????/

It seems there isn't enough "junk mail" because the postal rate is going up again in May.

I don't necessarily think it should be banned - it would be difficult, legally. But I do think there should be a "Do Not Mail" list just as there is a 'Do Not Call List".

I despise junk mail. I spend too much of my precious time sorting it and shredding all the credit and mortgage offers and my wastebin fills up too quickly. I have never taken advantage of an offer through the mail, and other than coupon mailers, I have no use for it.

Yes. Waste of paper and filler of landfills.

No , i'm a postman and it's our bread and butter.

Definately agree, my area seems to be a target for every piece and kind of junk mail imaginable.

I just return the stuff back to the sender in the prepaid envalope along with other bits of waste paper, let them despose of the rubish.

I understand, but don't count on it.

What many consider as "junk mail", is actually "direct advertising".

Right now, the post office is considering shutting down a WHOLE bunch of POs in the US, because they recently LOST a lot of money, and can't afford to keep them open, despite raising the price of a first class stamp, recently.

All those little pieces of junk mail pay the PO a fee to have them delivered. Without them, we'd have probably been paying well over $1 per letter long ago.

I don't know if it should be banned but we should have a choice whether we get it or not.

AGREE-

Regardless of how much we dislike "junk" mail, I don't believe it will ever be banned or disappear. Even at the junk rate it is still a big moneymaker for the USPS. If junk mail weren't profitable businesses wouldn't use it.

Yes.

Because junk mail gets a subsidized rate, that the rest of us pay for.

disagree..thats a fundamental right....:)

Meh, whatever. If I don't want it I just chuck it in the recycling bin.

agree because it takes up you time and tricks you

I often get letters from car insurance companies.
Selling car insurance to a biker who never drives a car? That does not make sense. The insurance company must be assuming that everyone has a car.

Disagree. It's a free market baby! If you don't like it just throw it away.

Junk mail is a huge business in this country, it employees thousands of people besides US Postal Workers. If we ban email they will have to put the price of regular mail up up up. I don't like junk mail but I don't get excited about it I just recycle it. So I say no don't ban it.

yes im sick of junk mail!!!!It doesnt bother me to much about the ones the postman brings,but i cant stand the ones that just get posted through by leaflet distributors!

I agree, but until then do what I and a lot of my friends do - collect it in a carrier bag for a few weeks and then send it all back to them, return to sender, they have to pay the postage all over again. We can only hope that will put an end to it. If we ALL did that perhaps they would get the message.

I think it should not be banned because junk mail is probably one of the few things keeping USPS and alot of postal authorities in other countries going and keeping average joe's in a job. With more competition from email and mobile phones, postal authorities are relying more on advertising and 'junk mail' to keep them afloat for now. I try to send most of my important documents by post to keep those good fellas in a job, most of them probably have families to support like you or me. God Bless.

Of course it should be banned. If your career is to make junk advertising, then you should get a real job which actually benefits our society instead of annoying everyone and deforesting the earth. If you're a postal worker, i realize that USPS benefits our society but if making junk mail illegal means we need fewer of you, so be it.

Thank God telemarketers have been basically wiped off the face of the earth. If we got rid of them, we can get rid of junk mail too.

disagree tells wats on sale