The bookstores in India and Goa would love this postal fare rise; hoping that
voracious readers who do not live in town and cities will make a habit to make
a beeline to bookstores every time they visit the city and check out all the
new authors.
Who should be subsiding the low postal rates and why?Why have you not provided
the actual amount of Euros the book-posts cost in the countries you reference?
As residents abroad, we need to bring a different perspective and not reinforce
negative thinking, where folks want everything done for them for free. When the
gov subsidizes anything, it is distributing "other peoples' money" and waste
some in the process.
Your reference to 'leftist hobby' and 'welfare state' are a nice try at
diversion and make no sense to this dialog. I noticed you did not attribute
the nefarious intentions the Netherland gov that you attributed to the Indian
Gov.
Happy New YearGL
Patrice Riemens wrote:
Since India Post is fully owned by the Gov I assume the decision to abolish the
book post rate was taken by the government, since it is the government which
subsidizes it. To India Post, allowing for reduced rates for certain sending
makes no difference at all. This because just as with the reductions granted on
railways fares to certain categories of passengers, the government makes up the
difference between the full rate and the reduced one. Same with postal rates.
To answer gilbert Lawrence slightly purportice question: heavily subsidized
postal rates for sending books exit in two of my countries of reference, France
and Italy. Save that France subsidizes the sending of books outside France, 'to
promote French Language & Culture' , while Italy subsidizes only domestic
rates, to promote reading books in itself. In both cases the rates are, of
course, 'ridiculously low'.
My third country of reference - and of passport, the Netherlands being far more
pragmatic, and espousing the principle of 'who benefits, pays' dear to both
former EU Commissar, and right wing politician Frits Bolkenstein, and
apperently also, Gilbert Lawrence, abolished such reduced rates long ago - and
they were anyway not specifically for books, but, as per sound business
practice, for printed matter in general. Needless to add, that as everyone
knows, reading books is very much part of the 'leftist hobby' that is culture
in general. At least that was the opinion of the before former Dutch minister
of ... Culture.
Both Frits Bolkenstein and current French president Macron were not enamoured
with the welfare state, and subsidizing book post is a, awowedly extended, part
of it. As Macron said "it only helps the worthless, and costs truckloads of
dough". Like poor students in some far way corner of India for instance ...
Cheers to All, and Happy New Year!
p+2D!
On Saturday, December 28, 2024 at 04:22:05 AM EST, Patrice Riemens
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hola Aloha,
Since India Post is fully owned by the GoI I assume the decision to abolish the
book post rate was taken by the government, since it is the governement which
subsidizes it. To India Post, allowing for reduced rates for certain sendings
makes no difference at all. This because just as with the reductions granted on
railways fares to certain categories of passengers, the government makes up the
difference between the full rate and the reduced one. Same with postal rates.
To answer gilbert Lawrence slightly purportice question: heavily subsidized
postal rates for sending books exit in two of my countries of reference, France
and Italy. Save that France subsidizes the sending of books outside France, 'to
promote French Language & Culture' , while Italy subsidizes only domestic
rates, to promote reading books in itself. In both cases the rates are, of
course, 'ridiculously low'.
My third country of reference - and of passport, the Netherlands being far more
pragmatic, and espousing the principle of 'who benefits, pays' dear to both
former EU Commissar, and right wing politician Frits Bolkenstein, and
apperently also, Gilbert Lawrence, abolished such reduced rates long ago - and
they were anyway not specifically for books, but, as per sound business
practice, for printed matter in general. Needless to add, that as everyone
knows, reading books is very much part of the 'leftist hobby' that is culture
in general. At least that was the opinion of the before former Dutch minister
of ... Culture.
Both Frits Bolkenstein and current French president Macron were not enamoured
with the welfare state, and subsidizing book post is a, awowedly extended, part
of it. As Macron said "it only helps the worthless, and costs truckloads of
dough". Like poor students in some far way corner of India for instance ...
Cheers to All, and Happy New Year!
p+2D!
