Just to put it all into context, the postal service is completely self funded and doesn't rely on tax money to thrive. That being said, Congress has dictated to the postal service to set aside 5.5 billion dollars of their profits every year for the past several decades for their retirement funds, and now they won't give them the roughly 70 billion dollars they owe them. Instead congressman Darrel Issa introduced HR 2309, which will, if passed, close a bunch of facilities around the country, end Saturday delivery, end collective bargaining for postal unions, etc.
http://www.apwu.org/news/nsb/2011/nsb13-110624-issa_bill.htmI think neo-con politicians want to use something that's really a result of executive branches incompetence to punish postal workers and ultimately privatize the postal service for their corporate backers and business partners.
On the other hand, Representative Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts has introduced a bill, HR 1351, that will protect bargaining rights and make congress give the retirement money back that they owe the post office.
http://www.apwu.org/news/webart/2011/11-072-hr1351_letter-110616.htmAnyway, I think this is a very important issue, and I really don't want to have to use Fedex and UPS. I think if they were given the market, it would destabilize millions of Americans who rely on the cheap shipping provided by USPS to supplement their income through internet businesses and ebay stores. I paid 13 dollars to ship a CD through Fedex's 4 day delivery once. USPS offers basically the same service for less than a dollar. UPS, on the other hand, has lost three of my packages, and they still cost more money. For all the mail I've received through USPS, I've had little to no problems with them.
I think the postal service is one of the better services that the government provides, as it doesn't draw any money from the treasury (only puts it there apparently), and it has a great model for management and labor relations. Its a shame people want to destroy it.
I find it funny these politicians, Obama included, always use being hustled at the post office as an example of ineffectual government when they're on the campaign trail. They never bring up the ATF fire bombing innocent men women and children at Waco, DEA agents opening fire on innocent people, and the CIA funding death squads, terrorists, and genocidal dictators, like the Contras, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and Suharto. They never bring any of that, just a stupid cliche about the post office, which in reality, I've found to be very consistent in delivering my mail. Most countries don't even deliver 6 days out of the week like USPS does. I think in France, its only 2 days out of the week.
You have to remember, too, that it was started by Benjamin Franklin, the countries first Postmaster General, and its mandated by the Constitution of the US.
"Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 of the United States Constitution, known as the Postal Clause or the Postal Power, empowers Congress 'To establish Post Offices and post Roads'." -Wikipedia