>Everyone likes to trash the USPS and I have done it myself on occasion. But their delivery record is actually pretty good, especially when you consider the sheer volume of mail, and we have the lowest postal rates in the world. It costs two or three times as much to mail a letter in Europe as it does here.

I agree with you. I think the USPS does a good job very cheaply. People should also keep in mind that the USPS has to deliver the mail everywhere while the private services (UPS, FedEx, etc.) can decide not to deliver to certain locations. I saw a great piece a while back (on CBS' Sunday Morning, I think) about mail delivery to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. They use mules.

(BTW, a great analogy here is public schools and private schools. Private schools get to choose their students and remove those who don't fit it. Public schools have to educate all the kids, even the ones who are extremely difficult to educate.)

Tamar