@cdarwin And espechally the latter one is a big point.

#USPS is expensive because it has to cover not just #COTUS / ("lower 48" + D.C.) but #PuertoRico, #AmericanVirginIslands, #Guam, #Hawaii, #Alaska, #MinorOutlyingIslands and also do #International #Shipping to #military bases and troops (or at least peer into their supply chains).

• Basically they do everything that isn't subject to "Defense Courier Service" or other classified mail...

Not to mention as a #NationalCarrier per #IPU they also get to do a lot of mandatory stuff that is expensive and not abolishable, from #customs handling to #PosteRestante to god forbid #Telegrams (not the shitty messenger tho!)...

• The only reason a C5-sized envelope costs me € 1,60 nationwide in #Germany is because Germany is smaller than #California and way denser urbanized on average.

Not to mention USPS has to maintain a shitload of locations to get their mandatory availability to the average household:

• Pretty shure that USPS kiosk in Salmon Forks even if it's just an unmanned dropbox isn't even recovering it's electricity bill!

#PostalService is #infrastructure, and what happens when infrastructure is being forced to be run as a #ForProfitBusiness with ever absurder #profit demands can be seen in the #UK with their #TapWater systems...