A newly released memo from the banking giant Wells Fargo outlines a predatory scheme to dismantle the USPS: sell off profitable parts, slash union jobs, and raise prices by up to 140 percent.
That’s not really true. USPS isn’t a monopoly—it’s a public service with a legal obligation to deliver to every address in the U.S., no matter how remote or unprofitable. FedEx and UPS can cherry-pick the routes that make money and skip the rest. In fact, they often rely on USPS for the final leg of rural deliveries because it’s cheaper for them than doing it themselves.
Also worth noting: USPS doesn’t get taxpayer funding for operations and is saddled with ridiculous requirements, like pre-funding retiree benefits decades in advance—a rule no private company has to follow. Then people cut funding or impose restrictions and turn around to say, “See? Government doesn’t work.”
So yeah, it’s not perfect—but comparing it to FedEx or UPS without acknowledging the completely different rules they play by misses the point entirely.
The USPS has 2 legal monopolies, according to US code title 39:
Carrying letters, with an exception for “very urgent material” - which is why FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc are able to carry some letters, but can’t do regular ground letter delivery.
Use of mailboxes. It is a felony (IIRC) for non postal employees to put things inside mailboxes.
That’s not really true. USPS isn’t a monopoly—it’s a public service with a legal obligation to deliver to every address in the U.S., no matter how remote or unprofitable. FedEx and UPS can cherry-pick the routes that make money and skip the rest. In fact, they often rely on USPS for the final leg of rural deliveries because it’s cheaper for them than doing it themselves.
Also worth noting: USPS doesn’t get taxpayer funding for operations and is saddled with ridiculous requirements, like pre-funding retiree benefits decades in advance—a rule no private company has to follow. Then people cut funding or impose restrictions and turn around to say, “See? Government doesn’t work.”
So yeah, it’s not perfect—but comparing it to FedEx or UPS without acknowledging the completely different rules they play by misses the point entirely.
The USPS has 2 legal monopolies, according to US code title 39:
Carrying letters, with an exception for “very urgent material” - which is why FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc are able to carry some letters, but can’t do regular ground letter delivery.
Use of mailboxes. It is a felony (IIRC) for non postal employees to put things inside mailboxes.