Lugnut, I don't dispute your view that the postal service in the US is valuable, but your history is a bit in error. The US post office did not really get into action until the early 1800s and then was basically private enterprise with payment from the government. I discovered all of this when I was researching how much postage was in the past.
USPS shipping prices ?
Went to the Post Office to ship a set of 4 pound cables with $200 insurance plus tracking to California via priority mail. Clerk tells me the cost is $14 and change. When I balked at the price, the clerk told me that it depends on the zone it goes to. I said, sounds like you guys are getting more expensive than Ups and Fedex. Went to Fedex and shipped the same package with tracking and insurance for $7.05. It used to be cheaper to ship via USPS. Unfortunately, this is no longer seems to be the case.