You’re correct in suggesting that some government contractors do not always do the job right. In New York City, many renovation projects involving my city’s subway system are handled by both the State Transit Authority and their private contractors, depending on the project. The contractors are often just as lazy and slow to work as TA employees. I often see six guys on a track, with one guy working and the other five supervising, coffees in hand. The only way New Yorkers can tell the contractors from the state employees is the “CONTRACTOR” spelled out in black on the back of their orange safety vests. You sure as hell can’t tell by their work ethic.

Your criticism regarding government contractors is a very good argument for some government agencies to stop hiring contractors period and simply allow the free market to provide more efficient delivery of services to the general public.

Now I don’t know much about the USPS, but don’t they have a monopoly on first-class mail delivery due to a federal law that prohibits private companies from charging less than $3 for the delivery of any piece of first class mail? I think I read it in David Boaz’ Libertarianism: A Primer. If I’m wrong about this fact, I’m sure Michael will let me know.

I worked for a company that publishes magazines and got to know the circulation side of the business a little. The amount of technology involved with bar-coding and sorting the bulk mail that you get would shock you. Take a look at a mass mailing that you get in the mail. There are bar codings usually right above your name and sometimes next to where the stamp would appear. These bar codings all contain data relating to your address, the type of mail etc. All of this info is read by a machine in the post office and helps millions of pieces of mail get to its destination faster. Thats technological innovation that most people are not aware of or even give much thought to.

Government contractors do not always do the job right. The irrefutable argument is the fact that on 9/11 it was government contreactors who allowed 19 terrorists onto airplanes with box cutters in their carry-on luggage.

But there is still an argument to be made in support of the government giving the post office duties over to a private industry without subsides. The argument for doing that is the innovation and creativity that would ensue - something that is near zero in any government program.

With that said, I still think that the post office, both historically and currently (doing significantly better after government subsidies were reduced and competition has increased), proves exactly what Becker has been arguing - it is better to subsidize a private industry than to create a government monopoly.

Speaking of history. As a strict constructionist, you should know that the congress was given the authority “to establish post offices and post roads.” in the constitution itself. The postal service was established immediately after the second constitutional convention by Ben Franklin. By the definition it pretty much says that the federal government needed to establish the post office. Funny how you conservatives are strict constructionists when it serves your purpose and then disregard the constitution when it does not. Or I guess conservatives are smarter than Ben Franklin.

Had the USA subsidized a private industry instead of a government monopoly you would have seen much more changes in innovation and creativity along with an easier way for competition to have ensued thus resulting in a better end product.

Again, knowing the history of how the post office has operated (highly recommend the link above) it is hard to argue against this.

There is no subsidy.

Fed Ex is hardly a competitor, If you want to spend $15 to mail your phone bill out via Fed Ex, be my guest.

There is no need to privitize the post office because it is operating very efficiently at low rates.

Why would we subsidize a private company like Fed Ex where we the Post Office is doing the job just fine as it is at low cost. Some of the se small government “conseratives” are such ideologues that they must replace everything run by the govt with a private contractor regardless of the ineffecienceis it creates.

It is also worth noting that the lack of government subsidies to the post office is still relatively new, I think in the early 80’s, and since then, along with the introduction of competition, has drastically improved the post office - though still notably less than the more competitive Fed Ex.

For more information on how the post office was when it was more controlled by government and faced less competition read this: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blmailus5.htm

In other words, less government and more competition are the reasons the post office is no longer the abysmal failure it once was…and Fed Ex shows just how much better it can be - again with more competition and less government.