<p>No, the government has simply organized the Postal Service along slightly different lines than other Government agencies. Nothing more. There are no private shareholders. The ultimate “boss” is the same as every other U.S. agency. The Postal Service is simply an example of government responding to the demands of a particular service agency in an efficient and effective way. </p>
<p>Sometimes private enterprise is the best solution. Sometimes government is. Sometimes a little of both works well. This isn’t religion, and shouldn’t be treated as if it was.</p>
<p>pmlrcomm, the administrative overhead of social security is less than 1%. over 99% of all funds paid into social security is either paid out in benefits or taken to partially offset the deficit in the general budget. People paying into the Social Security system have been subsidizing the shortfall of income tax revenue - in essence, people with earned income subsidizing those with passive income - for years.</p>
<p>I’d like to add that the Article III federal courts are a fantastic operation, providing services to all citizens (and non-citizens) at absurdly low cost to the taxpayers. Many of the best lawyers and law professors in America serve the public for less money than their former firms pay first-year attorneys. There is a private-sector competitor – arbitration – and in my experience, it does not do a better job, and it does not serve rank-and-file citizens effectively, while the courts do. The Article III courts also coordinate with private charities (pro bono attorneys and legal aid organizations) to distribute those charitable resources to the parties that need them the most. The courts are too often overlooked as an example of an expert and efficient government agency.</p>