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Rand: The Role of the United States Postal Service in Public Safety and Security

The Role of the United States Postal Service in Public Safety and Security – Implications of Relaxing the Mailbox Monopoly, By Lois M. Davis et al.

  • “The United States Postal Service (USPS) has long held statutory
    monopolies to deliver mail and to require that only U.S. mail be delivered to the mailbox. While the USPS has defended its monopolies as necessary to fulfill its mission to provide service to every delivery point in the United States, several critics have argued against the monopolies, primarily on economic, antimonopoly grounds related to leveling the playing field for other competitors and on property rights grounds for mailbox owners. However, sometimes lost in the economic debate surrounding the monopolies is the fact that relaxing the monopolies may have ramifications in other areas—in particular, public safety and security. When it comes to delivering mail, there are several possible public safety and security concerns, including, for example, mail fraud, identity theft, and even terrorism, as demonstrated by prior use of the mail to send letter bombs and anthrax.”
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