Isn't it an independent agency of the government? Maybe there's no difference, but it seems that the definition of "independent" means "exist outside of the federal executive departments ... agencies that, while constitutionally part of the executive branch, are independent of presidential control"
It is and it isn't a separate company. It's a GSE - Government Sponsored Enterprise. Think of it as a perpetual charter to engage in a specific business on behalf of the government.
Sounds very similar to Crown Corporations here in Canada; they're not private enterprises, but not government agencies either. Kind like a private corporation who's owners are the government - with corporate fiduciary responsibility legally binding owners and management from stepping on each other's toes.
The flip side of that is, you can't refuse the USPS. Everything I care about comes to me electronically or through a parcel service, I only need USPS a couple of times a year (USG stuff like DL renewal). Even so, I need to collect my junk mail at least twice a week - because if I don't the box will fill up, they'll leave a threatening note about returning future mail to sender, and I'll have to pick up the stack at the local post office. I've done that a few times now. Its always funny how when I get there to pickup the volume of mail that was too large to fit in the mailbox - there are only a couple of official looking envelopes that turn out to be junk mail. The workers obviously recognize the fact that I don't want three copies of "The Penny Saver", and they don't want to waste space in the PO warehousing it.
The incentives are way off in this system. They get paid to move junk mail and I am forced to accept it.
tldr; I hate junk mail and will scream into the void about it.
I get junk mail from the USPS about how to send junk mail via the USPS. ("We'll deliver to every mailbox in the zip code, you don't have to even address the junk!")
I guess they have to make money somehow.
USPS and FedEx are nice, but are more expensive than the USPS. And there's that whole rain, snow, sleet, or hail thing.
A couple of years ago, I was an operations analyst - my employer used USPS to deliver millions of DVDs... USPS completely depends on bulk shipping and they'll happily provide product packaging at all scales - down to the carrier route level. Urban areas get hit pretty bad, due to population density - bulk shippers get more bang for the buck. Ideally, from the postal customer's perspective, shipping costs would rise for shippers who can only address shipments to "Current resident of:" or "Our friend at:". Proof of work, like hashcash. But of course the incentive system is the direct opposite, the recipients are not the customer.
In the US only items bearing USPS postage may be placed in mailboxes. Many pre-built mailboxes have a separate open receptacle for newspapers etc. FedEx and UPS generally deliver to the doorstep, even for envelopes.
There are actually laws written to prevent anyone but the government delivering "letters or packets" under penalty of fine or seizure: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1696. I don't know recall details or the outcome, but I recall a few years ago it was up in the air whether you could send documents legally with private services, or if there were fundamental differences between USPS and "courier" services.
Yeah it's a weird relationship and I don't understand the nuances, but my point is that using USPS for surveillance is a very different dynamic than using FedEx or UPS for surveillance.
Or is the USPS a special case?