Hat tip to Doug Mataconis at the Liberty Papers. The Postal Service is adopting new policies that will make it easier to jack up prices in the future. Don't expect any increases in the quality of service. It brings up the issue of reforming the Postal Service, a monopolistic government agency, and Doug has his own ideas.

* Eliminate the USPS monopoly on first class and all other mail. Allow FedEx, UPS, DHL, and anyone else who wants to get into the game to deliver first class mail, magazines, or anything else to do so. In the long run, it will result in better service, more competitive pricing, and more innovation

* Eliminate the regulations that require the USPS to deliver first class mail at a uniform rate. It makes no sense that it costs the same to mail a letter from New York to Boston as it does to mail it from New York to Honolulu. Let the market decide how to price these services.

* Get the government out of the business of providing pensions to Postal Workers. We don’t do it for the guys who work for Ford and General Motors, there’s no reason we should do it for the guys who deliver the mail.

Having had some horrible experiences recently with the Postal Service, I'm open to any ideas that would improve the quality of service.