It is my understanding the U.S. postal service (USPS) was conceived by Benjamin Franklin as a service. It was not seen as a business expected to make a profit, or actually even pay for itself.
It was seen as an essential, affordable service provided by our government that would allow all Americans, no matter where they live (cities or farms) and no matter their financial situation at the moment, to be able to participate in the exchange of goods and ideas. Benjamin Franklin understood that the prosperity of the nation would depend on all of its citizens having the opportunity to share their talents.
In recent decades there has been a movement by forces thinking privatization and profit making is the only option for success. That movement influenced our Congress to undercut the viability of the Post Office. For example, starting in 2007 the USPS was required to prefund USPS retirees’ health benefits 75 years into the future. That was ended in 2022, but not before causing major budgetary problems for the post office
