A 2007 GAO study looked at the Postal Service\u2019s use of facilities, and concluded that, \u201cA 2005 contractor assessment of 651 randomly selected postal facilities revealed that two- thirds of these facilities were in less than \u201cacceptable\u201d\u009d condition, including 22 percent that were rated \u201cpoor.\u201d\u009d Inspection of one facility in Dallas led the inspector to recommend that the building be immediately evacuated.<\/p>\n
The decaying buildings provide a handy visual clue to the quality of service. Unfortunately, we don\u2019t know how bad the service is, because the Postal Service collects data on its own service quality, but it refuses to make the data public. Isn\u2019t it nice that your tax dollars pay for data that you\u2019re not allowed to see?<\/p>\n
The Postal Service\u2019s ability to lose mail is, of course, legendary. Here is an example of how bad it has become: last week the American Postal Workers Union had to postpone their national election of officers because so many of the ballots were lost in the mail.<\/p>\n