Michael Hiltzik for The LA Times does a pretty good job of presenting the reasons why we shouldn't privatize the US Postal Service, but unfortunately misses an important one: mail fraud statutes come in real handy for felony convictions and long prison sentences for some of society's worst actors.
He draws this comparison on privacy:
Law enforcement can't open your mail without a judge's say-so, and any private individual who tries could face a long sojourn as an involuntary guest of the feds.
But laws governing the sanctity of your email are in their infancy. Actually, that's a gross overstatement: They're positively fetal. Government agencies may not need any warrant at all to read some of your emails. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and anyone else whose system carries your email can read your messages at whim, with no consequences.
Read his full argument here.
