[Dilbert San Diego]

Didn’t the post office become a semi-independent agency in 1971? I’ve heard since that year, the postal service is not officially a department of the government

[napscoordinator]

Yes and the post office and the military are the only required departments mandated by the constitution. Probably need a constitutional amendment to change it.

[desertsolitaire]

Wasn’t there a film in the late 60’s? that had most of the government employees in Presidential succession killed and the postmaster general, an African American gentleman become President by succession?

[nwrep]

Nixon started the habit of bailing it out.

[Tired of Taxes]

Yes, USPS was turned into an ‘independent agency.’ But, the federal government still has power over it.

For example, the Post Office is required to deliver everywhere. (Delivery companies such as FedEx and UPS won’t deliver to some areas.)

At the same time, the government expects the P.O. to turn a profit, as if it’s a private company.

[kaktuskid]

The Germans privatized their one time government postal monopoly….it is now better known as DHL.

[Rdct29]

The postal service should have been privatized years ago. I worked for the postal service after graduating high school. It was a horrible place to work. They had female supervisors who would treat wounded Vietnam veterans with total disrespect. One vet was probably 60years old. He had a metal plate in his head and he was missing fingers on his hands. The guy came to work everyday. He might have been a little slower when he was out delivering mail but that's to be expected. They would ride him to try to get him to quit. He would just keep showing up to work and continue to do his job. I use to get so aggravated with the way they treated him. He was my mailman when I was growing up. I remember my father would talk to him all the time. He was a really nice guy. I use to say now I know why these guys end up going postal. If he wasn't such a kind person he could have snapped very easily.

[Republican Wildcat]

Correct - before it was a Cabinet-level Department:
https://constitution.findlaw.com/article1/annotation38.html
“The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 dramatically changed our federal postal service. The then-U.S. Post Office Department went from being part of a President’s Cabinet to an independent agency. This gave letter carriers and other postal workers the right to engage in collective bargaining. It also did many things that the postal clause did not. For example, it clarified the role and purpose of mail services in American life. It also gave this new, independent agency the authority to set postal rates and salaries for letter carriers.”

Maybe that turn out as good as hoped...? Or would it be even worse now?