There is a thread on here where someone sent meds to himself (home address) from another state. He got caught, and guess what. He got off. Here is why. He had a medical card, and since he was sending it to himself he won in court.
Contrary to a lot of opinion. US mail is not a division of Federal Government. They are a privately owned company.
Is it? Not really!
The United States Postal Service (USPS)
is an "independent establishment of the executive branch" of the United States Government (see 39 U.S.C. § 201) responsible for providing postal service in the United States. Within the United States, it is generally referred to as "the post office."
The USPS is often mistaken for a government-owned corporation (e.g. Amtrak),
but as noted above is legally defined as an "independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States,"[cite this quote] as it is wholly owned by the government and controlled by the Presidential appointees and the Postmaster General. As a quasi-governmental agency, it has many special privileges, including sovereign immunity, eminent domain powers, powers to negotiate postal treaties with foreign nations, and an exclusive legal right to deliver first-class and third-class mail.[h=3]Source:
http://en.wikipeia.org/wiki/USPS[/h]
Look, the USPS is an Agency!
The USPS is created as a government agency under
Title 39, Section 101.1 of the United States Code which states, in part:
(a) The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the people. The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities. The costs of establishing and maintaining the Postal Service shall not be apportioned to impair the overall value of such service to the people.
Under paragraph (d) of
Title 39, Section 101.1, "Postal rates shall be established to apportion the costs of all postal operations to all users of the mail on a fair and equitable basis."
No, the USPS is a Business!
the Postal Service takes on some several very non-governmental attributes via the powers granted to it under
Title 39, Section 401, which include:
- power to sue (and be sued) under its own name;
- power to adopt, amend and repeal its own regulations;
- power to "enter into and perform contracts, execute instruments, and determine the character of, and necessity for, its expenditures";
- power to buy, sell and lease private property; and,
- power to build, operate, lease and maintain buildings and facilities.
All of which are typical functions and powers of a private business. However, unlike other private businesses, the Postal Service is exempt from paying federal taxes. USPS can borrow money at discounted rates, and can condemn and acquire private property under governmental rights of eminent domain.
The USPS does get some taxpayer support. Around $96 million is budgeted annually by Congress for the "Postal Service Fund." These funds are used to compensate USPS for postage-free mailing for all legally blind persons and for mail-in election ballots sent from US citizens living overseas. A portion of the funds also pays USPS for providing address information to state and local child support enforcement agencies.
Under federal law, only the Postal Service can handle or charge postage for handling letters. Despite this virtual monopoly worth some $45 billion a year, the law does not require that the Postal Service make a profit -- only break even. Still, the US Postal Service has averaged a profit of over $1 billion per year in each of the last five years. Yet, Postal Service officials argue that they must continue to raise postage at regular intervals in order make up for the increased use of email.
