> > > You can send letters just as well as packages via the other carriers. > > The "USPS monopoly" on first class mail is absurd. In fact, FedEx, UPS, > et. al could offer a $0.44 letter product if they wanted to.
There are certain legalities involved with first class mail that is not the same with other forms of transit of written material. Intercept requirements are different, for one thing, as are other privacy requirements. For example, it is a federal crime to tamper with a US mail box or with US mail, not so sure if that is so for a FedEx box. First class mail enjoys certain "expectations of privacy" that other forms of letter transport may not enjoy.
