So when was any branch of govt reluctant to avail itself of the power given it?

Besides, post ofc predates Constitution and was deemed vital to a working democracy.

John Nichols has written excellent pieces in The Nation and elsewhere on this: (His best one, for some reason, comes up as 'not found' despite showing up on Google)
http://m.host.madison.com/news/opinion/column/john_nichols/john-nichols-post-office-cuts-a-threat-to-democracy/article_519c6edc-723e-11e2-92c6-001a4bcf887a.html?mobile_touch=true

http://www.alternet.org/print/story/146884/the_postal_service_is_essential_to_democracy_--_it_should_be_re-imagined,_not_shrunk

Trisha Marczak:
“The Post Office was given a mission in the founding of our country — if we were going to have a democracy, citizens need to be informed, and the only way to really inform people in small communities is through their newspaper,” National Newspaper Association President Reed Anfinson told MintPress.

Those favoring the USPS claim that the private sector doesn’t have the infrastructure for an entire replacement, as companies like FedEx and UPS rely on the USPS to deliver to areas that generate mild mail delivery traffic.

http://www.mintpressnews.com/cuts-to-usps-threaten-government-transparency/

The History Channel
... In 1707, the British government established the position of Postmaster General to better coordinate postal service in the colonies, though the business was still conducted largely by private individuals. In 1737, a 31-year-old American colonist named Benjamin Franklin took over as Postmaster General and oversaw the colonial postal service from England until he was dismissed for subversive acts on behalf of the rebellious colonies in 1774. Franklin then returned to America and helped create a rival postal system for the emerging nation. ...

... Although Article IX of the Articles of Confederation written in 1781 authorized Congress to [establish and regulate] post offices from one State to another, the formation of an official U.S. Postal Service remained a work in progress.

Finally, on February 20, 1792, President Washington formally created the U.S. Postal Service with the signing of the Postal Service Act, which outlined in detail Congressional power to establish official mail routes. The act allowed for newspapers to be included in mail deliveries and made it illegal for postal officials to open anyone's mail. ...

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/george-washington-signs-the-postal-service-act

••

Love it. Reminds me of t-shirt/poster:

Daily cute: kitten has foolproof attack plan. Or not

Daily cute: kitten has foolproof attack plan. Or not

How to plan an attack on your feline friend. Step one: approach the target carefully, making sure to freeze whenever they might see you or suspect something. Step two: Prepare for attack when close enough. If the plan backfires and your target attacks first, revert to plan B: confuse them, whether this involves flaunting your hindquarters or standing on your head. Then retreat in the fastest way possible. Guaranteed to work every time.

"Sneak up, confuse, escape"

Yall gotta see this! A deer walks up to a house...

A Deer Walked Up To This House One Day. And They NEVER Saw The Rest Coming.

Adventurer completes first ever climb up frozen Niagara Falls:

Criminalizing the poor

Criminalizing the poor

The ACLU’s Blog of Rights features a guest post by Kevin Thompson, who explains how a traffic ticket he couldn’t afford to pay in 30 days and a load of fines levied by a for-profit “parole” company led to five days in jail.

http://billmoyers.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1d6affa204bd5a2af07918fe1&id=394d834722&e=897250dfe0

Here Is How Every Senator Voted On The KeystoneXL Pipeline: PoliticusUSA

Here Is How Every Senator Voted On The KeystoneXL Pipeline: PoliticusUSA

http://www.politicususa.com/2015/01/29/senator-voted-keystone-xl-pipeline-bill.html

Want to know your Rep's & Sens' Twitter address?
Link f/ Congressional Tweeps:

http://www.wetweet.org/

Miracle or zombie cat?

Tampa TV station reports that a Florida cat named “Bart” was struck by a car, declared dead by veterinarians and buried by his grieving family, but somehow recovered, crawled his way out of the grave and showed up on a neighbor’s doorstep. Bart is being called both a “miracle cat” and a “zombie cat,” which is probably a Rorschach test of sorts

http://billmoyers.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1d6affa204bd5a2af07918fe1&id=e27564ba13&e=897250dfe0

Anti-choicers are being deceptive & dishonest. Again (or it It 'still'?)

Tara Culp-Ressler reports for ThinkProgress on the anti-choice movement’s newly emerging strategy to dishonestly frame the most common — and safest — method of mid-trimester abortion as a process of “dismembering unborn children.” She says that several states are considering legislation based on the emotionally evocative but clinically misleading description, and argues that it is reminiscent of the debate over “partial birth abortion.”

http://billmoyers.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1d6affa204bd5a2af07918fe1&id=038e86ed74&e=897250dfe0

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*Please, let's call them 'anti-choice,' not 'anti-abortion.' Everyone is really anti-abortion, but reasonable folk want the choice.*

OP on PA fracking deserves a look

Frackers In Pennsylvania Violate Health And Environmental Regulations On A Daily Basis

http://www.democraticunderground.com/112780508