Harry Reid wants healthcare like the US Postal Service

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) compared his proposed healthcare reform to the relationship between the US Postal Service and private delivery companies.

Apparently, this was supposed to be a positive analogy:

“The Postal Service may not be perfect, but the public option is there, and the private companies, FedEx, UPS, know they cannot rip you off or [be] slacking on their service,” said Reid.

Okay, the first part is correct: the Postal Service isn’t perfect. But why does he think that FedEx or UPS would rip us off if it didn’t exist? If FedEx decided to jack up prices or cut back on its service, consumers would just go to UPS or DHL. New companies would open if they thought they could undercut the current ones or serve customers better.

As we all know, if the government lifted its legal monopoly on paper mail, private companies would rush in to do a better job! The mail would be faster, and cheaper.

Government stewardship usually means: no innovation. The Postal Service now offers overnight delivery (sometimes), but for years they said it wasn’t possible. Only when FedEx arrived did the impossible become possible.

Do we really want a healthcare system that’s run like the U.S. Post Office? Everyone waiting in line for service that is provided basically the same way it was a decade ago? If I get to choose, I’d prefer my healthcare to be provided by FedEx.

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