Mail That Has No Stamp

Fellow blogger Steven D. Levitt wants to know, "Why does the Post Office deliver mail that has no stamp?"

Steve reports in the New York Times that a few days ago, his daughter got a letter delivered in the mail. Where the stamp should have been, the sender had instead written, “Exempt from postage: Guinness Book of World Records attempt."

"The envelope contained a single sheet of paper, describing an attempt to set the record for the world’s longest running chain letter, along with instructions to pass this letter along to seven friends. If we broke the chain, the Postal Service (which is monitoring the record attempt) would know that we were the individuals who ruined it for all of the people who had been part of the chain since 1991!," writes Steve.

He goes on to say,"The thing that puzzled me was why the Postal Service was aiding and abetting this effort. It seemed bizarre, but at the same time lent credence to the endeavor. Maybe this really did have something to do with a world record bid."

A quick Google search by Steve revealed that the Postal Service isn’t condoning the chain mail. He is also curious to know exactly how lax the Postal Service is and is asking his readers to help find out.

To read Steve's entire post, click here.